5. Cristian
I stare at the young man sitting across the desk. He has light blond hair, freckled cheeks, and shockingly bright blue eyes that, unlike Tennant’s cold and calculating icy blues, are full of life and mischief.
“Tell me why you’re here, Soren.”
“You know why.”
“Yes, but I want to hear it from you. What your uncle told me versus what you will, are two very different things.”
He seems to contemplate his words for a moment before replying. “You can look at me and know I am not fit for the Bratva,” he says slowly. “I am…too pretty for them, and that is the nicest way to put it.”
I understand what he means. While some people in my organization may not appreciate that I’m married to a man, or that my son is femme, they wouldn’t dare speak their minds, unless they have a death wish. While Petrov is a good man and ally, he is also only one man. The Bratva has stricter ideals and ways of living, and are more reluctant to change their minds. So I don’t blame Petrov for sending his nephew to me.
“Not only that, but I am gay. My uncle may accept me and understand, but if my father knew…” I nod in understanding when he trails off. Soren takes a breath before continuing. “I cannot be there. I love my uncle, and I love the friends I’ve made in his organization, but I don’t want to die at an early age because someone took offense to where I put my dick. I went to school to study medicine, decided I didn’t want to be a doctor, but I still wanted to be useful.”
I look down at his paperwork, though I have the entire file memorized already. “You are almost overqualified for the position, but we need someone with this degree of education. Our current medical assistants have both stated they do not want to go back to school.”
“It is not for everyone. Some people are more comfortable with the roles they have.”
“Yes. I would like to offer you the job.” Leaning forward, I rest my arms on the desk. “I need to be honest with you though, this isn’t a job like any other. For one, the team you will be on is solely in charge of caring for the main Family, and two, there are things you may see or hear that you must not repeat outside these walls.”
“You know who my family is. I can keep a secret.”
I push the NDA I had drawn up over to him. “Before I can go any further, I need you to sign this.”
Soren looks at the paperwork, the corners of his mouth twitching up as he reads it over. “Who is Doctor A. P. Wescott?”
“The very person I can’t discuss without the NDA signed.”
Soren tilts his head and looks up at me, assessing my words. “Fine.” He pulls a pen out of his pocket, reads through the entire NDA, and then signs it.
When he hands the paperwork over, I sit back in my chair. “Doc has been our doctor for many years now. I found him and helped him get through school, all with the understanding that he would be not only my family’s personal doctor, but in charge of all the medical staff for the rest of my organization.
“He is…not what one would expect. His tongue is as sharp as his scalpel, and he has no filter. He also gets free rein of telling my family what to do. He’s the only one that gets that. Do not think being on his team means you don’t have to show me respect.”
Soren frowns. “I don’t understand why I needed to sign the NDA to hear that.”
I smile. “You’ll see. Doc is better to experience than to explain. He runs his staff his way, and I allow it because I trust him. I trust your uncle in that what he told me about you is true. I do not trust you, and won’t until you earn it. This”—I set my hand on his paperwork—“is the first step in earning that type of trust.
“You know we’ll kill you if we think you don’t fit into our Family. But should you piss Doc off… Well, let’s just say he’ll make your uncle look like a softie.”
Soren lets out a low whistle and I can see when he understands some of the situation. The only way to really get Doc is to meet him and experience it. It’s always fun throwing new people at him.
“He’s expecting us. If you don’t have any other questions, let’s go meet him.”
Soren stands and straightens out his suit. “Lead the way.”