Chapter Thirty-six
The two cars were still parked outside with the drivers standing beside them, deep in conversation. One of them idly scuffed at a familiar patch of bloodstained gravel. Nico headed straight for the vehicle he'd arrived in, his grip tightening on my arm.
A warning?
Nerves?
I couldn't tell.
“Hargreaves,” he called from a few steps away. “Something’s come up. I need to head back to town.”
Hargreaves turned with a frown. It deepened when he realized Nico wasn’t alone. “Mrs. Hart said―”
“Mrs. Hart has changed her mind.” Nico didn’t slow. “Do you need her to come out here and tell you that herself, or can we get going?”
The authoritarian tone did its job, a slight hint of color appearing on Hargreaves’ cheekbones. “No, Mr. Ravenscar. I just thought―”
“You're not paid to think.” Nico opened the rear door and shoved me unceremoniously inside. “You're paid to drive.”
The door slammed shut and a moment later Nico climbed in beside me.
Hargreaves settled behind the wheel―the simple act of fastening his seat belt agonizingly slow.
Nico stared resolutely ahead, his body language so casual and unconcerned that it could only be fake.
The door to the house remained closed.
For now.
That didn't mean it would stay that way. If it opened, who would emerge?
Henry?
Queenie?
Or Kellan, determined to reclaim his property?
The urge to grab Nico's hand was unexpectedly strong, but I resisted.
Even now, while he was rescuing me, I wasn't entirely certain such a gesture would be welcome. It probably wouldn’t be wise to do in front of Hargreaves, anyway. Especially when he already seemed suspicious.
I turned my attention back to the house.
Door still closed.
Seconds crawled by.
Hargreaves made a slight adjustment to the rear-view mirror. No one had been in the car. How much could a mirror move? For a brief moment, his eyes met mine. What must I look like to him? Bloody. Bruised. Gagged. His expression gave nothing away.
I looked away, focusing back on the door.
Still closed.
Beside me, Nico checked the time. The gesture was subtle, but apparently it was enough for Hargreaves to start the engine.
“Where am I dropping you?” he asked as he pulled away from the curb.
The other driver watched us leave, looking more curious than concerned. And in the rear-view mirror, the door opened, too far away to tell who’d stepped through it.
“Near the nightclub,” Nico said, relaxing back in his seat.
“You going partying?” The question came with a glance in my direction.
Nico smirked. “I’m not.”
The implication was obvious. I was being delivered as a party favor. A little treat for Wonderland’s clientele to feast upon.
“Snuff film?” Hargreaves asked casually.
Apparently Wonderland still had some nasty surprises up its sleeve to shock me.
Nico shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t ask questions. I just do what I’m told.”
Hargreaves didn't look convinced. “I thought Kellan wanted him.”
“You know Kellan.” Nico didn't so much as blink. “He changes his mind a lot.”
Hargreaves nodded. “True. Not usually this quickly, though.”
Another shrug. Nico’s finger hovered over one of the controls on the central console. “I need a moment to brief him on expectations, and explain what happens if he doesn’t meet them.”
“Sure.”
A partition slid smoothly into place. The instant it blocked the driver's view, Nico reached into his pocket and pulled out a Swiss Army knife. He shifted closer. Close enough that his lips brushed my ear.
Given the day I’d had and the state I was in, there was no way my body should have reacted to him, but react it did. So much so that I had to force myself to focus on what he was saying.
“We’re not out of the woods yet.”
That much I'd already gathered.
“Right now they’re probably arguing. Kellan isn’t used to anyone saying no to him. You get that, right?”
I nodded.
“And contracts mean nothing to the Harts when they become inconvenient.
Once they remember that, I can't guarantee they'll honor it. Not with Kellan throwing a tantrum over losing his toy.” His voice remained low and even.
“They'll want to solve both problems at once. Stop me from leaving and put you back where you belong.”
Bile threatened to ignore the presence of the gag. I swallowed it down and forced myself to breathe. I’d already seen enough of Kellan's plans for me. I had no intention of finding out the rest.
“That only gives us a short window of opportunity,” Nico continued. “If we don’t get on tonight’s boat, we’re not getting on one at all. Do you understand that?” I nodded again. “We’ll both be fucked. My rights to come and go as I please will be revoked, and you―”
Yeah… I didn’t need him to spell it out. My future in Wonderland would consist of a period of abuse―short if I was lucky, longer if I wasn’t―and then death. In other words no future at all.
Nico unfolded one of the knife blades. “If I remove the gag, you have to promise me something.”
I nodded enthusiastically. Nothing mattered more than getting the thing out of my mouth and being able to talk again. I'd worn it so long I'd forgotten what normal even felt like.
“You do exactly what I tell you.” The blade hovered near the strap. “No questions. No arguments. No suggestions. This is not a democracy.”
I nodded again. Even more enthusiastically this time to emphasize that I meant it.
Nico looked unconvinced. “Obedience doesn't come naturally to you.” His mouth twisted.
“That's why I had to pay so much for you at the slave auction.
It's why Kellan wanted you. It's why your face is bloody. That’s why I―” He shook his head.
“Never mind. That’s not important right now.
The point is that rebellion usually lasts no longer than a few hours here.
The fact you've held onto yours this long is practically miraculous.”
I tried to communicate sincerity with my eyes. Apparently I failed because Nico rolled his.
“Turn your head.”
I obeyed. For a moment he hesitated, as though genuinely considering whether removing it was wise. I made the only sound available to me. A small, pathetic whine. It was embarrassingly dog-like. Kellan would have loved it.
A few seconds of sawing and it was done.
I eased it from my mouth, glaring at the ball of silicone like it had been its fault rather than the people who’d put it there.
It looked far smaller than it had felt. My instinct was to throw it out of the window.
However since I’d promised Nico obedience I settled for dropping it on the floor and nudging it beneath the seat with my heel.
Once that was dealt with, I worked my jaw experimentally. Everything felt stiff and wrong.
“Better?”
“Yes.” Even speaking felt strange.
Nico produced a bottle of water and handed it over. I hadn’t been given anything to drink since the gag had been forced into my mouth. Despite my raging thirst, I hesitated.
“It really is water,” Nico said dryly. “What reason do I have to drug you? Do you think I want the inconvenience of dragging around a dead weight.”
“You might want me more docile.”
That earned a laugh. “If drugs are what it takes, we’re both in trouble.”
The water tasted incredible and I didn’t stop until I’d drained the entire bottle.
“Don’t worry,” Nico said. “I didn’t want any.”
“Sorry.”
“I'll survive.”
He took the empty bottle back and reached for the partition controls. Before pressing the button, he fixed me with a stare. “I need you to cry.”
Then the partition slid down.
I blinked. There were instructions. And then there was expecting me to exhibit a sudden flair for acting. I’d promised him I’d do what he’d said, though, so I was at least going to have to try.
I thought about Warren. The lies. The manipulation.
The way every smile and every touch had been designed with one goal in mind: to bring me here so I could be offered around like a tasty snack.
I thought about all the people who’d known and said nothing.
Percy. Lola. Zane and Zeke. The list was endless.
I thought about being drugged. Filmed. Tricked. Sold.
Finally, I thought about Kellan. About what would be happening right now if Nico hadn't intervened.
The tears came easily after that. They streamed down my face, mingling with the blood.
Hargreaves smirked. “Took it well, did he?”
The urge to take Nico's knife and slit the man's throat from ear to ear swept over me like a tsunami.
“He understands what's expected of him,” Nico said.
After that, silence settled over the car.
I watched the scenery slide past. Hargreaves focused on the road.
And Nico—
I didn’t know what Nico was doing. Strategizing hopefully.