Page 49 of Red Masquerade

She pushed away from him and crossed her arms. “So you can go out when you want, butIneed supervision?”

“It’s not the same.” He shook his head, stepping in her way again. “This house is not safe.”

She scoffed. “Look around! It seems plenty safe to me!” The only threat, really, was the bad decisions one would make in such a lawless place. At least, to her knowledge.

He wouldn’t budge. “All it takes is one moment,” he said, stepping closer and staring her down. “Slipping into the wrong room and you’re done for.”

“What are you talking about?”

So he knew. And the look he gave me, the warning in those dark eyes, told me he knewIknew. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“We’re trying to find Thornton,” she said, back straight, hands on her hips.

“You won’t find him.”

“Yes, we will. Helena knows him.”

I didn’t want to get in between this lovers’ spat, but Dixon’s eyes narrowed on me.

“How doyouknow him?”

I didn’t want to reveal the truth. Maybe because I didn’t want Dixon to think less of me, and maybe because I just wanted to keep it to myself, a secret that was mine. Dixon already hated him, it seemed, and I didn’t know if telling him our history would do Adam any favors. Dixon probably thought I’d stumbled into whatever happened in this house and ran into Vince Thornton, somehow entangling myself in whatever dark world slept under the surface of reality here.

So, all I could come up with was, “It just happened.”

Dixon turned back to Flora. “Come, let me take you back downstairs. We can dance.”

“No, don’t you try to distract me!” she said, pointing a finger in his face.

She truly was a sight to behold, this young and small blond woman, standing up to the tall English gentleman, with pure frustration written all over his face. He ran a hand down his face. “Flora—”

She looped her arm through mine. “I’ll meet you later.”

“Fine.” He looked to the gilt ceiling as if for guidance from his ancestors, exasperation clear in his eyes. “If you come with me, I’ll tell Helena where he is.”

She scowled, though she glanced to me, unsure of how to proceed.

“I don’t want you mingling with his crowd,” Dixon said.

“But Helena can?”

He muttered under his breath what sounded like an odd British curse of irritation.

“It’s fine,” I decided, pulling my arm away from her. “I can manage on my own. I’ll find you later?”

She sniffed once, then nodded hesitantly, crossing her arms so Dixon couldn’t grab her hand.

He leaned down to me, telling me some indecipherable message with his eyes, as his lips nearly brushed my ear. I felt his breath hot on my cheek, but it didn’t make my toes curl like… like it had when Adam and I were young. In a whisper only I could hear, he said, “He’s in the garden. Waiting for you.”

How he knew it, I wasn’t sure.

And he moved away, pulling Flora to his side.Don’t drag her into this, that message in his eyes seemed to say. In a singular nod, I watched as he guided her back down the stairs. She glanced over her shoulder at me, and I knew then he was right, that she had no business getting caught in this web of monsters.

I let the crowd swallow them, disappearing from sight.

I was on my own, and maybe that was how it should’ve been. I had no idea what Flora would do if she actually faced Adam, how he’d react to a third party witnessing our second meeting.

Was he really waiting forme?