I shake my head. “Not for every dollar that’s ever been printed, mama.”
She laughs. “Good. Then we have an understanding.”
I send her an exaggerated smile. “That depends.”
Her eyes narrow. “On what?”
“Technically I owe you another month of service after the challenge. If I win…”
She rolls her eyes. “If you win, I will ride with both of you to the surface and throw confetti as you walk through the doorway. Time served.”
“Time served and with my cut of the money I’ve earned for you. I’m done being taken advantage of.”
Marabella taps her foot, considering. “Deal.”
We shake on it and say our goodbyes. The lock clicks as she lets herself out of my room.
A few hours later, Ren comes back and removes my IV. “You’re good at that, you know. I didn’t even feel it going in.”
Her cheeks pinken. “I think, maybe, when I leave here, I want to do this. Be a nurse, I mean.”
“You’d be great at it.”
She holds pressure on a piece of gauze over the tiny hole in my arm. “I’ve paid my debt. Technically I could leave, but…”
“But?”
She shrugs one shoulder. “I want to, but I’m afraid. No one is waiting for me up there. I’m sure everyone thinks I’m dead. And I deserve that. The drugs were a problem. I’m lucky, really, that Marabella fished me out of the gutter. But now when I go back, I’ll be starting over from scratch. I’ll have no support system. No friends. No lover. I’ll be alone. Really, truly alone.”
I frown and place my hand on hers. “You’re a beautiful person, Ren, and I don’t just mean how you look. You’re kind and a hard worker. I’m willing to bet you won’t be alone for long.”
She tips her head. “I’m not so sure about that. It’s a big world out there, and we’re all just running around loose in it, trying our best to carve out an existence.”
“Running loose is better than being held captive. The pro and the con are identical in this situation. Nothing will happen to you if you stay here. Then again, nothing will happen to you if you stay here.”
She looks at me and smiles. “I wish I were as brave as you, Eloise.”
“You think I’m brave?”
“You challenged the queen. It’s like you’re not afraid to die.”
I scoff, but the truth of it settles in quickly. I knew I’d probably die if I came here. I did it anyway. “I am afraid to die. I’m just more afraid to live without Damien. If we’re lucky, we find someone worth dying for. I hope that you meet someone someday who inspires you to be brave. But I don’t think that’s going to happen if you allow fear to keep you here.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right.” She takes a deep breath and blows it out.
“You’re strong and you’re smart, Ren. You’ll meet people, good people. Besides, what good is reading all those romance novels if you never get to live your own story?”
“You’re a good friend, Eloise.” She stares at me for a heartbeat, then hugs me in my hospital bed. “Oh God, I hope you survive this.”
I laugh to keep from crying. “Me too, sister.”
I’m in deep sleep when footsteps in my room wake me. Damien stands next to the bed, his expression dark. He extends his fist and drops a handful of ash onto my hospital tray.
I rub my eyes. “What’s that?”
“Olivia’s head. Well, part of her head. It was hard to determine how much of her remains constituted her head.”
I try to process what he’s saying as I stare at the tiny pyramid of dust.
