Page 124 of Under the Lies

I stay where I am even as the neon EXIT sign beckons from across the floor.

“She’s not a part of this, Seamus.”

“How I beg to differ.” Seamus leers at where I still stand over Noah’s shoulder. His attention wracks over my body.

When Noah looks over his shoulder to find me still here, his eyes narrow.

Seamus mumbles something low. Too low for me to hear, but by the slits that once were Noah’s eyes, I’m guessing it’s not good.

Noah swings around and decks Seamus again. With a hook packed with enough force that I cringe at the sound of it connecting to his jaw, Seamus falls to the ground while cradling his face.

It’s like fight night all over again, except Noah appears more unhinged.

Noah steps forward, but a body slips between and makes a grab for him. Gabe.

Reeve, Thea, and Gabe circle around us. Gabe, who was bedridden for most of the day, has his arms wrapped around Noah, restraining him. Barely.

Seamus stumbles to his feet, spitting blood. “She a better lay than Harlow? Maybe I’ll have a go of her when you’re done.”

Noah yells and lunges. Gabe grits his teeth, trying to keep his grip.

My cheeks flame as I feel Thea touch my shoulder. I twist around in time to watch her school her face, concealing the emotions she doesn’t want anyone else to see. But I do. And I frown.

Thea doesn’t see. She’s stuck on Seamus.

Seamus continues his taunting, “What do you say, Brooks? Want another round of your sister’s sloppy seconds?”

I recoil. My sister…and Seamus?

“Leave her out of this, Seamus,” Noah growls, lunging for him again. Gabe’s skin looks clammy as he struggles to hold him, with beads of sweat lining his forehead.

Reeve, who’s been standing next to a stunned Thea, steps between them. He pushes Noah into Gabe, keeping him back.

“Go home, Sayer,” Gabe sneers over his shoulder, adjusting his hold on Noah, arms wrapped around his neck and sternum. “We got this.”

Noah grunts, struggling to get free.

I catch Thea’s eyes and know that this is long from being over. Noah’s just getting started, especially when Seamus rasps, “Don’t you want to know where Harlow is?”

It’s like a flip switches Noah’s focus. He stops struggling against his friends. “You don’t know where she is.”

“Are you willing to bet on that?” Seamus’s eyes flick to me.

Noah’s not. He never got answers from the other night.

And it’s not just because of me.

It’s about my sister. It’s about revenge. Justice.

My time here is done.

So I turn around before Noah can answer. I don’t need to stick around to hear it. I don’t have to.

He’s going to say yes.

Because Harlow will always win. Even when she’s not here.

Without a backward glance, I leave Harlots and hail a taxi to drive me off into the foggy night.

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