Page 40 of Integrated (Mistress & Master of Restraint #11)
“That was the last of the patients for the day.” Aaron calls into my office from the waiting room, then pokes his head in the open door to check on me.
“Thanks,” is an exhausted mumble. “I hate coming back after winter break. All those holiday get-togethers where the family fucks with their heads. Their therapist is on vacation, so they bottle up all those feelings of resentment, or worse, unleash them on their innocent, unsuspecting family members. Every session today was pure psychological torture– mine, not theirs for once.”
“Well, one minor blessing,” Aaron says with a bright smile, “I can take you home now.”
“Fat chance, Hoss.” Sagging against the top of my desk, I fight the urge to take a nap. Drained, being emotionally drained is the worst, especially with what’s to come.
“Cort and Julio are on their way here. I have your wife babysitting the twins, with Caleb on Ava duty. We’ll be here for another hour. At least ,” I warn, not looking forward to what’s to come. “Might have to take a detour afterward, depending on how this all plays out.”
“Julio? Is Stanton running a game play?” I hate that Aaron’s voice quivers with fear. “We don’t have another meeting for three more days. I thought Faith put a stop to the old regime.”
“The next meeting is about selecting a few people to be the voice of their demographic. This isn’t about the founders,” I softly reassure.
“Oh.” Aaron is the perfect assistant. He doesn’t ask too many questions, nor does he demand answers. He does as he’s told and naturally kisses my ass.
“It’s personal business. After this conversation, I can tell you the details… or you can pretend you’re not listening in at the door.” I tease, knowing Aaron and Roarke are the world’s biggest eavesdroppers. Far worse than I am, but they can keep a secret just as well as I can.
Feigning innocence, Aaron turns into a helpful assistant. “Do you need refreshments or anything for your guests? You look tuckered out, you want some caffeine?”
“I could use some, but I fear what reeving up my heart rate will do. I need to be calm, so I guess exhausted and strung out will have to suffice.”
“That must be them– the outer door just opened. I’ll send them in.” Aaron disappears into the waiting room to show my guests in.
Drawing in huge amounts of air, then breathing it out through my nose, I attempt to find a calm center. I doubt I could have done this before I integrated. No doubt Master Ez would have risen to the fore and taken over this painful conversation.
“Welcome,” I politely say to my very confused fiancé and a skittish Julio. “Please, have a seat.” I gesture to the sofa where a blubbering grandmother was just resting a few moment ago, all the while bitching about her ungrateful children…
Just once, I want to scream at my patients. “Be happy you don’t have my life– go home and be thankful!”
Just once.
“What’s going on?” Julio cautiously asks as he takes a seat as far as humanly possible from his equally confused brother.
“I’ve researched nonstop for the past forty-eight hours. I’m going to ask some questions, then allow you to come to a conclusion.” I calmly state, when in actuality I’m being a coward.
I just can’t force the words out. “Cort. Julio. You’re half-brothers.” I just can’t do it.
“No games,” Cort begs, voice breaking.
“It’s a happy surprise.” I offer them both my comforting smile– the phony one all of my patients receive. Judging by the way they both flinch, I missed the mark by a mile. Everyone should pray for my patients, since I must terrify them instead of comfort them.
“Julio, what’s your birth name?” I ask, wondering how the dipshit didn’t figure this out on his own. What I discovered when I dug a little deeper into Julio’s family tree… wow. Just wow.
Moron.
Then again, Julio is trusting his family’s word– we’re all idiots when it comes to family. Proof by my profession. I’d be out of a job if we all told the truth about everything, especially to ourselves.
“Julian Ramirez,” Julio mutters in confusion, eyes flicking between Cortez and me. “My ma calls me Jules. But my pa didn’t think that was dangerous enough sounding. Pa once knew a tough bastard named Julio.”
“Jesus Christ!” Clutching his chest, Cort gasps, figuring it out in a nanosecond.
Instinctively leaning forward, I long to comfort Cortez, especially since he’s profusely sweating and he’s as white as a sheet. Which is interesting, considering his skin is naturally a healthy tan.
Nails digging into his thighs, Cort just stares at me, shaking his head back and forth. He’s scared shitless about what’s to come from my mouth next. I can see the words Game Play forming in his thoughts.
No more game plays, but none of us trust the founders’ rein of terror to be over quite so easily. Not a one of us doesn’t have PTSD to some degree.
“Tell me about your parents.” I prompt the huge guy who hasn’t caught on just yet.
Julio’s not entirely as expected, as looks can be deceiving to the personality lying beneath. Dark tanned skin, chocolate eyes, soft brown hair, extremely tall and muscular. Built to be the perfect enforcer. But then I look at his face, soft and round. A baby face, just like Cort’s. His voice is soothing, slightly bland, with no trace of an accent, when Spanish flows freely from his tongue. He’s also a natural caregiver, spending a lifetime as Stanton’s manny and personal assistant first, enforcer last.
“Just your average parents.” Julio shrugs, beyond confused as to why I’m interrogating him. “I don’t know what you want from me, Ez. You’re freaking my ass out.”
“Just tell us about them.” I gently urge him, just a nudge. “As you talk, I think you’ll figure it out.”
“My ma’s name is Jacki. She’s a good woman. A bit disappointed that she’ll never be a grandma– I never hear the end of that shit. Jules, are you sure you don’t like women? ” Julio mocks in a girly tone. “Ma and my aunts are always trying to hook me up with females at Sunday dinner… while Cory is sitting next to me.” He’s outraged by the punchline of his own joke. “My cousins like to invite gays to dinner, just to upset the balance. It’s not fun.”
“Mark of a good mother,” I say with a laugh, experiencing this firsthand during family counseling with my patients. “They want what they think is best for you.”
“Fuck yeah.” A spark lights in Julio, like maybe I’m not as evil as he thinks me to be. Warming up to me, his words start flowing like water, which is a talent I possess.
“My pa doesn’t care though, not like I thought he would. Not about me being gay or not having kids. Who wouldn’t love Cory, ya know? Pa thinks the world of my husband. He says Ma’s huge family is enough noise around the house, no need to add to the chaos.” Skin taking on a healthy glow, Julio smirks at some distant memory.
“What’s your dad’s name? He was the original Caleb Green’s enforcer, right?” I lead Julio in the right direction, feeling a bit like Marcus at a trial. I wait for Cort to shout, “Leading the witness!”
“Yeah, Pa was an enforcer– he retired after the molester’s death, allowed his freedom because he was innocent and tried to help the victims. His name is… Jesus Christ!” Julio hisses, sounding just like Cort.
Behaving as the first to die in a horror film, slowly turning to face his brother, Julio examines every inch of Cort’s visible skin for what is probably the first time. “ Our pa’s name is Cortez .”
“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Cort shouts, lunging from the sofa to pace my office. “I’m named after our dad. My fictitious father was named after my brother. Way to go, Mom. Where does the clue of Abernathy lead?”
“Abernathy?” Julio grunts in shock. “Smart,” is then murmured in appreciation. “We all must be fucking idiots. My mother’s maiden name is Jaqueline Abernathy… excuse me, I have a set of parents to kill,” Julio politely says as he stands from my sofa.
“I’m coming with you,” Cort warns, already headed for the door.
“Yeah? Sure… why the hell not?” Julio stammers, at a complete and total loss. “Let’s see how they explain this shit to our faces.”