"This," she declared, "is exactly what I needed."
The waitress beamed. "I'm so glad! Just wave if you need anything else. And...." She hesitated, then pushed forward. "....for what it's worth, Miss Lin, everyone here is really happy you're free. What happened to you was wrong. You deserved better."
Before Shuyin could respond, the waitress had disappeared back into the crowd, but her words lingered.
You deserved better.
Yeah. She had. And now she was getting it.
Shuyin raised her Jade Empress cocktail high, and her friends immediately followed suit.
"To freedom," she toasted, her voice carrying over the music. "To survive. To chaos and fun and nights we'll barely remember."
"To us," Blade added.
"To the most dangerous women in this club," Razor said with a rare smile.
"To not getting arrested," Tank finished pragmatically.
They clinked glasses, crystal meeting crystal with a pure, clear sound, and drank.
