Chapter 32 Doc
“Ihate this.”
I squeeze Soren’s hand. “I know, but James will be with me. It’ll be fine.
Javi might be…strange, but he won’t hurt me.
” Maybe. It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.
So much has changed… All I have now are the rumors of his reputation—a reputation that makes me proud as hell.
I always knew he would do amazing things.
Which means getting him on my side will be difficult, knowing what I do about him and his…
methods. Still, the fact he’s meeting me at all is promising.
“Just come back in one piece.”
I lean in and kiss him. “I will, Daddy.”
Soren sighs, then reaches up and grabs the back of my head, holding me in place as he kisses me deeply. I can feel his worry, but there’s not much I can do to ease his concern. This is too important to ignore the rules set in place.
“I love you, Baby.”
“Love you too, Daddy. It won’t take long.”
Pressing one last kiss to his lips, I gather up everything I need and knock on the window so James can open the door—I’d do it myself, but I don’t need to be lectured by my best friend and my Daddy about safety measures.
“I still protest everything about this,” James says as we head to the door of the diner.
“Your concern has been noted. So has Daddy’s. Hell, so was Carter and Hollis’s, but Lio needs this, and so does Hollis.”
I ignore the sigh in my ear from the hacker, but we all know he needs more support than Dr. Ranlen and I can give.
And hell, maybe a probable serial killer—if the rumors Leandro and James uncovered are to be believed—is what Hollis needs to keep him in his place and actually get him to take his meds like he needs.
James wrinkles his nose as soon as we step into the restaurant. I don’t know what he has against the place. Yes, it’s a little more…run-down than our usual tastes, but at least it seems clean.
“Stay here,” I tell James.
“Ash…”
I give him a look. “Please. We agreed you can come in with me if you stay back.”
He sighs. “Fine, but if he makes one wrong move toward you…”
“Yeah, I know. Trust me, though.”
James side-eyes me but takes a seat at the counter, turning on the stool so he can watch as I cross the diner to where Javi sits in a booth towards the back.
I study him as I close in, noting how he sits almost casually in his seat, taking in every facet about him, seeing what’s changed and what remains of the boy I once knew.
He’s wearing a bright orange shirt—that does nothing for his complexion—underneath a black and gray flannel, looking like every other person in the restaurant, except we both know differently.
His mismatched eyes watch me carefully as I take a seat opposite him.
“Thank you for meeting with me.”
He shrugs. “Don’t think you’re special; I was craving a milkshake, and to get out of the house for a bit. Have you ever been around a newborn? I thought they slept more than my new cousin does. Maybe it's defective.”
I snort, my tension easing as, with just a few words, the man I knew proves he’s still the boy who helped keep me sane in college. “I’d love it if you told Daniel you think his kid is broken.”
“Please, he knows better than to go after me. We all know Ely is the one to be scared of. Enough small talk.” He slides the water glass on the table over to me. “Drop your earbud in and turn off your phone.”
I applaud myself for not flinching as three different voices protest in my ear.
Javi stares at me, the glint in his eyes is that of a predator, even as he brings his straw to his lips.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and show him as I power it down. Taking the earbud out is harder, knowing Daddy was relying on it to keep in touch with me, but needs must. I just hope the punishment isn't a fucking catheter.
Dropping the small earpiece into the water, we watch as it sinks to the bottom.
Javi drinks his milkshake for another long moment, his cheeks hollowing out as he sucks on the straw. His plush lips pucker and old, long buried feelings rise up once more.
Once he's done, he licks his plump bottom lip, enticingly slowly.
“You're going to get me into trouble…” I mutter.
He grins. “Didn't expect your Daddy to be the jealous type… At least, not what I've heard about him.”
“Can we get down to business, please? I need to get back. I have patients to care for.” I try not to squirm, but Javi’s grin says I failed to hide my reactions to him.
“Fine, ruin my fun. What can I do for you, Dr. Wescott?”
I flinch at his formal tone and use of my surname…
but he knows what a minefield my first name is, and we’re not close enough now for him to take any liberties with me.
“I have two patients who need more mental health care than I can provide.
It's a full-time position, and your pay will be the same as mine.”
“There are other psychiatrists, any one of them could give you a diagnosis and provide you with the correct prescriptions…”
I lean forward a little, lowering my voice.
“You and I both know we need someone…special for the types of patients I have.
It's full-time for a reason. One of them…
hell, two of them—different patient, not the one who needs your evaluation—need delicate care.
I'm meeting with a therapist tomorrow because…
way too many of those fuckers need help.
I'm hoping between the two of you, we'll be able to get everyone on stable, if not level ground again.”
Javi leans back in the booth. “There isn't enough money in the world for me to agree to such insanity. I have my own…interests. Ones I doubt your precious Council will agree to.”
I smile. “I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.” I won't mention that both Hollis and Carter have concerns about what Javi’s extracurricular activities might be, and I don't blame them.
But…if they want Emilio and Roman to be up and functional again, this is what we have to do. Besides, what's one more psychopath in a house already full of them?
Reaching into the messenger bag I brought, I toss the thick file folder onto the table between us.
“I had a feeling you'd need some persuasion.”
He hesitates, but the lure is too much for his curious nature, so he nudges his drink to the side and pulls the folder in front of him.
I watch his expression as he scans the first document. Luckily for me, I already had the file prepared. The only thing I needed was for Leandro to pull the most recent police reports, and the newest write-ups from Tennant’s therapist.
