Madeline's thoughts were drawn out of her book by Morris touching her hair. He knew perfectly well that touches were the one thing that would always get the Hatter's attention— she could drown out his voice no matter how loudly he might grumble.
"She could have killed you."
A snort escaped the woman, who simply crossed one leg over the other, drawing her eyes off of the pages to look back up at him, "But she didn't."
"But she could have," He insisted, shutting the book while ignoring her protestations, before unfastening the velvet choker that sat so perfectly over the thin scar running along the left side of her neck, "And next time, someone might not be there to distract her."
The Hatter stood from her seat, grabbing her choker back to fasten it in place, all the while muttering under her breath, "It was a long time ago, Morris. I acted foolishly, and I nearly paid for it. End of story."
Catching her wrist, Morris frowned and pulled Madeline back, earning a noise of surprise, "No, not end of story. She's killed twenty-two people this week. Do you know what the latest did?" The grip around her wrist tightened as he continued, "Apparently, he stepped out in front of her caravan. Just a kid."
Madeline stilled.
"A kid…she executed a kid?" Madeline's eyes narrowed as she pulled her wrist free, glancing away from the hare for a long moment. Finally, her fists clenched at her sides, "Well, what are you suggesting we do?"
"Someone needs to get rid of the Queen. And that someone should be the ones she's hurt most."