One minute you could be getting a smoke in the alley on the Lower East Side with your friends, having drinks and dancing on tables in a popular nightclub. And the next minute, you could be dead.

It was maddening how your best friend could twist the knobs inside of you so much that it hurt.

I'm up for it. Whatever it is. As long as it means I'll always be with you.

Kingsley did the same, except he also removed his T-shirt, showing off his broad chest, tan and smooth. When had Kingsley had time to work on his tan? Mimi wondered.

Bonds are like rules, they're meant to be broken.

You're late," she said, tapping her watch. "No, you're just early.

He's too much for Schuyler. They're wrong for each other. Anyone can see that. And when he leaves her, I'll be there. However long it takes, I'll still be there for her. Waiting.