Page 36 of Sinful Like Us

Yelling all at once. “Get outta here!” can be heard above the jumbled, slurred mess.

My heartbeat spikes.

Banks is suddenly facing me and back-to-back with Thatcher.My boyfriend’s brother is guarding me.

I see Tony out of the corner of my eye. Squeezing through the mosh pit of a crowd. “HEY!” he yells. “Knock it off, Gio!”

He knows one of these assholes?

“Morettis can’t come in here actin’ like they own the place!” Gio yells back.

Male voices from all directions drown out his complaint. Thatcher and Banks included, shouting over him.

Curiosity nearly goads me tostayand watch. Thatcher is more willing to argue here than if we were somewhere else. He outwardly blazes, and he glances back and communicates with his brother.

I swallow my speeding pulse. “We need to leave!” I shout to Moffy, and I grab my fur coat off the stool. Once I look up at my best friend, I pale.

His red-hot fixated glare is all too familiar. He’s hyper-focused on three young guys in green Eagles merch. They berate Farrow, who’s as cool as can be. He couldn’t care less, only a hand outstretched to keep them from shoving. But he shoots Moffy a warning look to stay back.

And then they spit on Farrow.

“Moffy,no.”

He launches forward. I drop my coat and clasp his waist.

“MOFFY!” He barely even notices me pulling him, and so I leap onto his back.

“Janie?” He stops in place.

Someone hollers, “Look, cousins screwing cousins!” My stomach lurches, but I try not to listen because if I let go of him, he’ll—

Tony suddenly tears me off of Maximoff.

“No!” I scream and kick my feet out.

I’ve been ripped off my best friend plenty before; it’s protocol—and every time, I yell about not leaving him behind. But in this moment, only one word escapes my lips.

No.

I yell it again.

Tony cages me to his chest. I squirm against his stronghold, and my panicked eyes land on Thatcher.

He’s already coming towards me.

He heard me scream.

Moffy sees me struggling. “Let her go!” he shouts at Tony.

I flail my feet, and my heel makes contact with my bodyguard’s crotch. Tony grunts, “Fuck.” He sets me down and doubles over.

“Moffy!” I bolt to catch his arm. Now that I’m fine, he’s already leaving for Farrow, who does a fantastic job restraining the pushing crowd.

“Jane!” Thatcher cuts off my path and shields me. “Jane!”

I lose sight of Moffy. “I can’t leave him!” I put my hands on his chest to push him backwards. But my strength doesn’t outmatch his, so I use all my weight and jump on my boyfriend.

He catches me in a front piggyback. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist—his hands cup the backs of my thighs.