13. Jude
“Ireally don’t have time for this,” Javi says as we leave the conference room together.
“Too fucking bad. Both you and Doc owe us some answers. Or do you want me to pull rank and interview you two in front of the full Council?”
Javi has the decency to wince. “Fine…just…don’t get mad if you don't like the answers.”
Grabbing his arm, I spin us and shove him against the wall—hard. Looking down into his mismatched eyes, I ignore the way his breathing picks up at how I manhandle him. I even ignore the knife that's pressed to my side in warning.
“I’d be very careful if I were you, Javi. You might be good at your job, and we may give you many allowances, but I will not let you put those I care about in danger. Understand?”
He mutters something I can’t catch under his breath, while he glares up at me. “Be careful with your threats, Jude… I might think you’ll actually like me.”
Gritting my teeth, I back away from him. I'm not in the mood to entertain him, even though I itch to put him over my knee and spank the shit out of him.
We find Doc in the medical suite’s break room, face down on the table, and if it weren’t for his rhythmic breathing, I’d be concerned someone either killed or drugged him.
Javi laughs beside me. I’m assuming Doc said something when we walked in, based on Javi's response, but as Doc’s speaking into the table, I missed it.
“Thankfully, no one is hurt, so don’t worry…
” He looks at me. “Well, I’ll take that back a bit, as we might be the two next in a hospital bed. I hope Dr. Ranlen is on shift.”
Doc lifts his head, looking between Javi and me. “What’s going on if no one is hurt?”
I close and lock the break room door, gesturing for Javi to take a seat next to Doc—who sits up with a groan loud enough even I can hear—so I can watch the two of them.
“Tell me about Atticus,” I say. “And why the fuck someone who can single-handedly hurt or kill multiple guards should be allowed near our family.”
The two troublemakers exchange looks, having a silent conversation that doesn’t sit right with me. Clicking my fingers, I get their attention. “Look at me, not each other. It’s a straightforward question to answer.”
Doc grimaces. “No, it’s not. I can assure you, Atticus is perfectly safe.
He is…peculiar, but who around here isn’t?
He wasn’t wrong in saying that the guards should have asked for more details before attacking, but in a high-stakes situation, like we are currently in, I know why they didn’t.
Still, don’t blame him for reacting when someone threatens him. ”
Javi nods. “I can’t tell you how I know him.
I mean, I could, he wouldn’t care, but it’s his business to share, not mine.
Just know that I’ve worked closely with him for a long time, and I truly believe he is the person, not just for Cristian, but for all of us.
Isn’t it better knowing we have someone on our side who can kick ass should shit hit the fan? ”
I take careful steps forward, ignoring the twinge in my leg from twisting too quickly when I shoved Javi into the wall. Doc narrows his eyes, seeing the hitch in my step, but I don’t pay him any attention.
“When he’s a potential threat? No, it’s not.”
“I would never put anyone in my care in danger,” Javi says carefully, a coldness seeping into his gaze.
I glance at Doc. “You already have.” I hate bringing it up, but the fact is, Doc used our trust in him for his own agenda, and he is lucky his Daddy has already punished him for it, otherwise, it’d be a different situation entirely.
Doc winces. “That… Yes, that was my fault. I didn’t know Stanley was a traitor. I knew he would push buttons, and would eventually get himself killed, but…not all of it is on me. I asked Leandro to run a background check on him for a reason.”
“Doc’s already been punished,” Javi defends his friend. “That means it’s over and done with. You know better than that.”
Closing my eyes briefly, I rein myself in, nodding slowly before opening them again. “I’m sorry,” I sign and voice. “That was out of line.”
“No, you’re right,” Doc tells me. He looks up at me with shiny amber eyes, all traces of his usual arrogance gone.
“I fucked up, and I own that. But, I promise you, Jude.” His signs are sure and steady, matching the intensity in his voice.
“I promise, I will never put anyone in danger again. I truly regret what I did to Roman.”
Javi reaches out for Doc, sliding his arm around his friend. “It’s okay, Doc. You couldn’t have known. Hell, even I didn’t see the whole traitor thing coming, though I knew you hadn’t realized how far Stanley had fallen.”
Doc leans into Javi for a moment, and I pretend I don’t notice the besotted look Javi gives him. As interesting as that is, Doc seemingly not noticing Javi’s big, obvious crush on him is what has my attention. Jesus, fuck, I’m glad Soren gets to deal with that and not me.
“I know you wouldn’t hurt Roman on purpose,” I sign, not trusting my voice. “That doesn’t mean I trust Atticus. I can’t trust my Boys with him, or my lovers.”
