Page 119 of Sweet Temptation

“Just chill,” one of the other girls said. “It’s the French/Irish gang war shit.”

“There’re gangs here?” the girl next to me squeaked.

“Every city has gangs,” I told her, though I wasn’t sure why I thought that would make her feel better. “It doesn’t mean they want anything to do with you any more than you want to do with them. Stay away from them and you’ll be okay.”

“But what are they doing attacking each other in the club?”

Yeah, good question.

In my limited experience, when gang violence erupted in a nightclub, it was because the nightclub was somehow involved in gang business.

“I really don’t want to know,” I said. I didn’t.

This was my first and last gig here anyway.

“Are you the DJ?” the teary-eyed girl sniffed from across the room.

“I am.”

“I love your dress,” she said.

“Thank you.”

The other girls didn’t say much. They were all on their phones.

I checked mine again.

Fuck, where was Ronan?

I hugged myself and tried to just concentrate on breathing.

“We’re good,” the woman who’d let us into the office announced, still looking at her phone. “The police are here.”

My phone vibrated in my hand.

Sledge: Cops are here. Hang tight.

I took a deep, quiet breath and did my best to be patient.

But fuck patience. I wanted out of this windowless room.

It seemed to take for-fucking-ever, but finally, someone knocked at the door, and a male voice called through. “All clear. You can open the door.” It wasn’t a voice I recognized, but hopefully the girl who unlocked the door did. A bouncer was standing outside.

And… Ronan.

The relief that swept through my body was intoxicating. I felt floaty and fucking high, and all I wanted to do was rush to him, so I did, pushing past the other girls. His hand was already out to me.

I took it.

“Get me the hell out of here,” I said, but he was already whisking me away up the hall. He gripped my hand, and it was definitely different than when Andre or Yancy held me.

I was magnetized to his warmth, electrified by his touch on my skin.

Adrenalin buzzed through me, and I clung to him as he guided me through a fire exit door to the back alley. He slipped off his suit jacket and wrapped it around my bare shoulders, and I pressed into him. My coat was inside the venue, but I was hardly going back.

The police were all over the place. There was a squad car in the alley and I could see the red and blue lights flickering all over the distant street. No doubt, they’d be shutting the club down for the rest of the night.

Halfway down the alley, Andre was waiting in our rental car.

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