It's actually a good thing Hollis can't hear this exchange. Tennant will most likely find it amusing that I'm using him as leverage, but his lover not so much.
“Quite a list of disorders here, almost like a build-your-own psychopath.”
I snort. “He was officially diagnosed as a high-functioning sociopath.”
“I see that,” Javi muses. “With an obsessive personality and a splash of child neglect that led to an inconclusive Attachment Disorder evaluation.”
“Oh, he can form attachments all right, just not in a way that'll earn him points with his current medical team.”
Javi hums. “Is this your plan, Doc? Throw an interesting case of Antisocial Personality Disorder at me and think I'll bite?”
I shrug. “It's one of my tricks…” I dangle the carrot.
Javi flips a few more pages. “His evaluations contradict each other…”
I roll my eyes. “Tennant is an asshole. He likes to play with people. If you notice, he's been through his fair share of therapists and psychiatrists throughout the last thirty years.”
“I'm honestly surprised he's still under the court order… Even changing mental health professionals so many times, someone should have noticed…”
“See who supplies the therapists?”
Javi turns a page and frowns. “Well, that explains it. Fucking corrupt bastards.”
“Yes. That and, well, the original police report is in there, as well as the doctored one. Can’t say I’m surprised by the court order, even if it’s bullshit after he's proved he’s no longer a danger to himself or those around him for so long.”
Javi meets my eyes, amusement sparkling in his because we both know it’s bullshit. Tennant is a danger to anyone who stands in his way—and probably Benjamin, but the dumbass likes it.
“Either way, they probably would have let him out, eventually, but with Cristian buying his way to freedom, and Tennant playing musical therapists, the system dug its claws in deeper.”
Javi sits back and grabs his glass, sucking up the last of his melting milkshake.
His eyes are striking, even if they seem to try to burrow their way under my skin.
One a rich honey that darkens to molasses when something catches his attention, while the other is a deep, dark sparking green, similar to Roman’s.
“You think this is enough to entice me?”
“Oh, I have more, but I’m not ready to give up all my secrets on the first date.”
Javi’s lips tip up at the corners. “I don’t know if your bodyguard would approve of me.
” He leans over the table and I match him, our heads close enough that I find it hard to look away from those damn eyes of his.
The electric current between us almost crackles as tension I haven’t felt since we used to study together in the library so many years ago sparks to life once more.
My breath catches as his different colored eyes darken, the familiar look in them making my heart weep and cock ache…
though there’s now a darkness in his eyes that steals my breath in a way nothing did back when we used to know each other.
“James will probably shoot you,” I tell him, trying to pull myself together—remind myself who I am. “But it’ll just give me an excuse to drag you home with me.”
Javi hums. “You’re trouble…I like that.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” I give him my best grin, the one that makes Daddy groan and add marks to his mental list of infractions. My brat responds to Javi now more than ever, especially since Daddy’s helped unlock it.
Javi’s grin is cocky. “I can change my mind at any time.”
“Sure. You’re not a prisoner, but it would be helpful for you to stay in the house, at least for the first few weeks.
It’s a full-time position, because, well, honestly, I need another medical doctor around.
Psychiatrist or not, I know you have enough medical training to help with triage.
Those assholes get in too much trouble, and I’m tempted to let the next one who gets stabbed bleed out. ”
Javi snorts and sits back. “I know my shit. Though I doubt anyone in that Family of yours deserves me.”
“They really don’t, but you’re the best chance they have.”
“Hmmm. Let the Council know I’ll be stopping by later in the week. I’d hate to kill your guards so soon into my employment.”
I let out a breath, some of my tension easing. The look Javi gives me says I didn’t hide my stress or relief too well, but I don’t fucking care right now. Lio needs him, and I would have done anything to get him that help.
“This isn’t a promise, or agreement that I’ll work with any of you.
But…I am quite curious to meet Tennant; I hear he’s adept in torture, and it’s always good to learn new techniques.
I also want to unravel all your secrets, Doc.
Something tells me this,” he waves to Ten’s file, “barely scratches the surface.”
I press my lips together and don’t say anything.
Tennant may have been my in, but I’m hoping Emilio is enough to keep Javi’s interest. If not…
hopefully, Tennant and Hollis don’t kill me for throwing their son in front of the psychiatrist. That ball of crazy is definitely someone who needs psychiatric help, though I wouldn’t ever say that out loud to anyone.
Though I’m quite interested to see who’d win; Javi or Leandro. Mimic or serial killer. Could be fun.
Javi slides out of the booth. “I have places to be. You don’t mind getting the bill, do you?” He unwraps a sucker, tosses the wrapper onto the table, and walks away.
Letting out a breath, I laugh a little and run my hand through my hair, trying to catch my breath at the blast from the past stirring up so many unexpected emotions. Pulling out my wallet as I stand, I drop a bill on the table, more than enough to cover Javi’s drink and leave a decent tip.
James comes up to me and I don’t hesitate to wrap my arms around him, letting his strong embrace ground me. “Let’s get out of here. Your Daddy is going crazy. Hollis had to talk him down from storming in once you killed the earbud.”
I wince. Fuck. I am in so much trouble.
I look up at my best friend. “Scale of one to ten?”
James laughs. “Twelve.”
Fuck my life.
Releasing James, I sigh. “Lead the way.”
James wraps an arm around my shoulders and escorts me out of the diner. The door to our car opens before we even get there, and Daddy hops out.
I wince at the expression on his face. I am so getting a catheter. Motherfucker.