Whiskey Witches, F.J. Blooding [ap literature book list .TXT] 📗

Dexx was sitting up in bed, an army of nurses surrounding him, by the time Paige made it back to his hospital room. She paused at the door, hugging herself. Had she made the right decision?

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and searched through her recent calls list.

“White.”

“Whiskey. Have there been any problems?”

She could hear several people around him. “No. It’s pretty quiet. Did you fix it? Are we safe?”

She rubbed her forehead with her thumb and forefinger. “I hope so. I don’t know.”

“Is this done?” he asked his voice quiet.

She let her head fall against the doorframe. “For now. I bought some time, but I don’t know how much.”

Dexx was released on light duty, and things were indeed calm in St. Francisville. Lucius disappeared, going after the key and his brethren. Paige could understand, but his brothers weren’t her main responsibility.

Paige’s boss wasn’t too happy with her extended leave of absence. “Are you planning on returning sometime this year, Whiskey?”

Paige pulled the phone away from her ear momentarily, lowering the volume. Everyone in the diner could have heard him. “Yes, sir. I should be back in Denver by tomorrow—”

“Uh, probably Wednesday,” Dexx said around a mouthful of hamburger bouncing slightly in the aqua colored bench in the diner. “We’re driving.”

Paige shook her head.

“Who was that?” her boss demanded.

“No one, sir. There’s still a few things I have to wrap up here. I should be back in a couple of days.”

“You might not have a job to come back to.”

The line went silent.

Paige cringed and placed her phone face down on the table.

“That conversation didn’t go well.” Dexx shoved another three fries in his mouth.

“Didn’t they feed you in the hospital?”

“That’s a joke, right?”

She raised an eyebrow and shoved the lettuce in her salad around.

“So, where’s the key?” He stabbed a fry in ketchup. “We’ve been sitting around for two days now. What’s the plan to get it back?”

She released a tight breath. For two days, she’d done nothing but think of what to tell him. Should she admit to the truth? What would that do? “It was destroyed. When I sent Mike back through the gate.”

“Really.”

“Yeah.” She set her fork down with a clank and stared out the big window, watching traffic pass on the highway. “I think we’re safe for now.”

“And Lucius?”

“He’s searching for the key. He thinks he can get it back. Try and get the other guardians out of the key.”

Dexx narrowed his eyes at her, setting his burger down without a bite. “Sven?”

She shrugged.

“And you don’t care?”

“Look.” She gestured with her hand. “We solved the case, like I was supposed to. The killings are going to stop, and we managed to keep the gate closed.”

“Why do I get the feeling there’s more here than you’re telling?”

“I don’t know. Really. I don’t.”

A shadow fell across the table. “Can I sit?”

She looked up to find Brian standing at the table. Paige scooted over in the bench seat.

Brian sat, perched on the very edge. He grimaced, running his hand over his head. “So, the reports are written like you said.”

“Good.”

“Are you sure Sven is gone?”

Paige dipped her fingertip on the growing pool of condensation at the bottom of her glass of water. “Yeah.”

“Because it doesn’t make sense. What was the point of all the killings? Why did all those people have to die?”

She wished she knew, but Sven hadn’t shared that with her.

“You’re sure it’s over.”

“Yeah. It’s over. St. Francisville is safe again. I promise.”

Brian closed his eyes for a long moment. “There aren’t too many who actually know what you did for us.”

Dexx shook his head, setting his monstrous hamburger on his fry-strewn plate. “Don’t mention it. It’s all in a day’s work.”

“We really appreciate it.”

Paige smiled, hearing the but.

“I’d feel a whole lot better if you left.”

Paige chuckled.

Brian tapped the table with his middle finger and stood up. “Tonight. I’d appreciate it if you left by tonight.”

“Roger that, Chief. Do you need anything else on Malika’s case?”

He stood up. “We have everything we need. She won’t be going anywhere for a long time.”

“Good.”

Brian thumped the table and left.

Paige quirked her lips.

“That was the nicest, most polite get-the-fuck-out-of-my-town I’ve ever heard,” Dexx said.

“Yeah.” Paige pushed her plate away.

“Whatever happened to the FBI guy?”

“Special Agent Scott?”

Dexx leaned back, draping one elbow across the back of the booth. “Yeah. That one.”

“He got called back to his office. The case is closed.”

“That’s an odd one though, don’t you think?” Dexx frowned. “Did you ever figure out what he is, why he sees people dying around you?”

“No.” She rubbed her bottom lip along her teeth in thought. “Whatever he is, I doubt that’s the last we see of him.”

“Yeah. Hey.”

She met his gaze.

“Tell me what you really did.”

“What do you mean?” Paige stirred the ice in her glass with her straw. “When?”

“I was in a coma. I was dying. What did you do?”

She pulled the corners of her lips down. “Nothing. You did that through the miracle of modern medicine.”

The look he gave her said he didn’t believe her.

“Which, by the way, how are you paying for it?”

Dexx smiled, his eyebrows raised high. “You probably don’t want to know.”

“Hmm.”

They ate in silence.

“Did I hear right? You’re coming to Denver with me?”

Dexx shrugged with one shoulder. “You honestly think you’re getting rid of me that easily?”

“I don’t have a couch.”

“You will.”

Paige bowed her head. “This is stupid.”

“Try getting rid of me.”

She stared at his half-eaten hamburger. “This is my faul—”

“Shut up.” Dexx threw down a fry and set both hands on either