Page 13 of The Devil's Detail
“Look, I’ll send someone. He’ll be around, so don’t worry if you see someone else.” I grin, I’m only giving Ash more of a green light than I did before. “We’ll get a look see and then decide on a course of action when we’re both back in LA. I’m still in Scotland with Evie and the baby.”
“Aww, Jackson, I’m sorry for disturbing you, honey. Let Evie know I’m sorry, and I’ll try and get up there soon. I just…”
He peters off, and I can feel his sadness even though we’re on a voice call. No wonder he’s such a good actor—he takes you into every emotion. His voice is a window to his heart. I have to fight hard to not go there with him.
“Just take care, okay. Don’t do anything rash.” Famous last words on that one. “We’ll sort it, Carter. Okay?” God knows why I’m being so nice to him. Half the trouble he causes himself. But his ex-boyfriend has become quite a pest.
“Okay, baby. I won’t.”
I grin at his endearments. He’s the same with everyone. But I know he isn’t listening. He never does, and he can’t help himself and his impulses.
I hang up and blow out a breath.
“Was that Carter again?” Evie has stuck her head out of the speak a word room. She will have heard my end of the conversation, waited for me to finish up and then pounced.
“Yep. I think I might have to go and sort things out. I thought I might be able to wait until we go back to LA, but with the amount of missed calls and actual calls I’ve fielded, it feels like things are coming to a head in London.”
“I thought I was Carter’s best friend, but by the number of times he’s called, he’s obviously thrown me over for you. I’m almost jealous of you stealing my friend,” she jokes.
I walk over to her, smirking, and take the baby out of her arms. Little Rioagnach, she’s the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen.
We walk back into the room and get settled in the soft old leather settees. “What’s up with his security?” Evie asks, her voice full of concern. “I know Kasey said Carter’s been worried about it. He still at least calls me.”
I curl my lip. “I get the impression it’s more about business and money for his detail rather than the actual security,” I tell her grimly. The absolute pits, in my opinion. It should be about the person full stop. “I think they want to be celebrities. I’ve been watching them, and it’s no wonder Carter is mobbed. People follow his security on social media, and there’s a good chance they will be where he is. So they turn up.” I shrug, not needing to spell my frustration out for her. She knows how dangerous that situation could be.
“They have social media?” She’s incredulous.
“Yep, loads of followers, too. I think it’s going to their heads. They think they’re popular, but it’s the connection to Carter that fuels it. Crazy.” I shake my head and coo at the baby, smiling softly at them both.
“Well, I’ll be sad to see you go. It’s been great having you here all these weeks. You look a lot better than when you came. Are you ever going to tell me what the problem was?”
I wondered if she’d spot anything. She hasn’t said, probably biding her time for me to say. And I haven’t. I suppose I’ve got to decide if there is actually anything to report on. At the end of the day, it was a one-nighter. Fucking amazing one night, but it’s not going anywhere. I didn’t have a relationship with Bonney. He hasn’t contacted me via CAshO. So at this point, it’s a bit of a stalemate.
As it won’t make a difference in the grand scheme of things, I decide to tell her. We do tell each other most things, anyway. Keeping each other caught up on the good in our lives, and not just issues and concerns.
“I went to CAshO with Jonno in March,” I start, and her eyebrows go up. I know she knows all about that night. Jonno’s already spilled his guts about the runners and riders themed night.
“Oh.”
I chuckle. “Yes, oh. My partner for the night blew my mind. They showed me things I never considered before. And to be honest, I loved it.”
Her mouth pops open in shock. “Wow, well she must have been”—she wafts her hand in the air—“stunning,” she finishes off with a flourish. “Do you want to see her again? Is that the problem?”
“I went back and left my details for them, but as yet haven’t heard anything back. I don’t think they’re bothered about a rematch. And I can’t contact them as I signed all sorts of additional NDAs and I have no idea who they are.”
She doesn’t know what to say. She’s just staring at me in wonderment. “Christ, she must have been ridiculous, ‘cos you lot are not shrinking violets in the bedroom.” Her face has gone red with her blush. She’s so shy at times, which, considering her living arrangements, is madness. “What made her so special?” She nearly chokes on the words. She wants to know—her natural curiosity always wins out—but she doesn’t want all the nitty gritty, either. I am still her brother.
“Everything—the blindfolds, the NDAs, the care they took of me. I handed over control to them.” I shrug at her gasp. “Every bit of myself, and they took it without restraint. Took every facet of me and handled it with kid gloves, as if it was the best thing I could have done.” I touch her beautiful face, recognizing the tears in her eyes. “Why are you crying?” This woman. She cares so deeply for us all.
“Your voice, how you speak about her. I’m so sad you might not see her again. She obviously likes you. Surely it was more than just pleasure.”
She’s always about the emotions, but clearly Mr Bonney was not.
I shrug, a little helplessly. “They haven’t been back to reconnect. I handed over my details a few weeks later and saidif they did contact the club to give my details out. Someone has to make the first move. But so far, nothing. I’ve got to move on. Regardless of how stupefying the night was.” I wink at her to try to lighten the mood. “They’ll be back. I’m irresistible.”
She’s studying me harder now, her brow furrowed. “Did you speak to Jonno about it?”
“A little, but very generically. I wanted to, but I did sign an NDA and really couldn’t go into details. I wouldn’t break their trust either. I would hate that were it done to me. I knew the score before they arrived. Clearly security and secrecy was a major issue for this person. I could have said no and left. I could have called a halt at any time throughout that night. But I didn’t want to.”
