I turn to him, open-mouthed. “Did you really just go there?”
“I’m the guy fucking his patient. What makes you think I wouldn’t go there?”
His joke, so completely inappropriate, puts a huge crack in the tension in the room, and the air fills with groans and laughter.
“Now, if you all don’t mind, I’m going to fix this hair,” Ant says, turning toward the hallway.
“But you’re not gonna hurt yourself, are you?” Erik asks, worry lines creasing his forehead.
With a deep, put-upon sigh, Ant shakes his head. “I wantbadpeople to die. Not myself. I’ve survived too much to give up now.”
Hesitating, Erik walks up to Ant and yanks him into a rough hug, kissing the top of his head. I feel terrible for my friend, knowing that this kind of affection is the worst.
Ant pats Erik’s chest, stepping away from him. Sending us a small wave, he heads down the hall, disappearing into the bathroom.
Charlie shakes his head. “I don’t know what you said to get him to cooperate, Nacho, but thank you. He worries the hell out of me.”
Justin and Charlie share a look. Both of them made attempts on their life, so the fear is reasonable.
“He worries me too, but…I believe him when he says he’s not gonna hurt himself. I think living is a form of revenge for him.”
Charlie shrugs. “After I survived my attempt, I definitely had aliving well is the best revengeattitude. I’ll take it.”
Justin grins, wrapping himself around his husband. “Ah, see. That’s where you failed. You fell in love with me anyway.”
Charlie kisses him with a smile. “That’s completely the fault of yourI’ll follow him out to the parking lot and get him to fuck me against his truckattitude.”
Holding up his hands in a mockery of innocence, Justin fires back, “It worked, didn’t it?”
Charlie kisses him again, this time lingering.
Levy clears his throat. “Don’t know if y’all remember, but I was shot in the abdomen yesterday, so if we could move this meeting along, I’d appreciate it.”
It’s Bram’s turn to roll his eyes. “You were barely grazed. Don’t be dramatic.”
“Dramatic?” Levy laughs, then winces as he holds his side. “Says the guy who lost his shit at the doctor trying to put me together.”
“Thedoctor? Do you meanAnders? I was looking out for your well-being.You’re welcome.”
They go back and forth for a few more minutes until Levy reaches out and grabs his brother’s hand. “Thank you. Really. I know I scared the shit out of you.”
“Only because you fainted at the sight of a little blood,” Bram fires back, then looks instantly regretful.
Shaking his head, Levy kisses Bram’s temple. “It’s okay. We can make jokes about the fact I saw our parents die.”
“Fuck you,” Bram grumps, patting Levy’s cheek.
“Ant was right,” I say, gesturing to the lot of them. “Y’all are dramatic as fuck.”
Charlie waves his hands, trying to get us back on track. “Okay, Nacho, point taken. I do want to get this last part out of the way while Ant is out of the room and my husband still feels super loving toward me.”
Justin narrows his eyes as Charlie faces me.
“Nacho, you’ve been clutch in these last two ops. You’ve shown quick thinking and leadership, and you’re exactly the kind of guy we would like to bring on.”
“Wait,” Justin protests. “You can’t take him from the fencing company!”
“I’m not trying to do that. But if we have a rescue where he’d be valuable, I’m going to pull the husband card. That is if Nacho agrees to help.”
