Page 133 of Tangled in Knots

It's been difficult to keep my cool. Losing my shit isn’t an option. She genuinely seems to be nice. Since hiding in the study rooms isn’t working, I stay in my room to work on schoolwork and projects. It hasn’t been going on for long, but I’m already over it.

“Feel comfortable telling me about it?” Aisling asks.

“There were just knowing glances, comments of being a mafia princess, and statements that I may not be completely destitute, because no one keeps their money at their home when banks exist,” I explain. “I don’t think Rock thought about that, since he seems like someone who sleeps with his money under his mattress.”

Aisling snorts, shrugging. “Maybe not quite that bad, but I imagine that man to be very paranoid from what I’ve been hearing. Caelin, my mate, is incredible on the computer. Want me to ask if there’s any way to look into it?”

“Would he?” I ask, disbelieving that people just offer that kind of help.

“You’ve been all people are talking about,” she says. “No one knows where you’re staying, since the idea is for them to believe you’re living with the Kelly brothers. I should also mention that the charity event is a masquerade. I decided that a little bit of drama would help open people’s wallets.”

“That’s really smart,” I murmur. “A mask would make me more confident in a setting like that. I guess I have to go shopping then, and I need to know when this is happening.”

“Next Wednesday,” she says. “The dress is my treat, because I’m springing this on you. I kept forgetting to bring it up. Seriously, thank you so much. It ended up getting so late, I was just going to wing it alone, but then I started getting nervous.”

“You’re great in front of people,” I remind her. “Look at everything you’ve already built with Wren.”

“Maybe, but that was only because I refused to let people underestimate me. Even then, I had help getting people to even take me seriously,” she sighs. “Youth is not on my side with this. It’s been a long dragged out battle to get here.”

“Some of the best things are,” I say with a shrug. “It tastes better when you can tell people to suck it.”

Laughing, Aisling nods. “You’re not wrong. There’s a women’s organization that I hate who bought tickets. They call themselves the Regional Omega’s Women’s Society. They’re a spiteful group that wants to control omegas.”

“How did they get tickets?” I ask. “I don’t know how they’ve been distributed.”

“I placed the link on my website, and then joined a few podcasts and radio stations, as a guest speaker, to promote the event,” she explains. “By the time they bought tickets, Caelin couldn’t block their IP addresses for their headquarters fast enough. I’m pissed I didn’t think about it.”

“It’s amusing that they’re still supporting Omega’s Haven through their ticket sales, though,” I say with a smirk.

Aisling stares at me for a moment before grinning. “You’re absolutely right,” she says. “I was so mad, I didn’t think about that. Thank you for showing me how short sighted that was. The event is at eight next Wednesday night, so I’ll pick you up at the shelter. I really wish I had asked you sooner.”

“It helps to know Callum and Duncan are going,” I say to her. “They make me feel safe. I’m getting better at defending myself, but I still worry it won’t be enough.”

“As someone who has had to defend myself and has killed, my suggestion is not to overthink it. React on instinct, do what your muscle memory tells you to,” she says. “I wish you didn’t have to work on the days Gabriel is here to teach self defense classes.”

“We met briefly,” I mumble. “Kane had me over his shoulder, but it was him.”

“Okay, we’re swinging through for something caffeinated for me. I need this story,” Aisling says.

That sounds like something I can get behind, because I’m exhausted. While I didn’t have a nightmare, my dreams wouldn’t let me sleep peacefully. I hate dragging ass at work, as it makes me feel as if I’m not pulling my weight.

Classes five days a week is a heavy load, and I’m looking forward to being able to sleep in tomorrow. My phone is getting put on silent, and I’m going to see how long it takes for the shelter to wake me up.

It’ll have to be enough to help me gain more sleep.

I explain the highlights of amateur fight night on Wednesday to Aisling, her eyes sparkling when I grazed over the details of the locker room.

“Orgasms and groveling have a nice ring to it,” she comments as we stride into Finnegan’s Bar with coffee for Aisling and a protein drink with a boost of vitamins for me.

Mr. Lars is way too good to me. He didn’t even grunt very much when he saw me today.

Taking a grateful sip of my cold beverage, I enjoy the feel of energy sinking into my bloodstream. I’m going to need it today.

“Ladies,” Caleb drawls. “Have you two been terrorizing my brother today by chance?”

I know he recognizes the cups, and all I can do is flush in guilt.

“Poor bastard,” Caleb murmurs. “How are you doing, Adira?”

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