could talk.
As soon as I stepped foot inside the main area, my cheeks blushed to see Colton working with one of the women, the open intimacy jarring.
She didn’t notice me as I rushed through, but I didn’t miss how Colton’s eyes lifted to watch me walk through the room, his brows pulling together in confusion.
Refusing to fully look their direction, I ran down the hall to the bedrooms, the door to Haley’s pulling open before I finished knocking.
Her eyes widened and her lips stretched into a wicked grin.
“You’re back! Come in.”
She practically dragged me across the room to sit on her bed. “So?”
“So, what?”
Rolling her eyes, she smacked at my leg.
“Spill. What happened last night? I’ve been thinking all about that sexy hunk of man ever since he waltzed in last night and all but claimed you.”
Her gaze shot to the door and back to me, her voice lowering to a whisper.
“Between you and me, Isabelle is probably planning your murder. She was pissed. Especially after we were told to go to our rooms to leave the dungeon empty.”
Her brows jumped. “That’s why I know you have a story to tell.”
Although she was right that there was a story, she was wrong in thinking I would admit all the details.
I shrugged a shoulder as if it were no big deal.
“We made up, I guess. I found out this morning that I’m free to do whatever I want. I’m officially a Rose again.”
Leaning back against a wall, Haley’s eyes rounded.
“Holy shit. You must suck a good dick to make something like that happen. Scrambled his brain good. I’ll have to come to you for tips.”
My cheeks were on fire. “Shut up.”
“Seriously, though. What are you going to do now that you’re officially a Rose? Go shopping all day? Arrange tea parties? Do whatever it is the hoity-toity of the world do? Forget all about us in the process?”
She was describing my mother, and the thought of becoming like the woman that raised me didn’t sit well.
I’d always appreciated Mom for keeping me from being sold off by my father, but that didn’t make her a saint. She was mostly absent my entire childhood, and she’d damn near ruined me after spending everything we had while on the run.
“No. I have no interest in that. Honestly, I have no clue what I’ll do now. I haven’t had a lot of time to think about it.”
“You know what I’d do?”
I stared at her, a grin stretching my lips to see the mischief in her face. “What?”
“Raise hell. That and spy on the men around here. One, in particular.”
Haley told me about her relationship with Jacob the first night we met, and it was obvious she adored him. It only made my stomach sink to know his life was in danger.
“He’s fighting tomorrow night.”
While I was nervous, she didn’t appear fazed by the threat.
“I know. Who do you think is the slave girl being given to him once he walks out of there?”
My thoughts went to the night I watched Callan carry Isabelle out of the ring. It had only been a week, but it felt like an eternity ago.
“What’s that like? Having to face them after they’ve-“
“Killed someone?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Fucking amazing.”
At the shock in my face, she winked. “Seriously, you have no idea. Seeing them come at you with sweat and blood covering their bodies, the adrenaline making every muscle flex and shift, it’s a sight. But then I get to be the lucky girl that bleeds away Jacob’s aggression. Let’s just say it’s difficult to walk the following morning, but in a good way.”
I laughed, a flutter in my stomach at the thought of watching Callan come toward me like that.
“Do you really want to spy? I was told the guys are in the gym now.”
She sighed. “Good luck getting me past Colton.”
Haley must have been a devil on my shoulder. Being around her made me want to test my limits.
“I mean, I am a Rose. I think that makes me Colton’s boss.”
Her lips stretched into a mischievous grin. “No shit. It does, doesn’t it?”
Jumping up to her feet, she grabbed my hand to tug me along behind her. “Let’s go test the theory, shall we?”
Why did it feel like I was about to get my ass tossed down here permanently? Unsure how Callan would react to me breaking the rules, I was too wrapped up in Haley’s enthusiasm to say no.
“Let’s do this.”
She laughed and led me out into the hall,