The dandies and damsels kept their attention dutifully on each other … aside from some of the dandies who cast sneering smiles their way. Tears brimmed in her eyes.

Oh, God. He handled her rougher than the johns did. Had Simon even liked men? Or had Uncle Ben’s treatment of him just left getting fucked over and paid for it as the logical step up from how the men of his life treated him?

Thank the godless drink in her blood. It was not from the crowd that the fight came: instead, Lory reeled her free arm back in a fist and aimed for her uncle’s face.

“Get off me!” she snarled, voice raw.