Page 29 of Benga's Rise

I give him twenty dollars. “Tell me when you need more. You can help, but you have a job. Do you remember what it is?”

“Yeah. Keep my nose clean, learn everything I can from everyone willing to teach me. No drugs, no putting my hands on girls and remember to watch out for my Brothers.”

Cort laughs. “You’ve got a good memory. That was almost verbatim.”

Leo tilts his head. I give him the definition. “Verbatim, a word for word recount of what Patcher said. That’s our word of the day. Verbatim. Look it up and remember it.”

Patcher laughs. Cort shakes his head. “Now Rex has you doing it. Fucking Brothers. Patcher get him to school before we get another word.”

“Affirmative, our most esteemed Brother.”

Cort throws a spatula at him and takes Caelan from me when I turn to watch Patcher pull Leo out the door while they’re laughing. Fuck! I wasn’t paying attention. “He’s a smart kid. He has a photographic memory. I’ll have one of the As set him up with a tablet. Almost all of them do too.”

“They do?” I’m trying to figure out how to get Caelan back. I’ve never taken him from Cort. I’m not sure he wouldn’t shoot me.

“Yeah, it was something they were injected with. It changed them. Focused them better and shit.”

Fuck. “When is the scientist back?”

He shakes his head. “Next month. He did old school vaccines, but it was mild. He needs to do another round, but three were sick from it for two days. Web was nervous, but Doc said its normal.”

Those poor kids. “Does he know?”

“No. He talked to the scientist and got that they had no shots, but not why or anything else. When he got the dosage, he agreed that two vaccines would be better, but he warned about what they’re missing.” He kisses Caelan’s head and holds him close. I’m not getting him back this morning.

Jesus. Kids are a hell of a lot of work. I hope the As are okay with what they get. I look at Caelan and know he’ll never go through that shit. Leo’s already been through more than a ten-year-old should and it wasn’t getting injected with shit.

“So, the HR chick is at your house until the cast comes off. She’ll get a walking brace that will bend so she can go upstairs after that. She’s already pushing to work from home, but she has two weeks of bed rest. We’ll set her up when Doc releases her.”

I fucking knew Banks was stroking me. “I got that. That’s why I called young Cowboy. You fucking Brothers complicate my life.”

He laughs. “You were bored, now you have different shit to focus on.”

Bastard. “Yeah. You hear about Chris?”

“Freedom called. She had a feeling that was confirmed. Seren backed off her but hasn’t said why. Patcher won’t bring her in anymore.” The fucking Brother gets more information.

“Is that why he was here?”

“Yeah. He sees her on and off but wasn’t feeling it either. Not knowing Lorelei knew Freedom and Victory, he brought her in because she was a woman. He's pissed that with Lorelei’s name, she didn’t back off but showed. That alone is fucking off.”

“Yeah.” What a bitch. I’m glad she isn’t anyone I’ve been around.

“I need to get Caelan to Seren, then I’ll ride in with you.”

“Go, I’ll finish cleaning up. Did Seren eat?”

He starts walking the hall. “Yeah, then went to shower.”

~*~

“You’re an asshole, Banks. You could have told me you weren’t looking.”

He smiles at me. “Pres said he was putting them with you so Seren could help being close. You wanted me to tell him no, I’ll keep looking?”

“Fucking Brother, that’s what you told me!”

He gives me a look. “Pres would fucking shoot me if I ever said no to him. You won’t. Well, maybe with the laser, but he’s getting vicious. Did you see the dick in a dish? I’m not ever in a fucking dish, Brother.”