“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!”