Page 104 of Wonder

Slowly, he shakes his head. His voice is a rasp. “That’s the last thing I want.”

Lyss watches him for a moment.

Then she extends her hand. “Then come on in.”

The clubhouse looks the same as it always had. The bar lines the walls, row upon row of top-quality alcohol lining the shelves.

And there, polishing the glasses.

Rab stops.

“Rab.” Alyss shifts on her feet as she stares at the man who raised both of us. Alyss and Adam because their dad was never around, and me when my dad died in a gang fight when I was twelve.

Rab’s eyes sweeps across both of us.

When he ducks out from behind the bar, Lyss flinches.

But he walks right up to her. And his voice is soft.

“Been a while, Queenie. You coming home now?”

And when her face crumbles, he wraps his arms around her and holds on, his eyes closing.

Home.

43 – Hatter – one year later

I’m coming back for you.

Those words burn brightly in my chest as I stare out over the dancefloor.

Every night, the crowd looks the same. A pulsing, frothing group, desperate formore. More alcohol, more drugs, more sex.

I hear a scream behind me. The investors are starting early tonight.

Sharp nails trail across my shoulder. “Still searching, I see.”

“Do you never get bored?” The question slips from my mouth. “The same thing, night after night. Does it make you happy?”

Red settles in beside me, leaning her elbows on the railing. Her gown is sleek and black tonight, crystals snaking up the side to show a dragon unfurling its wings.

A gown to make people notice her. “How could I ever be unhappy? I have everything I want, right here.”

I shrug her off when she tries to lean her head against my shoulder. She sighs. “Nearly everything.”

Another scream. I turn to look over my shoulder. Red twists my chin back toward the dance floor. “It’s rude to stare, you know.”

“Are they new?” The investors behind us look vaguely familiar. In fact, most of this place looks familiar. The first night in a new city, but everywhere I look, things stand out.

My pulse begins to race. “Are we—.”

Red laughs. A delighted laugh. “I told you I was considering settling here permanently.”

My stomach swoops.

We’re back.

Back in the city where I met Alyss Lidell.