I looked at him, electing not to answer right then. Kitten frowned, clearly not liking that he was excluded from the conversation, but what would I tell him?Your brother’s a bully, and I would have done the exact same thing for my family.
“We do have a lot of jobs to fill,” Wylie said, redirecting the conversation. “Many hands make light work.”
“We don’t know if they’re trustworthy,” Gizmo said. “We haven’t had to institute any sort of penal system yet. I don’t think we’re prepared for that.”
Gizmo was right. What if one of them did something truly heinous? We didn’t have any sort of holding cell or containment apparatus. Who would act as a jury? I certainly wasn’t prepared to dole out punishments, not to mention anything I did to Santiago would earn me blowback from Kitten.
The discussion continued while I mostly stayed silent and observed. Soon enough the camps became apparent. Macon, Wylie, and Kitten were in favor of them staying; Artemis, Teresa and Gizmo thought we were better off without them, leaving me as the tie-breaker.
Fuck my life.
“Looks like it’s up to you, boss,” Macon said, raising his eyebrows and giving me a look that said he didn’t envy me one bit. My instinct was to stick to my rule:no outsiders, no exceptions, but we could use some more help around the compound. Supplies were scarce, but we weren’t starving, not yet at least. If they truly pulled their weight and didn’t cause trouble, it could be a benefit to us all.
And I wouldn’t have to risk losing Kitten.
“What if we put them on a probation period until we feel we can trust them?” I glanced over at Artemis, my unofficial number two. “Would you be willing to get behind that?”
“What are the terms?” she asked.
“Whatever we want them to be.”
The seven of us then brainstormed what a probation period might look like for the beta group. Kitten took notes. Having decided on a plan, we invited the four newcomers to gather around the table. The Assholes nominated me to be the one to lay it out for them, which probably meant I’d also have to be the one to enforce it.
“We’re willing to let you stay,” I said to Santiago and the others. “With a few conditions.”
“Okay, what are they?” he asked. He stood with his arms crossed and legs planted wide, acting as if this were a negotiation. It was not.
“First, you all stay in one of the other four houses. This one is only for us.”
“What about all my stuff?” Santiago asked.
“You can pack it up and take it with you.”
He frowned at that but nodded for me to continue. “What else?”
“You pull your own weight with chores. All of us chip in. Gardening, food prep, hunting, and watchtower shifts. None of it is beneath any of us, and we don’t do gender roles around here. If any of you starts slacking off without good reason, you’re out.”
Ansel nodded along. The other two, Rafi and Selena, remained quiet. Santiago spoke to them in Spanish. Hopefully he was relaying what had been said accurately. I hadn’t realized they couldn’t speak English. We’d need to remedy that right away, since I didn’t want Santiago to be their only source of information.
“You understand them?” I asked Kitten.
“A little. Spanish is close to Portuguese, but Santi’s much better at it than me.”
When Santiago had finished, I started up again. “Speaking of rules. We honor consent here. You disobey that rule and you’re going to get your ass bounced right outside the gate.” I glared at Ansel. “Got it?”
“One hundred percent, boss,” Ansel said, sounding as if he meant it.
“Last condition. You’re all on probation until we decide otherwise as a group. That means if you start any shit with any of us, you’re out.”
“Till when?” Santiago asked.
“Till I say so and I don’t care what leverage you try to use with me, I’m not going to allow any of you to endanger my family,” I told him.
“We’re not planning on it, although Joshua is my family too,” he fired right back.
I swallowed my bitter retort and merely continued with my instructions. Growth. “Whatever standing rules we have here, it’s the same for you four. You won’t have voting rights until your probationary period is over. Majority rules in all things. And don’t try bringing in any more strays. No outsiders, no exceptions. You all got it?” I stared at each of them, letting it sink in while Santiago translated for Rafi and Selena.
“We really appreciate you letting us stay,” Ansel piped up. “It’s been hell living on the road. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we’re welcome here.”
