Page 14 of Healed
“You know how much you have to drink to keep yourself drunk. At any point your liver is going to call it quits. Nobody, no matter who they are should ever drink this much.”
“None of your damn business, Brandt.”
“I’m not here to argue with you. Come on, let me get you home and I’ll leave you to it.”
“No. Go away.”
“I’m not going away, Remi. Get up and come on,” Brandt said, exerting just a little of the Alpha influence he usually maintained a tight hold on.
Remi hunched a little, but remained sitting.
“What is your problem, Remi? Anybody that’s tried to help you lately has done nothing but try to be understanding, and you treat everyone of us like shit. Not a single one of us is responsible for the situation you’re in.”
“I never said you were! What I said is leave me the fuck alone.”
“That’s not going to happen. You’re not only clan, you’re family. We care about you, and contrary to what I might prefer to do to you at this particular moment, I’m going to get you home safe.”
“I don’t want to be part of your clan, or part of your family. I just want to be left alone!” Remi bellowed, trying to stand and turn to face Brandt all at the same time, but he was unsteady on his feet.
Brandt seized that moment to exert not only all his Alpha influence, sending it in waves to wash over Remi to make him even more unsteady, but without warning, his fist shot out,connecting with Remi’s jaw, dropping him to his knees, where his body dipped over, face first onto the floor. Brandt shook his head as he hauled an unconscious Remi up off the floor and tossed him over his shoulder. He unceremoniously stalked out of Vince's Place, throwing a wave toward Vince as he cleared the door.
Brandt yanked open his passenger side door and dumped Remi into the cab of his truck, then got in the driver’s side and started it up. He glanced over at Remi as he put his truck in gear and punched him again just for good measure before he backed out and headed home. “Asshole,” he grumbled, glaring at a still unconscious Remi once more.
~~~
Daisy smiled to herself when she heard a light tapping on the front door of her art studio. Five taps, then complete silence. She knew that knock. “Come in, Carson,” she called out.
The door eased open and Carson cautiously looked around the main room of the studio. Several students had already arrived and started work. “Am I late again?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“You’re not late. You’re never late. You get here when you want to unless you want to take a particular class. Did you want to take a class today?” Daisy asked.
“No, ma’am. I just wanted to paint my own picture.”
“I saved your favorite work station for you,” Daisy said, smiling at the boy.
Carson looked over to the far left corner of the room, where the easel and small table already set with paints and brushes and a fresh cup of water sat waiting for him. He liked that workstation because it was right by one of the windows thatlet in the afternoon sun, and because he could see everybody entering the front door, as well as from the hallway that led to the other rooms. “Thank you, Ms. Daisy.”
“You’re welcome. I put some of your favorite colors on your table, but if you want anything different, go ahead and help yourself.”
“I will.” Carson didn’t make eye contact with anyone else as he made his way carefully through the other workstations before setting his backpack on the floor, tightly pushed into the corner and out of the way.
“Hi,” Charlie said from behind her.
Daisy had turned her back to the door to watch Carson as he moved toward his favorite station. She quickly looked over her shoulder while stepping back from the door when Charlie spoke to her. “Oh! Hi, Charlie. I didn’t know you were there.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to say hello and ask if Carson needs anything before I head back to work.”
“No problem. It’s my own fault. I jump at my own shadow,” she said with a soft laugh. “But, no. He’s doing beautifully.”
“Has he participated in any of the classes? If so, then I owe you for more than his usual fees.”
“He’s taken a few of them. But he tends to wander back to his easel once a particular new technique is set in his mind. He’ll work on that technique for a little while until he masters it, then create an entire painting before he finally sits in on another class. He hasn’t finished an entire class yet. I’ll let you know when he does.”
“If I owe you anything other than his usual fee, please let me know. You have no idea what a difference this place has made in his life — in our lives. I’ll never be able to make you understand how grateful I am.”
“I have to admit, I adore Carson. He makes me smile. He’s made a difference in my life, too.”
Charlie shoved his hands in his pockets as he stood there awkwardly, trying to think of something else to talk to Daisy about. His gaze wandered over the other three students in the room. All were varying ages from preteen to late teens. “Is there a particular time that’s better for Carson to come, maybe with younger kids?”
