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“If Phoenix drags me to one more fucking fundraiser, I’m gonna throttle her. Damn Antony,” Drake announced, appearing and grinning.
Drake was lying. He attended as many fundraisers as he could with Phoe, despite the fact he hated them. Drake leaned forward, gazing into my eyes, making sure I was okay, and chucked me under the chin.
“Phoenix?” Shania drawled in stunned awe.
“As in the Phoenix Trust Phoenix?” Patrick asked, staring.
“A true sister,” I replied softly.
Phoenix rounded the guys, stopped, stared, and finally dragged me into her arms.
I assumed for a horrible moment Phoe was going to deny what I’d said and out me.
“You’re mine, too! A real sister, love you so much, Dana!” Phoe exclaimed, and Drake and Ezra groaned.
“You know this means more shopping trips?” Drake grumbled.
Ezra nodded.
“Dana’s just got those Louboutins; fuck, I’m gonna hide my damn card. Dana’s hitting Dylan for those Blahniks she wanted.”
I smiled, so appreciative of what Rage had done. Instead of making me look a loser, they’d made me appear like a winner. Gratefully, I took Ezra’s hand in mine and squeezed.
“Of course, baby girl, if you give me wild and hot tonight, I’d buy you them,” Ezra said.
“Four thousand dollars on shoes?” Shania breathed jealousy in every line of her body.
“Dana, you know Phoenix and Senator Parker-Jones and work for Hawthorne?” Mom asked, stunned.
Aunt Joan grinned and offered a wink. She was my cousin Dusky’s mom, and I always loved Aunt Joan.
“Yeah? What, you assumed I’d lock myself up in a single room? To bemoan the fact, I guess, that I’d scraped off a guy who was an unfaithful bastard. An asshole with no morals and no consideration for anyone but himself? Wow, you all thought I was grieving the loss of Patrick? Those two did me a favour.” I tilted my head in the direction of Patrick and Shania. “If I’d stayed with Patrick, I’d have wasted my life. Ezra gives me everything I could ask for.”
Happily, I smiled as Ezra squeezed tighter. False as it might be, it was nice pretending to be special.
“Fuckers, you had your scene. It didn’t work out like you thought. Thought you’d get to gloat and rub Dana’s face in shit. Instead, you see Dana has a successful job with a boss who buys Blahniks as a bonus, and she has important friends. Dana’s also got real sisters and a family who actually give a fuck. And has a guy who is fuckin’ tired of seeing you. Now get out of my bar,” Ezra ordered.
Wow, Ezra seemed to barely be holding on to his temper. Anger coated his words.
“Piss off, you can’t order me to leave,” Patrick sneered, but his eyes studied me curiously.
“Piss off? Grow some balls. Try fuck off. Dude, I own the fucking bar. The name of which is Hell’s Rage, so that should give you an inkling, doofus. I can do what I fuckin’ want. Which means get the fuck out!” Ezra replied.
Mom took a long stare at Ezra. Yeah, see the goodness of him, I thought to myself. Ezra was clearly comfortable with himself despite not having Patrick’s polish. Still, Patrick would never stand up for anyone like Ezra was.
“Problems?” Mac asked with Gunner close by.
“Remove them. They’re pieces of shit, and Rage has standards.”
Patrick sneered.
Ezra pointed a finger. “Whose place, buddy, is a senator and congressman drinking in?”
I followed Ezra’s motion and saw Andrew Wainwright with Antony. Andrew caught our looks and waved.
Mom’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened in shock. She went to say something, but Rage began appearing from nowhere and then started forcing my family and their friends out of the bar. Aunt Joan and Taylor slipped past them and came towards me, and Ezra stepped in front to protect me.
“Ezra, Aunt Joan is okay. She’s Dusky’s mom, the only person who stood by me,” I said, and Aunt Joan folded me into her arms.
