Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102335 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
I hold her stare, my brows slightly raised. Minus two points in my book for self-respect. “And I need you to know that you admitting that to me just now means that I won’t get jealous.”
“Also, I’m sorry! But, bitch, she is his only one!” Betty pops off. “You may not have known us back then, but there is no one else but her and Wicked. Wicked and Ruby. You’re deluded! And also!” Betty snaps, as if just remembering. “The mother of his fucking kid! The greatest kid!”
Sloane shrugs. “Still doesn’t change my mind.”
“Sloane,” Jade warns, but Sloane already has her hand in her pocket, grabbing a bag filled with white powder. Jade looks between the bag and me. I don’t care so long as it’s away from my kid and it comes nowhere near my nose.
Poppy takes the rolled-up bill from Sloane. “What?” Poppy glares at me. “It’s just coke.”
“No, Poppy…”
Poppy widens her eyes at me, a small smile on her little mouth. “You just spoke about my brother’s sex in front of me. This is for my trauma.”
“Oh God.” I flick the lid off the bottle of 42, gazing up at Betty briefly. Her mouth is in a flat line, her brow arched high. I know that look. By the time this night is over, Betty’s fist is going to be in Sloane’s face.
“You want a bump?” Sloane stares up at me with the rolled bill up her nose.
“No thanks.” I take in her outfit before resting back on her face. “I know where it comes from.”
“Show me your house, girl!” Jade jumps up from the barstool, her arm hooking in mine. I walk us through to the lounge before taking her straight for the stairs that lead up to the master. As soon as we’re far enough away, Jade squeezes my arm.
“I am so sorry about her.”
“Don’t be. If I had to apologize every time Betty did something shady, I’d never stop apologizing.” I laugh, leading her through the master room. A floating bed is in the middle of the room, a mirror ceiling at the top. The bathroom is tucked to the back, and the whole front of the room is glass. There’s a sliding door that leads out to the patio that opens out and overlooks the busy city streets.
Sliding open the door, I walk out to the patio, brushing my hair away from the strong winds. “You know, I’ve known Wicked a long time,” Jade murmurs from behind me, and when I turn slightly over my shoulder, I catch her leaning on the threshold to the door. I don’t bother to tell her that I’ve known him longer. That whatever she thinks she knows about him is nothing compared to who he really is. How dark and twisted his morals were when he first met me, and the games he played to get to me. “He has always been quiet. Somewhat distant to what the others were like.” She pushes off the door and joins me on the patio. I look out to the hotel opposite us, noticing the lights at the very top flickering on.
“But I’ve never seen him the way he is with you.”
I chuckle, my thumb drawing circles on my forearm to distract myself from the memories. “That’s nothing compared to what he used to be like. And I don’t just mean that in a good way.”
“Hey!” Poppy interrupts from behind. Before Wolf, she was probably the only thing Wicked and I agreed on. “Shall we go?”
“Nope.” I make my way back through my room and down the stairs. I can feel Poppy hot on my tail, but it’s not until I’m back in the kitchen that I finally turn to face her.
“I thought we were going out!”
“We—” I gesture around the room. “Are. But you can’t come into the place we’re going to unless you want your brother to drag us both out by our hair, and I don’t know about you, but I took a great deal of time doing it tonight.”
Poppy blinks, crossing her arms in front of her. “I’m still coming. He can deal with it.”
I shrug, ignoring the way Betty and Sloane are icing each other across the counter. “Fine.”
The elevator takes us to the bottom level of the hotel, and our heels clink as we walk across the marble floor. Val is standing near the door, a grin bright on his face.
“I’ve gotta say, you all look amazing tonight.”
I roll my eyes as he saddles up beside Sloane.
“Where we going?” he asks, putting a cigarette behind his ear. “No offense, but Paps doesn’t want you venturing too far. Says it’s not safe and that we’re close to going into lockdown.”
I snatch his cigarette off him and wait on the sidewalk of the busy street. People enter through the doors at the hotel across the street. Cars zip past and I hear Val’s heavy footsteps run up behind me. “Nah uh! I don’t think—” I cross the road between cars, making my way to the entrance doors. Brushing past the bellmen, I make my way to the elevators, turning to see the rest of the girls and a stroppy Val not far behind.