Page 20 of Alphas Like Us

“This way.” The woman directs me past a fancy concession bar that sells wine, caramel popcorn, andcocktails.

I follow and survey my surroundings. The carpeted lobby is quiet, even as a throng of security hovers near Luna Hale and BeckettCobalt.

Maximoff’s little sister sits on the staircase that leads to the balcony levels, and she’s showing Beckett something on her phone. Could be a fanfic story that she wrote. She looks better than earlier. Moretalkative.

Near the restrooms, the woman stops at the registration table, laptops opened and papers stacked in neatpiles.

“Farrow?” Jane exits the girl’s bathroom, a blue tulle skirt over leggings, and cat-eye sunglasses perched on frizzy brown hair. “Isn’t Moffy on stage? He needs one of us out there insupport—”

“I’m dealing with some shit.” I gesture to the table, and the woman stiffens at my language. “Sorry,” I apologize to her and open my wallet. “You can go,Cobalt.”

Janefrowns.

“You’re right,” I tell her. “He needs you.” I want his best friend to be in sight if I can’t be, but it’s not easy to swallow the fact thatmoneyis what’s obstructingme.

Jane studies the table, the woman, my wallet, putting two-and-two together. Especially as the woman tells me, “We don’t take cards for the entry fee. Onlycheck.”

Shit.

My fingers freeze on my wallet. “Who carries around a checkbook?” I ask, my gaze drifting as soon as Jane unzips her yellow-sequined, banana-shapedpurse.

I blink once and Jane already has the checkbook open, bending over the table to write the amount. “Two thousand, correct?” she asksme.

I appreciate the gesture, but I prefer buying my own way. “Jane—”

“You’ll pay me back.” Her blue eyes flit up to me as she scrawls her name. “You don’t have time to argue, and if you have another plan, please let meknow.”

I don’t. “Okay.” Inod.

I’m not sure if she’s doing this more for Maximoff or for me. I almost roll my eyes. Of course this is for Maximoff, but I’m lucky that he has Jane unflinchingly on hisside.

“Thanks, Cobalt,” I say as she rips the pink check out of thebook.

Jane offers a small smile, and then passes the check to thewoman.

I don’t waste another second that Jane’s given me. And she’s right in tow as I reenter the orchestrahall.

Thatcher reaches a hand above Jane’s head behind me. Just to hold the door open for her, but she follows my lengthy stride. Catching upquickly.

The auctioneer is already spewing numbers at rapid speed. “2k, would I get a 3k? 3k, would I get a 4k? Somebody bid now, make it5k.”

I can spend twelve grand again since I didn’t need to usetwo.

When I near Oscar, he clicks the clicker, but the device lights up red. Meaning he was too slow, and someone else whose device lit up green locked in for thatbid.

“Boyfriend is popular,” Oscar says and passes the clicker to me. “I only got the 1k bid, which is null and void now that it’sat…”

We all listen to the numbers…7k.

I click at8k.Flashesred.

“Merde,” Janemutters.

Fuck, there are too manybidders.

“Somebody bid now, make it9k.”

Finally, the device lightsgreen.