Simple.
Hard work but satisfying. My muscles were stretching and aching in a good way, and I found myself sweating as I continued to mimic Hugo’s stances, letting my mind drift.
Kaos had described this, hadn’t he? How he sometimes floated away from all the noise. I liked it.
SEVENTY-THREE
LAUREL
My footsteps echoed on the polished floor as I walked across the empty Ringside. It had been a few days since Madison’s torture, and I could move about more now without my shoulder wound tearing open. My schedule had also been busy, as Vivienne had packed it full of engagement events, but I had some free time now. I was wearing casual clothes, and my hair was tucked into Kaos’s beanie. He’d caught me stealing it when he wasn’t wearing it, and instead of taking it back, he’d tucked a loose golden curl inside and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
I was still wearing his shirt as well, and being surrounded by so much of his scent was making my inner omega incredibly happy. I was kind of embracing it, especially after the results of my visit to the omega clinic. Though I wasn’t sure how to tell them what I’d found out.
Crossing to the betting booths, I slipped down the back corridor until I reached a single black door. I put in the codeand stepped inside the staff bunks. I was going to meet Jade; apparently, she had an update from her contact.
My uncle Marcus was in charge of this area, and it seemed he didn’t bother with it much. The corridors were dimly lit, and the doors to the rooms were old, covered in scratches and graffiti. There were two kinds of people Marcus employed down here. The regular shady kind that got paid well and went home after work. And then there were the debtors, like Casey, who paid “rent” to live on site here.
I walked down one corridor until I reached the common area, spotting Jade seated at a fold-out table, playing cards with a couple of the other staff. Casey was standing at the sink, washing a mountain of dishes. His shoulders were tense, and he wasn’t even looking at the pot he was scrubbing; he was watching Jade as she drummed her fingers on the linoleum surface. I paused at the entrance, and Jade pushed some more cash into the pile in the center. She glanced up and gave me a grin. I felt a little bad for the people Jade was playing against; she cheated extremely well.
“Give me two minutes,” she said, and the other men at her table glanced up curiously. Thankfully, they didn’t seem to recognize me. I crossed over to Casey, who looked at me in surprise.
“Oh!” he said, “Miss?—”
“Elle,” I cut in, with a pointed look at the other staff.
Casey nodded. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
He shrugged. “The dishes needed doing,” he said, and glanced back at Jade, shifting on his feet. I followed his gaze to where Jade sat, her small frame dwarfed by the other males sitting around the table.
“Let me help,” I said, rolling up my sleeves and grabbing a dish cloth. I started drying, and Casey told me where to putthings away. I had to be a bit careful because of my shoulder, but my bond mark wasn’t feeling as bad as before.
A curse drew my attention back to the table, where they were revealing their hands.
“Tough luck, fellas,” Jade said, reaching for the cash in the betting pool.
“Hold on,” one of the older men snapped, grabbing her hand. “If you think I’m letting a little shit like you get away with that, you’re wrong.”
“You have five seconds to let go of my arm,” Jade said coldly.
Casey had turned around, and he walked over to the table. He folded his arms, the rubber gloves squeaking and getting his apron wet. “Is there a problem?” he asked, his voice hard. He glared daggers at the man who had grabbed Jade.
“It’s just?—”
“And five,” Jade said, whipping out a knife and jamming it into the man’s hand. He howled, lurching backward, and Jade swept the winnings into her fanny pack without any further protest. She stood up and turned to Casey. “Thanks for having my back,” she said with a wink. “I had it, though.”
The man was muttering curses under his breath as his friends led him away.
Casey’s hard look was gone, replaced by worry. “They might not let that go,” he told Jade. “Does your room lock?”
“Nah, it’s busted,” Jade said with a shrug and a mischievous grin. “Maybe I could stay in your room for a bit?
Casey’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. His face was turning a bright shade of red. “Um, okay,” he managed. “For…safety.”
Jade winked at him. “Okay, peaches. Now, go get some sleep.”
“But the dishes…” Casey said.
