I think he’s attempting to melt off your face, Leila whispered into his mind.
Diego had to work to keep from laughing. That wouldn’t do at all in the face of Ezekiel’s clear threat.
The door leading from the mudroom banged loudly, and a man sauntered in, his arms filled with canvas bags Diego recognized as the ones Wyatt Fontenot’s grandmother, Nonny, used. Instantly, the familiar aroma of Cajun fare filled the house.
Mordichai Fortunes turned his head directly toward Diego as he moved past him to enter the space that was the kitchen. Their eyes met, and Mordichai winked at him. It was all Diego could do not to burst into laughter.
Who is that?
Mordichai, one of Ezekiel’s brothers. He just saved my ass from his brother’s wrath, just the way we used to when we were kids. We would divert Ezekiel’s attention with distraction.
So he heard the entire conversation? Is that what you’re saying?
Yep, he was somewhere in the house. His brother Malichai is bound to be around as well.
Rubin was on his feet, following Mordichai into the kitchen. “What did you bring?”
“Nonny worried I’d starve,” Mordichai announced. “She sent everything you can imagine.”
Malichai and Mordichai are always starving, Diego told Leila.Mordichai still puts away the food. Nothing is safe around him. We all give him a hard time. And he doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him. How he manages that, I have no idea.
Mordichai was an inch shorter than Ezekiel, had extremely thick dark hair and the same golden eyes as his older brother. That trait ran in the family. He was very muscular, his arms and chest carrying heavy muscle, tapering to narrow hips and strong legs. Mordichai was the Fortunes brother who smiled the most and had a great sense of humor. The problem was, when he smiled, he showed his perfect teeth, but the smile had never once, that Diego could remember, reached his eyes.
Over the years, Diego and Rubin had noticed that Ezekiel took more care in how he spoke to Mordichai. And Nonny, who was welcoming and good to all of them, seemed to take special care with Mordichai. Diego was extremely fond of the man, but that didn’t mean he knew him. Mordichai had his secrets, just like they all did.
“I’m sure Nonny meant for you to share,” Rubin said. “She wouldn’t have sent so much if she didn’t.”
Mordichai pulled the various containers out of the canvas bagsto set them on the counter. There were so many there was barely room. He peered into the pot of stew Rubin had on the stove. “Did you make this, Rubin? It smells good.” He reached for the freshly baked bread.
Rubin glared at him. “You don’t get anything if you don’t share.”
“You wouldn’t want me faintin’ from hunger. I think my blood sugar drops fast if I don’t eat all the time. You know that, Rubin.”
Ezekiel heaved a sigh. “All you think about is food.” He sounded resigned.
Leila’s soft laughter moved through Diego’s mind.You all are definitely family. Rubin has forgotten all about being mad at you, and Ezekiel is totally distracted by his brother’s appearance.
Diego was caught by Mordichai’s playful statement. It wasn’t the first time he’d cracked jokes about low blood sugar. Was it possible Mordichai was diabetic? Diego glanced at Ezekiel. He would know. And diabetics couldn’t serve in the military if they were diagnosed before joining.
Diego reached back into his memories of the boys growing up on the streets. There was never enough food to eat. Never. They were always hungry. He recalled Mordichai curled up on a mat in the tunnels beneath the city, beads of sweat covering his body. Shaking. Eyes unfocused. It had happened on more than one occasion. Often, he would limp, fall behind the others, even though he was tough as nails. It would happen unexpectedly, without any warning. Ezekiel would leave for a time, commanding the others to look after Mordichai. When he returned, he would give his younger brother medication.
Rubin, is it possible that Mordichai is diabetic?
It seemed impossible that they wouldn’t have known. They were all doctors. It had taken longer for some to complete their studies. Mordichai had taken his sweet time, but in the end, he became a doctor just as the others in their unit had. Diego couldn’t fault him;he hadn’t been eager to complete his studies either. He wasn’t a man to stay indoors the way he needed to when studying and completing his residency.
Rubin’s assessing gaze slid over Mordichai. The man looked fitter than any of them. He ran daily. He boxed, did martial arts, several different practices. He wielded weapons like a master. One would never look at him and think he had a physical ailment of any kind.
Not diabetes.
Diego trusted Rubin’s assessment. Rubin might say, and even believe, that Diego had the same gifts, but Diego had been watching Rubin save lives for years. He knew how powerful Rubin’s gift of healing was. It had started when they were children, that need Rubin had to help anyone sick. Diego hadn’t had the same need.
There was a time when they had come across one of their neighbors. He lived miles away and was as mean as a snake, not only to outsiders but to his wife and children. Old man Kingsley had been out hunting, and he’d fallen down a rocky ravine. The two boys were barely twelve, but when they spotted the tracks of a man weaving and tripping, they followed.
It was clear Kingsley had been drinking, which wasn’t unusual. Each time they’d come across him, he was drunk and belligerent, even at church. Diego wanted to leave him to his fate. He had no compulsion to climb down the steep ravine, which was a very dangerous climb, and see to the man’s injuries. As far as he was concerned, Kingsley had gotten what he deserved. So many times, his wife and children had visible injuries on them.
Rubin had been adamant that they get down to the man and help him. Even then, Diego had realized his brother didn’t have much of a choice. The compulsion to heal was so strong he couldn’t walk away. Having many of those experiences with his brother gave him the insight that Rubin truly was different from him—and so was that well of healing energy inside him.
He knew his mother had influenced him to believe that anything he was able to do came from something dark and ugly, and everything Rubin did came from a pure place. He’d always thought of the two of them as light and dark, opposites.
