“LOOK, LADY, I HAVEN’T so much as stepped near your café or your sister. So, you can all just fuck off!”

Jay growled low in his throat, and Carlos let out a small sound that resembled a whimper.

“Apologies are in order,” Jay demanded darkly.

Carlos flicked his eyes to Mary Ann and me who were entertained by the way Jay had this cretin eating out of the palm of his hand.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, and Jay’s eyes flashed warningly. “I mean, I am truly sorry for my behavior.”

Carlos looked back at Jay who had crossed his beefy arms over his chest.

“Do you know where the Hatter is?” Alice inquired.

Carlos gave a sharp furtive glance behind him before answering, “Err, no.”

Jay huffed and pushed both the man and the door open wide. Inside of the dank room were two other men that looked as reputable as Carlos did.

“I don’t want to have to ask you, boys, twice,” Jay moved into the room and loomed over the other men who were cowering in fear. “Where is the Hatter?”

“He was last seen in The Hills of Gloom,” a shorter fat man blurted out, “Wasn’t he, Spider?”

The other man, who must be Spider, shook his head, “No, no, you’ve got it all wrong Tino! They were in the Woods of No Names.”

Tino wrinkled his brow, “Oh yeah, that’s right, he was traveling with March Hare, wasn’t he?”

Carlos scowled at the two men, “You both are snitches, you know that? Hatter will have your hearts baked into cakes, just wait and see.”

Spider shrugged and motioned over to Jay, “I think the Jabberwocky is where our allegiance should lie, don’t you?”

Tino nodded vigorously, his multiple chin wobbling.

Carlos wasn’t impressed with either of them selling him out. He should have known better than to trust these two-bit hoodlums. Carlos brushed his dark hair back impatiently, “Look, the Hatter, he can be what you might say—unpredictable. Just don’t tell him you heard his location from me.”

“I don’t know those woods,” Mary Ann whispered to Alice, “Do you?”

Jay turned and grabbed Carlos by the scruff of his neck, “Don’t worry Mary Ann, we have a guide right here to take us wherever we need to go.”

Carlos huffed angrily and tried to break free from Jay’s grasp. It was an interesting sight. Both men were handsome in their own way, but Jay was far larger and more muscled than Carlos.

Mary Ann tilted her head to the side questioningly, “How can we be certain that he is leading us in the right direction?”

Carlos grinned, “Yeah! You might want to listen to the broad. I could lead you straight into a trap, in fact, I probably am!”

Spider and Tino snorted with laughter.

Carlos’ face fell, “Shut the fuck up, you two!”

Neither one heeded him.

“Carlos isn’t one of Hatter compatriots,” Alice added.

“How would you know?” Carlos spat, but the last word was choked because Jay had tightened his grasp.

Alice tapped a finger to her lip, “No, the Hatter doesn’t trust anyone, not even March Hare and they are thick as thieves.”

Spider wiped the mirth from his eyes, “Our Carlos tried to get into Hatter’s gang, and he was tossed out on his arse. Hatter and the March Hare are both mad. Everyone knows that. It was suicide to try, but he did just the same.”

Carlos sighed, “I was infiltrating his gang not joining it!”

Mary Ann took a step closer to Carlos, “Why would you do something like that?”

Carlos watched the pretty redhead with a wary expression, “What’s it to you?”

Mary Ann smiled, a sweet dimple appearing on her cheek and Carlos seemed arrested by it.

“Well, if you are working for the Red Queen, that could be a problem.”

Carlos threw his head back as far as he could with Jay still holding him by the neck.

“I would sooner serve the Jabberwocky than I would that murderous whore!”

Mary Ann’s lips twitched, “Not a fan?”

He turned and spat, “That evil bitch had my family exterminated.”

Alice winced, “I am sorry, Carlos. Sadly, it sounds just like something she would do.”

He closed his eyes and swallowed, “Look, I don’t want any trouble. We told you what we know, so why don’t you all move along and leave the three of us alone?”

Jay seemed to consider it. He turned to Tino and Spider, “Do either of you know the Woods of No Name?”

They shook their heads before Tino pipped up, “Nah, but Carlos grew up right near there, didn’t you mate?”

Closing his eyes, Carlos counted to ten and then when his temper hadn’t abated counted to twenty.

“Let me get this straight,” Carlos sneered, “You want to kidnap me from my home in order to solve a kidnapping case. Doesn’t that strike you as counterproductive?”

Mary Ann beamed at Carlos, but spoke to Alice, “He’s really smart, isn’t he?”

Alice wasn’t sure if smart was the correct adjective for Carlos. She might have agreed with slimy, pretentious, self-serving, and guttersnipe—but smart wasn’t quite on her list.

“You can’t have him, Mary Ann,” Alice said warningly. “He’s not a puppy or a Jubjub.”

Carlos chose that moment to squawk in protest. Mary Ann raised a brow as if to say that he certainly sounded like a Jubjub.

Alice knew she had to be firm, or Mary Ann would likely fall head over heels for this scumbag.

“Off limits, Mary Ann!”

Mary Ann pouted, her plump bottom lip jutting out in a rather attractive manner. Carlos found himself momentarily mesmerized by it.

That is until he remembered that they were kidnapping him.

“I won’t go! I won’t!”

**

FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER they had boarded the dirigible with their new captive passenger. There had been a great deal of discussion as to where he would be sleeping.

Mary Ann had graciously offered to share her cabin with the handsome criminal. But Alice had quickly squashed it. Jay refused to let him stay in his room stating he barely fit on the bed as it was.

No, Jay was adamant. The only thing to do would be to move back into Alice’s cabin and to lock Carlos in the middle one.

Carlos scowled if he was going to be a captive they could have at least let him shack up with the pretty redhead.

“That Jabberwocky is a real buzzkill,” Carlos muttered loud enough for Alice to hear and give him a little giggle.

Jay wasn’t amused.

Once Carlos was locked in, and the ship had once again begun to sail, Jay went in search of Alice. She was sitting on the deck speaking with Jolly the Jubjub.

“Do you miss your family, Jolly?” Jay heard Alice ask the small bird-man.

“Yes, Miss, a frightful lot, Miss,” he sniffled and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “But we had to leave, and Dome Mary Ann, she’s frightful good to us.”

Alice nodded, “She is a kind lady. I wanted to thank you, Jolly, for keeping the automatons below decks.”

Jolly glanced over to where Jay was standing. In a loud whisper, he confided, “They don’t like the Wocky’s you know, there is too much magic in them. From what I understand it can cause their programming to short circuit.

Alice looked up at Jay, questions in her eyes.

“I had best be off, Miss. Goodnight to you,” Jolly turned and bowed low to Jay, “And goodnight to you as well Jabberwocky.”