Page 90 of Red Masquerade

“Making sure you don’t get hurt,” he said through gritted teeth. “Is this where you’ve been this whole time?”

He took the glass from me and set it on the tray of a passing server who promptly disappeared.

“Upstairs, mostly.” In bed. I laughed to myself.

“I should have known.” He shook his head again. “Your family is furious.”

“What’s new?”

“Are you okay?” he asked, his firm hands landing on my shoulder and keeping me steady. He looked me in the eye, trying to find some evidence of hurt, of mistreatment.

I laughed again, everything funny. “I’m fine! I just had to get away, that’s all.”

Dixon’s serious face never wavered. “Flora told me—about your brother and the betrothal. Helena, I’m sure we can talk some reason into your family—”

I was finally feeling good, and righteous boring Dixon had to bring it all up again. “I don’t want to talk about it.” I tried to push past him and find Séra again.

His grip on my shoulders tightened, just enough to keep me in place. “She’s been worried about you.We’vebeen worried about you.”

“I’mfine.”

“When you didn’t reach out to her, she called me right away. Said I had to find you.”

“I’m here, and I’m well,” I said. “Tell her I’m okay.”

“Areyou okay?” he asked again. “Do you know where you are?”

“For Christ’s sake, Dixon, I’m not a victim of kidnapping.” This conversation was sobering me up, more than I wanted. “I left on my own.”

A pause; he seemed reluctant to say the words. “I know you have a history with Vince.”

“Flora told you?”

“But he’s not the man you knew,” he continued.

I tried to push past him again. It was nonsense. He worried too much. And what did he know?

“He’sdangerous, Helena.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, you’ve said this before, and yet here I am.”

“No, I mean it. You don’t know what he does, who he is.”

“And are you going to tell me?” I asked, hands on my hips. Staring Dixon down, though he was taller than me by a good few inches. His eyes flickered, but his mouth was pressed into a straight line, and he didn’t say anything.

“That’s what I thought.” I scowled.

“Even if you know the truth, you’re not safe.”

“What, are you in on it or something? I know whatyoudo, and Flora is perfectly safe, is she not? It can’t be much worse.”

Dixon laughed darkly under his breath. “We are not evenremotelythe same.”

“Unless you aim to tell me what’s so bad, I’m leaving. Have fun with the party—”

He grabbed my arm again, a groan of frustration bursting from me.

Dixon was not a bad man. He’d always watched out for Flora and me, and though he was her lover, I had begun to see him as a protector, a good one out of the bunch. He’d always pulled us from trouble, cooling heads and keeping us from harm.