Page 33 of Whiskey's Redemption

Jamieson

“You talked to Doll?” Wyatt asks me.

“Not in a few days. Not since the house arrest started. You?” It’s been a wild few days.

China has been locked in the mansion. She has the full run of the house, Cassidy and Cicceroto cater to her every need, and a cop to keep her safe. At least he might have a better chance than most to keep her out of the media. It’s only been a few days, and I’m sure her antics will occur at some point. Disaster follows that girl. She’s got weeks of incarceration to go, eight to be exact, and Risen Mason has his work cut out for him.

“Yeah. I talked to her when Risen arrived. She’s a lucky fuckin’ kid. You or I would have been in Lompoc. Doll ends up under house arrest and doesn’t lose her license or the right to ride professionally.”

Raising his casted arm, I know what he’s thinking. No races for Wyatt. We haven’t talked about it, but it’s pretty obvious that he’s done professionally. I’ve seen the X-rays, and if he can hold a throttle, it’ll be a miracle.

We always avoid that particular mess, riding around it with conversations about China and the girls instead. And when I saygirls,I mean just that. Circe is terrific to him, for him, and it’s made his recovery better than I could have imagined.

Then there’s Carli.

What can I say about her? There’s something about her that I can’t shake. Her sass and sarcasm ignites me. Every time she’s in my space, I want to strip her bare and punish every inch of her. I want to carry her caveman like, proving she’ll never find someone else that can make her melt like I do.

Minutes later, as the girls wheel back in, Circe beams at seeing my brother. Helping her back to the bed, Carli chews on her lip. The wheels are spinning at a high rate in that mind of hers.

Breaking the quiet, Circe says, “The room doesn’t smell so bad. I guess you couldn’t get pork rinds on short notice?”

“Potpourri. It’s amazing what you can do with flowery shit,” Wyatt chirps off, grinning. It’s nice to see that coming from my brother. Wyatt has always been ‘off.’ Circe turns him into a different guy altogether, and I’m so glad for that. I’m glad he’s happy.

Turning my attention to Carli, I see her wheel Circe to the edge of the bed. Watching her help her friend in, I find something strangely stoic about her. She’s not said a word, not even taking a moment to play with Wyatt and his sarcasm. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Carli, she loves to banter.

I try to get a rise out of her. “No orderlies to molest out there, Carli?”

“No.”

Wow. Worse than I imagined. She’s not even playing with me. Looking at Circe, she raises her eyebrow at me. Yeah, even I understand that look. ‘You need to talk,’ it says.

“Carli, you hungry?” I ask. “I think these two need some rest.”

Finishing tucking her friend back in, she pushes the wheelchair aside, trying to delay the inevitable, ignoring me. Grittier this time, I say, “Carli.”

Snapping her head up at my tone, her eyes speak volumes. “Yeah, I could go for lunch.”

I turn to my brother. “I’ll check on you two in a bit. Do you want me to bring anything from the house?” I hadn’t planned on popping over there, but if he needs something I’ll grab it. Plus, it’s a good excuse to check in on Doll.

“Nah. But I could do with pork rinds now that—”

Smacking him on the shoulder, Circe cuts in. “You’re not eating that! I have to sleep in the same room, Wyatt Crown.”

“Woman, you are not stopping me from eating bad food. This body has been a temple for far too long. I want to make it an amusement park for a bit.”

“Oh, it’s an amusement park, Wyatt.” Giggling, Circe tries to hide her blush.

Fuck me. “That’s my cue. Come on, Carli. I don’t think either of us need to see hisrollercoaster.”

Stepping to the door, holding it open, I patiently wait for Carli to say her goodbyes. For some reason, it seems final, and I intend to find out why.

---