Kevin shot Neil a black look, but Nicky intervened before he could say anything. "Drink with us if you won't dust with us," Nicky said, holding his open packet in one hand and his shot in the other. "Down the hatch on three."

Arguing would be fruitless when the four had left their common sense at the door, so Neil picked up his glass in silence. Nicky counted them off, and Neil knocked his shot back. As soon as it hit the back of his throat, Neil knew he'd made a serious mistake.

His sodas had tasted sweet, but this shot was almost unbearably so, and the aftertaste on Neil's tongue wasn't sugar. Neil lurched to his feet, but Andrew grabbed him by his hair and slammed him back into his seat. A cruel twist pulled his head back at a dangerous angle, and Andrew slammed Neil's hand flat against the tabletop. Neil lifted his other hand to pry Andrew's fingers off, but Nicky caught his wrist.

"Just noticed, did you?" Andrew asked. "You're an idiot."

"Y-you—" Neil sputtered.

"Did you think you were safe because you were up there ordering your own drinks? Roland knows what it means when I bring outsiders here."

Neil wrenched his hand out from under Andrew's, but Andrew gave his head a warning yank. A bolt of heat went down Neil's neck. Neil hissed in pain and went still. Andrew slid out of his chair and leaned against Neil, letting Neil take his weight while he checked Neil's eyes.

"Almost there," he said. "Give it a minute and then it'll really hit. Until then, why don't you go have a little fun? The night is still young."

Neil hadn't seen Aaron get up, but he was waiting behind Neil when Andrew let go. Neil reached for Andrew with lethal intent, but Aaron grabbed the back of his chair and pulled hard enough to topple it over. The world spun in a sickening rush even after Neil hit the ground. When Aaron tried to pull Neil to his feet, Neil swung at him and missed. Neil could feel the drugs eating through his system. His heart pounded harder than the bass did, shaking him apart from the inside out.

It took both Nicky and Aaron to get Neil up. They hauled him away from the table. Neil stumbled more than once, unable to feel the ground under his feet. He tried pulling out of Aaron's grip, but he didn't succeed until they'd reached the stairs down to the dance floor. Then Aaron let go without warning. Neil tripped down the stairs with only Nicky to break his fall. Nicky looped an arm around his waist and dragged him deeper into the writhing throng.