Page 54 of Barrett

The doctor wasn’t as tall or nearly as broad as Reghan, but I could tell he wasn’t a weak man. He couldn’t be if he had to clean and stitch up Jordan’s men.

“Marshall, my name is Alton Keeley. I’m going to help you, okay?”

“Thank you,” my brother whispered.

“No thanks are necessary. I don’t want anyone to be in pain.”

They talked quietly, but I tuned them out in favor of watching Reghan and the way he stood on the opposite side of the bed with his arms crossed. It was as if he was protecting my brother. My heart beat a little faster at that. I’d previously thought Reghan would look after Marshall if I needed him to, but now I was seeing it in real-time.

When Alton went to touch Marshall to examine him, Reghan fucking growled.

Alton raised his head to look at Reghan, and then his eyes drifted to mine. “I see. I’m not going to hurt him, Reghan. You don’t have this reaction when I examine your brother.”

“Raiden can handle himself.”

“I can too,” Marshall said weakly.

I went to Reghan and wrapped my hand around his bicep, pulling his arms apart and tugging him away from the bed. “Let the man work.”

“Thank you, Detective,” Alton said.

My eyebrows went up. “You know who I am?”

He chuckled. “I’ve been the doctor to Jordan’s staff for years. I hear a lot of gossip, especially between Reghan and Raiden. So yes, I know who you are.”

“Isn’t there doctor confidentiality or some shit?” I asked.

Alton chuckled before focusing on my brother again.

24

REGHAN

“He should feel better soon,” Alton said when he joined Barrett and me in the living room. “I gave him a medication to help get rid of the pain as well as a prescription for it. What he was taking before is good, but there are better out there. I also gave him a prescription for a once-a-month injection.”

“Our insurance won’t cover it,” Barrett said. “If it’s what I think it is anyway.”

Alton’s eyes briefly strayed to mine, and I gave him a short nod. “It’s taken care of.”

Barrett turned my way. “What did you do?”

“Your brother won’t have to worry about his medication any longer.” I didn’t care if I had to go down to the pharmacy and prepay for it, Marshall would get what he needed.

“How much?” When I ignored him, he asked Alton. “Tell me.”

Alton sighed. “Without insurance, the out-of-pocket total cost for both is roughly three thousand a month.”

“What?” Barrett yelled, which caused his brother to groan in the other room, so Barrett lowered his voice. “That’s more than my rent by a long shot. You’re not paying for it, Reghan. I’ll figure it out, take on more jobs, whatever I need to do.”

“You already work day and night, plus the hours you put in when Jordan needs you,” I stated the obvious. “You’re not going to jeopardize your job by working so much you don’t sleep.” The more he did for Jordan, the more money he brought in, the less he’d be able to hide it.

“He’s my brother. You don’t get to come in here and just take care of everything.”

Alton clapped my shoulder as he walked by. He knew enough about what Jordan did that nothing we said here would leave his lips.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Barrett was too pissed to even notice Alton leave. He was practically breathing fire. The moment the door shut, he started again, this low whisper-yell. “You’re not paying for it. Not now. Not ever.”

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