“You can,” Doc reassures me. “Javi and I both agree he is the best. Hell, he’s probably the only one who can get through to Cristian at this point. Honestly? I’m ashamed, as Cristian’s friend, to not have seen it before.”
I raise a brow, but no further explanation comes from either of them about whatever the fuck that means.
“Eh, you weren’t looking for it, and well, you Amatos are good at hiding your kinky desires,” Javi tells him. “Besides, it’s my job to see what no one else does. Dissecting people is my favorite pastime.”
“None of this is reassuring,” I say flatly.
They both blink at me. “Can you give us a little faith?” Doc asks. “Atticus…he is the best at what he does for a reason. Give him a chance to prove your concerns are misplaced.”
I take another step forward, slamming my hands down on the table. Emotions I haven’t felt before swirl through me, threatening to choke off my thin thread of control.
“The people I care about, who you claim to care about too, are at risk here, Doc. I do not take that lightly. Who the fuck is he, and why is he okay with doing this without negotiating a fucking contract?”
“He is the only hope Cristian has at getting back to a sense of normality,” Javi says, diverting my attention away from the doctor and onto him.
“He is Roman’s best chance at actually having his father back, or does that not matter to you?
” His voice is cold, barely loud enough to be heard, and devoid of the levity he usually infuses into it.
His multi-colored eyes are bright, and the monster inside him is looking straight at me.
If he’s trying to scare me, though…well, he can keep at it. I’ve never backed down from Tennant before, and I won’t from him either. There’s a reason Ten and Hollis call me Agnellino, after all. Their wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Do not think you know me, or how I work,” I tell him.
“My concern is perfectly valid, and if I had the capacity to, I’d feel bad that you don’t have anyone in your life you’d worry about should something happen to them.
” I flick my gaze to Doc briefly before meeting Javi’s eyes once more.
“Or maybe you do… You're not as detached as you want to come across, are you, Javi?”
He rises from his seat, making the threat clear, but I don’t give an inch. “Be very careful, Jude. I’d hate to derail Roman’s progress because I was forced to do something drastic.”
“You already said you would never put your subjects in harm’s way… Though I can read between the lines, and I know that means unless it benefits you. Hurting Roman by hurting me? That would go against your thin veneer of ethics.”
He doesn’t so much as flinch, but I see the truth in his eyes. He cares far more than he wants to admit.
“If Atticus touches anyone in a way he’s not supposed to…”
“He won’t.” Javi smirks. “Well…how do you feel about chokeholds? Because I can’t promise Cristian won’t be on the receiving end of one if Atticus gets too full of his bullshit. But I trust Atticus to know how to defuse a situation so no one gets hurt—it’s part of why I wanted him.
“You and I both know how…volatile some of the subjects are. Atticus will be here to help monitor and control the situations before they can become dangerous for everyone. You should be thanking me.”
“One chance,” I tell him. “That’s all you and he get. One chance, don’t fuck it up.”
Javi gives a parody of a smile. “I can’t wait to prove you wrong.”
We’ll see. I’ll be keeping a close watch, Leandro too. Though I have a feeling the boy will be too fascinated by Atticus to actually care who or what he really is… Still, that could work to my advantage, making it easier to get him to give me what I want.
Either way, there’s not a thing Atticus can do in this house that won’t be accounted for. I’ll make sure of it… And I really will give Javi that spanking if I need to…before stringing him up and beating the utter shit out of him, that is.
“Are we done here?” Javi asks, his expression easing as he adopts the usual jovial persona he wears. “I need a fucking nap.”
Doc looks at his friend. “Are you okay?”
Javi’s expression softens when he meets Doc’s eyes. “Fine. I slept like shit, is all. I’ll be okay after a nap and a large—no, two large milkshakes.”
“Maybe we can ask Daddy?” Doc says. “I had whipped cream on my French toast this morning, but that hardly counts as part of my sugar intake, right?”
Javi nods. “Yes, I agree.”
I roll my eyes, once again glad I’m not Doc’s Daddy, so I don’t have to deal with any of this. Poor Soren.
Leaving them to their post-nap plans, I head out of the break room, pulling out my phone and bringing up the text thread with my Boys.
The jittery feeling of protection still hasn’t left, as my concerns about Atticus have not been properly addressed.
Though I’m sure both Javi and Doc now know where I stand on the subject.
Still, I need my Boys. Hell, I’ll take only one of them at the moment.
I just need to lay eyes and hands on someone. Maybe my cock too…