Page 61 of Forgotten Sacrifice

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to cramp your style,” he says with amusement. “When we get inside, you find your friends; I’ll be around.”

We walk to the front door, with a bouncer holding a clipboard. “Can I help you?”

“I’m with the Olivia Mansfield party,” I say.

He consults his list. “The girl’s on the list, but you aren’t,” he tells Vince.

“Check again. Under Benjamin Franklin.” Vince discreetly passes him a hundred.

“Ah, there you are.”

We enter the space that’s been turned into a mashup of a rave meets a speakeasy. I scan the crowd, spotting Olivia and Emma. “There’s my friends.” I point.

“I’ll be at the bar,” Vince says.

“But you don’t drink,” I point out.

“And you don’t either,” he reminds me.

I roll my eyes. “Yes, Daddy.”

Vince

Luna reaches her friends, and I reluctantly take my eyes off her as I belly up to the bar.

“What can I get you?” the bartender asks.

“Club soda.”

He ducks below the bar, appearing with a bottle. Unscrewing the top, he fills a glass and pushes it to me.

“Thanks. I’ll go ahead and settle up.” I pay for my drink, dropping a dollar in the tip jar. “Nice setup,” I comment. “Who runs these parties?” My capo will be interested in the answer, as I guarantee they aren’t paying their dues to the family.

He shrugs. “Not me.”

“Gavin, can you check to see if we have more limes?” A female bartender asks him.

“Sure thing.”

He disappears in the back, and I turn around in my stool, keeping an eye on Luna.

Luna

“Luna!” Olivia squeals, knocking back a shot.

“Happy birthday,” I tell her, giving her a hug.

“Thanks. What do you think of the club? Stabby chic, right?”

“Is that a thing? Hey, Emma,” I say, and we hug.

“We’re making it a thing,” Olivia solemnly declares. “Here’s the game plan. Liam, Kevin, and crew are meeting up with us later.”

Uh-oh. While Vince doesn’t believe in luck, Kevin has no fucking clue how lucky he is to be alive.

“That gives us time to scout the club and see if any guys are hotter,” Olivia continues. “In which case, we’ll ditch Liam, Kevin, and crew, and head over to one of the casino bars with our hotter guys.”

“I’m only down for the first leg of this adventure. I’ve got chess?—”