Page 111 of Amber Gambler

“You were saying? About the coverage?” I tossed her a lifeline. “Are drinks with friends included?”

“We can tweak the verbiage.” She sagged as she dusted off her hands. “If you want to cut Harrow out of your life, I can offer you a scalpel. Where I’m concerned anyway.”

A twinge at her phrasing struck me, but I had sliced myself free of him once, and I could do it again.

As the song goes, “The First Cut is the Deepest.”

“I’ll take you up on that.” A smile flickered and died on my lips. “Let me think on the conditions?”

“Until then, you still have med-witch/patient privilege.” She hesitated. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” I tasted ash picturing Matty at Harrow’s feet. “You didn’t kidnap my brother.”

“I don’t have a death wish,” she agreed and set to work on him, as if the reminder jarred her into action.

While she did her thing, I rejoined Kierce and Carter. I sat next to him, dropped my head on his shoulder, and rested my eyes.

A sharp jabin my side dragged me from my accidental nap, and Ireallywished it hadn’t when I took in how I had crawled from the couch into Kierce’s lap and nestled against his chest. While I slept—I checked my phone—for five hours like a babe in his arms. Arms that tensed as he sensed my alertness. His eyes opened a full minute later, leaving me debating if he required the time to surface from the depths of his meditative rest. If so, he might as well be logging REM the same as the rest of us. It was an oddly humanizing thought.

And a distraction from my current predicament.

“Good morning,” he rumbled, his voice rough with not-sleep.

“I seem to be in your lap.” I might as well take the direct approach. “I’m not sure how that happened.”

“I’m not sure either.” He inhaled slowly, fully expanding his lungs, almost yawning. “But I don’t mind.”

A foot kicked me in the butt, drawing my attention behind me, to where Carter stretched out her legs.

“I needed more room.” She snuggled into a pillow stolen from Matty’s bed. “So, I moved you.”

“When did we decide on a sleepover?” I was slow to move. “I don’t remember deciding to sleep period.”

“You conked out before Aretha left.” Her eyes drifted lower. “Kierce figured you would want to stick close to Matty, so he stayed to keep an eye on you.” She read the question in the quirk of my brow. “I claimed a spot to avoid going home. I’m woman enough to admit I’m slightly terrified of your sister. She’s had an opportunity to cool off and start to plan her revenge, and that frightens me.”

“You should be afraid,” I commiserated, familiar with the sting of Josie’s wrath.

A hard pinch to my hip startled a yelp out of me, and I toppled off Kierce’s lap onto the floor to escape it.

“Is that a crow in your pocket,” Carter chortled, “or are you just happy to see Frankie?”

Sure enough, a sleek black head with a sharp black beak emerged from a slit in the fabric on the side of the baby sling he wore. Had I not been so busy admiring Kierce and stealing extra lap time with him, I would have noticed theverypink baby sling was in place, if pushed off to the side.

“Oh no, Badb.” I braced an elbow on Kierce’s knee to scratch her cheek. “I didn’t mean to squish you.”

“She said she didn’t mind.” He pulled down the material. “She just has to use the bathroom.”

“I’ll let her out.” About to rise, I paused with my palms on his thighs. “Can she fly yet?”

“She says yes.” He narrowed a scowl on her. “I would prefer she not test her wings for another day or two.”

“Hop on, girl.” I held still while she walked up my arm onto my shoulder. “I’ll take her down.”

“I’ll go with you.” Kierce unwound the baby sling. “Just in case.”

“It’s fine.” I patted his leg. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

With Badb tucked close to my neck, I took the stairs down to the parking lot. I sat on the lowest step and set her on the ground to handle her business. I was studying Elmo, thinking on how the tree had saved Badb from certain death, when movement caught my eye.

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