Page 16 of Doc

Finished with my examination, I change gloves and point to the table after helping Roman off it. “Up,” I order Hollis, earning a glare from the hacker, but he does as asked.

“Help me dress?” Roman bats his eyes at Soren, smiling sweetly.

I want to warn the other man that Roman may look like an angel, but he’s really a viper. But I don’t, because if he’s going to last here, it’s best Soren learns now how to handle the brat. Trial by fire and all that.

I check Hollis’s stitches first, making sure there’s no infection or anything else to be concerned about before I take a look at the inside of his throat.

“I’m no expert,” I say when I’m finished, “but it looks a hell of a lot better than it first did. How’s it feel?”

Hollis sighs but raises his hands and signs. “I…may have overdone it with the voicing since the accident.” At my raised eyebrow, he scowls. “You try staying silent when the personyoulove gets hurt. But…I’m working on it.”

I nod, appreciating that his signing speed is more moderate than what he’d use with Roman and his grandmother. I’m fluent enough, that was part of the deal I made with Cristian. Should something happen to Roman’s grandmother during one of her rare visits, or any of Roman’s other family members, Cristian wanted me to be able to communicate with them. Not only that, he was cognizant of the fact that hearing loss is hereditary on that side of Roman’s family; he didn’t want any of us to be caught unaware, had the genetic lottery swung that way with his son.

“Good. We have an appointment at the end of the week with the specialist. Jayden pulled some strings to get us in as soon as possible. Try not to voice until then, okay? I don’t want them to say the damage is worse than initially thought because you were a dumbass.”

“Your bedside manner needs work, Doc,” he gripes.

“It’s part of my charm,” I reply cheerfully.

Hollis rolls his eyes before asking, “Who’s the new guy?”

I switch to ASL, my signs not nearly as smooth as Hollis’s but understandable. “Medical assistant, Soren Knightly. Don’t tell me you don’t have a whole file on him.”

Hollis laughs and then winces as the sound hurts his throat. At my‘I told you so’look, he rolls his eyes. “What’s on paper doesn’t tell me about him, specifically. Besides, I’m making Leandro do most of the legwork on this one, so I’ve only read the barebones of the file so far.”

I shrug. “Not much to tell yet. He has a sharp tongue, though, so I think it’s safe to say he’ll fit in.” I shake my head when Hollis gives me a knowing look. “Not like that, you dick. I know better. I mean, he’s been able to keep up with me so far. I might have…pushed him a little too far when we first met, but he didn’t snap like any other person would, and that’s good enough for me.”

Hollis nods. “Okay,” he says. “On paper, he’s perfect. His background is what you’d expect from someone who grew up in the lifestyle, but he hasn’t really made waves in the Bratva. I don’t know if that’s because Petrov kept him out of it, or if we’ve just yet to discover anything. I’ll see what pops up when Leandro does a little more digging.”

“Or you could just ask,” Soren replies, sidling up to the examination table and leaning his hip against it.

Hollis and I both look at him. Roman moves to stand on the other side of his lover, green eyes carefully watching my assistant.

Soren grins. “Couldn’t help but eavesdrop. I’d apologize but I’m not sorry.” He looks at Hollis, his eyes darkening a little. “Next time, do a little more research before thinking someone can’t understand when you’re talking about him. One of my best friends is deaf. I speak three languages, and have a smattering ofvocabulary in a fourth, so, you know, maybe take this as a lesson to not talk about someone when you’re in the room with them.”

Roman laughs and his shoulders relax, his defenses easing. Even though he’s hurt, I know he wouldn’t have hesitated to protect Hollis had he needed to. It’s both an admirable trait and irritating as all hell.

“I like you,” Roman tells Soren.

Hollis says, “Sorry. You’re right.”

Soren waves him off. “No hard feelings. I’m actually curious about what you discovered.”

The hacker shrugs. “Basic shit,” he replies. “Family stuff, your standing in the Bratva, schooling, that kind of stuff. Like I said, I haven’t read much more than the surface level stuff. And my son hasn’t turned up anything you may or may not have done on behalf of your uncle’s organization. Though I do need to have a conversation with him about looking closely at the people surrounding those we investigate; they’re just as important as our target.”

“Well I can tell you now, you won’t find anything scandalous in my background,” Soren tells him. “Uncle Ivan sent me here for a reason. All that, it’s not for me. I studied medicine to help the people who worked for my Family, but that’s not where I belong. Much to my father’s disdain.”

“Good,” Hollis says. “But you can understand why I would like to verify that with my own sources, right?”

“Sure, I have nothing to hide.”

And why do I feel like that’s bullshit?

I’m barely through my front door when my phone rings. Groaning, I kick off my shoes and make my way to the living room as I pull the device from my pocket. Just once I would like to get home and simply…be.

Checking the display, I groan again but answer it before the voicemail picks up, unwilling to listen throughthatlecture right now.

“Hey, Ma,” I say, dropping down onto the sofa.

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