Page 25 of Ranger's Rise

“Boss!” Aaron says with a smile.

“You hung up my picture, Aaron?”

His smile makes me laugh. “Good job. Thank you. Now I’ll be able to see it every day.” I bend and reach for the shells I can see. “Aaron, can you find the last shell for José? We need some tape so his shells don’t fall.”

Aaron’s bumping the table around while he’s under it. The kid is like a bull in a china shop. A bull. I think about that as Aaron climbs out from under the table. He has the last shell, but it’s mashed in his hand. José takes it and tries to flatten it out. His tears gut me.

“I can fix it, José.” I put my hand out and wait for him to give me the paper. “Can you find tape, Aaron?”

“Roger, Boss.” His words come out slow, but he’s smiling before he runs away.

José gives me the shell and I untuck the ends and flatten the paper then make his shell again. “Good as new, José.”

Aaron runs back and José makes a noise shielding his shells in front of him. I laugh taking the tape. “Thanks, Aaron. Now his shells won’t fall off his monitor.”

I take one and tape it, he moves his arm so I can take the next one. When I do the last, he’s smiling looking at his shells. “He likes them up there. Thanks, Aaron, for helping.”

José smiles at Aaron and I start on a bull. It takes a couple of pieces, but I finally get it and make a cow. At the end, I tear the paper and twist two little sections bending them up. It looks like a bull to me. I put it in front of Juan and his fingers stop on the keyboard then start typing again. Aaron brings me the tape. “Thanks, Aaron.” I move the bull and tape it to the table in front of the monitor. Juan never stops typing, but he’s looking at the bull.

“Happy.”

“Yeah, they like them. I’m glad they’re happy. Thanks for helping make it happen, Aaron.”

“Boss.” He likes helping. He runs away he’s cute.

When I get up, Banks is on the floor showing Amal how to make a bird and Jacques is watching from the couch. “Something French may spark Jacques.”

He looks at me and his eyes light up. I laugh when he makes a croissant. Jacques takes it when Banks holds it out for him. “How the fuck did you know that? I’ve been making everything I could think of.”

“They’re French or Spanish or they were kept by people who were. They run code in their language Web said. They understand English so keep talking to them.”

“Thanks, Brother. Amal, can you look up French things, we can make Jacques some more origami he can relate to.”

“Roger, Boss.” He jumps up and runs out of the room making me laugh. This house must get crazy with them running everywhere all the time.

I go back to the kitchen and smile seeing Cort coloring at the table with Aaron. “How is Jacques today?” he asks.

“Happy.” Aaron surprises me.

I nod. “He’s watching Banks make French origami. He made a croissant that Jacques is holding onto.”

He laughs as Web comes in smiling. “Amal said you got José to stop working.”

“For a few minutes. I made him some shells for his computer. He was smiling at them.”

Tears are in his eyes and I look away. “Thanks, Brother. He hasn’t stopped for much since he’s been here.”

He goes right to the living room and I’m relieved. Cort is watching me. “He’s been a Brother since they came in. He didn’t know Brotherhood before that. He came up in an orphanage.”

Shit, that couldn’t have been easy. “You taught him well, Boss. He’s a good Brother and Badass means something to him.”

He smiles. “Never alone, Brother. The Brothers helped teach him and he’s taught us more than we ever saw before.”

I nod. “I bet. I know he’s made an impact on me.”

He goes back to his picture and I smile at my girl. She’s cutting out paper for Aris.

Amos comes in smiling. “I’m on lunch. Web said he’d meet me here.” The Brother is excited.