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This is one of the moves Ransom had us practice when we were kids. It's as effective now as it's always been. Evie stares at us, frowning, then throws her arms up and lets out a groan. "Fine. Let's go. If I get in trouble for this, I'm going to be so pissed."
Ransom cracks a smile, the first all day. "You won't get in trouble. We're a big deal around here, remember?" He’s right. We are a big deal. There's an entire wing with our name on it, and another new building going up.
She doesn't seem impressed, stomping away and muttering to herself about overbearing men. She slaps her badge against the scanner, letting us into the ER. We walk silently behind her, single file, until she stops at a door along the perimeter. A uniformed guard is stationed right outside. He moves his hand toward his hip and Evie flicks him a glance. "You don't want to do that. Trust me." I don't know if it's the bite in her words or all of us staring at him, but he places his hand back in his lap. Evie turns to us. "I don't know if the patient wants you in there. If he says no, then you go back to the waiting room without a fuss. You hear me?" We nod, and she stares all of us down. We all end up looking at our shoes or the ceiling.
Evie is scary.
Finally satisfied, she slips into the room, closing the door behind her. The guard is still staring at us, and Ransom turns to him. "We're not making trouble. That's our brother in there. We're going to check on him." He doesn't ask if we're allowed to check on him. That's another thing I learned from Ransom. Don't ask. Tell.
Zach steps up next to me, and leans his shoulder against mine. He's done this since we were kids. It's comforting. If it's annoying, which sometimes it can be, I'll just knock him away. Today, I stand there and enjoy the pressure of his shoulder against mine, and the way it helps my feet feel like they're rooted to the floor.
Seconds later, the door opens, and Evie waves us in. "You have a few minutes. The doctor will be here soon to stitch him up. Then he's being moved upstairs." She raises a finger, and points at us, sending shivers down all our backs. I don't understand why her finger is so terrifying, but it is. "Do not upset him."
We all mumble our agreement, then shuffle into the room until we're crowded, shoulder to shoulder, around the bed, and around Colton, who's sitting in the chair next to it. I'm already overloaded by the humming lights and the nine other large bodies in the room. The smell of antiseptic and the metallic scent of blood lingers in the air.
Why would anyone choose to work here? Evie's nose must be different from mine, because she doesn't seem at all bothered as she moves to the open doorway next to the twitchy guard.
"For fuck's sake, don't look so serious. It's a fucking scratch," Joker mumbles from under the white gauze covering most of his face. A couple of my brothers smile. I don't feel like smiling. It is not a scratch. The gauze is stained red in many places. Colton looks sick as he sits, staring at his brother. His hand hovers over Joker's arm like he wants to touch him but won't. Or can't.
"That's the fucking Grand Canyon," Kade mutters loudly. A few of my brothers scowl at him, but I don't know why. He's right. Johnny's face is destroyed.
"The plastic surgeon will be here soon," Colt says, patting his brother's arm awkwardly. "He'll fix you right up."
Joker snorts, "I don't need a fucking plastic surgeon. It'll heal up, and I don't give a fuck about the scar. I ain't working anywhere that's gonna care anyway." His words are slurred, still understandable, but obviously, it's harder to speak with his mouth cut up.
"Your speech is affected," I say, staring hard at his lip. "Do you want to sound drunk for the rest of your life?" He turns his head to stare at me. I feel his gaze on the side of my face. I glance at him, checking to see if he's mad, but honestly, with that much damage, I have no idea if he is or not.
"What do you care?" he asks, his voice a low growl. It's different from his normal voice, the one he used when we would see him in prison. I've never actually spoken to him until tonight.
I shrug and push my hands into my pockets. The air in here is hot. "I don't really know you, so I don't really care about you as an individual." Kade slaps his hand over his eyes, the noise echoing in the room. I glare at him because...rude. "But I love Colton, and he wants you to have a good life after prison. Carrying the remains of a prison attack on your face for the rest of your life will make your life harder."
Colton sits back in the chair, eyes on Joker. "He's right."
"Of course I am. Allowing the plastic surgeon to fix his face will give him the most options for his future. If he plans to return to prison, I suppose the scar will make him look more intimidating, but outside of prison, I can't see a benefit to keeping it."
Johnny lets out a low chuckle and closes his eyes...the one I can see anyway. "You have a point, but it don't matter. I don't have money to pay a plastic surgeon anyway."
Colton growls and glares at him. "I already told you, it's covered. I have a fuck ton of money. I'm going to be putting a bunch in your account anyway."
Joker’s eye flies open and locks on Colt. "The fuck you are. We didn't agree to that. You said a job and a place to live. I make my own fucking way. I ain't gonna leech off you."
Colton's face turns red, and his hands fist on his lap. He's about to blow.
"So use your own money," I say quickly, ready to be done with this. I want Janey.
Johnny snorts and stares at the ceiling. "You guys are fuckin' clueless. I make shit in the joint. Most of my money goes to buying extra shit at the Com. I can't afford a plastic surgeon." He wheezes out a breath, and racking coughs shake his body. Evie rushes to his side, resting one hand on his shoulder, and adjusting one of the machines with the other.
When he's settled, I shoot a glare at Ransom, who nods and clears his throat. Good. Let him deal with this shit.
"Jonas doesn't mean that money. He means the money you've been earning since you went into the joint." Joker gives him a look, and Ransom continues. "You did something that night that protected us. So a lot of what we have now, is thanks to you. While you're not officially a part of the company, I've been setting aside money for you for years. Not much, just a tiny fraction of our profits. But it's your money."
My brothers are silent, processing the information. I know Ransom never shared it, he keeps many things to himself.
"Wait...what?" Colton asks, mouth open.
Ransom shrugs and crosses his arms over his chest. "I knew he'd get out eventually. And we always pay our debts."
"You didn't have to do that," Joker says quietly, eye rolled sideways to look at Ransom. "I made the fuckin' choice. I fucked up. You don't owe me shit."
