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"I'm fine!" I yelled at the crowd of men assembled in the infirmary. Martin had asked about his welfare as soon as he, Tom and Kevin, were in the office, Colby had been next, then Fred, Frank, even the capybara had joined in and by the time Tom had dragged me to the infirmary for Doctor Merlin to look me over, the crowd was large enough they pressed me against the bed and their questions about what happened, how it could happen, how he was really doing mixed together until they became white noise.

"Out!" a powerful voice yelled over them from the doorway. "I want each and everyone one of you out of my infirmary before I send you to the hospital!" he continued in the ensuing silence.

The man was an older hyena, his spotted brown fur turning silver and with a trimmed beard under his muzzle. He held a cane in both hands as if he was ready to club someone with it, the cane's handle, the wings of the Caduceus looked particularly dangerous, ending in points.

Everyone took the threat seriously and streamed around the hyena and through the door. When the crowd was thin enough, I made to follow them.

"You," the doctor pointed at me with the cane's handle, "are staying. As are you." He indicated Kevin.

"We're fine," I said.

"I am the only medical practitioner in this building," he said, stepping to the desk and putting the cane on it, "you'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it." He put a lab coat on. "Now, which one of you goes first?"

I sat on the table. "Might as well be me."

He looked me over as I gave him a rundown of what had happened, downplaying the injuries we'd received.

"Please be careful with that," the hyena said without looking up from my side, "It's dear to me."

"Is that a scalpel?" Kevin asked. He was holding the doctor's cane.

The hyena looked up now. "Yes, it is, next to it are forceps. That's surgical scissors."

"You made this?" Kevin put it down.

The hyena laughed and went back to palpating my side. "Hardly. Found it at the Salvation army in 02 or 03. I was traveling a lot back then. Helping the needy communities. Too old to do that now, so I stick to this city."

"You still do it? Helping people in need?" The otter fidgeted in the seat.

"Had to slow that too. Couldn't afford it. I was never the kind of doctor who made a lot of money, too much of a bleeding heart, that's me. But with how much Mister Brislow is paying me just to be on call, I'm getting back into it. Leased a few offices in City Park, hired a couple of nurses, we can't do much yet, but anything we can helps."

"Leopold used to do a lot of good when I became a cop," I said. "Every homeless knew his name and that he'd help them regardless of if they had money or not. It's why I threw enough money at him he couldn't say no. Even offered to pay for his clinic."

"That'd be charity," The hyena said, an edge of anger in his voice. "I give charity, I don't take it. I earn the money I make."

"You're going to have to tell me what caused you to be against receiving charity one of these days."

The hyena snorted. "Nope." He straightened. "It's something of a miracle, but you didn't even lose fur in that scuffle."

"Just lucky, I guess."

"It's got to be." He motioned to Kevin. "Your turn."

The doctor spent ten minutes looking the otter over. I listened in on the conversation better the doctor and Kevin, in case he asked questions Kevin wouldn't know how to answer and looked over the cane so I wouldn't look like it was what I was doing.

I didn't work with my hands like whoever had made this, but it looked like quality work, the way they'd wielded each item without leaving any signs of the wields. Looking at them up close, the Caduceus's wings were made of scalpel blades.

"Are these things actually sharp?" I asked. The hyena glances at me and I indicated the cane's handle.

"They are. A constant reminder that even tools designed to help with healing must be handled with care, lest they hurt. A physical representation of the Hippocratic oath." He patted the otter on the shoulder. "You are fine too. How are you nerves? I heard there was a casualty."

Kevin closed his eyes.

"It's going to be okay," the hyena said. "That gut-wrenching feeling that you did something wrong, it's a good thing. It means you won't grow to like doing it. Violence can be needed, but it shouldn't be enjoyed." He looked at me. "Something that Mister Marrows should keep in mind."

"Some people do like the violence, Doctor. It's a sad fact of life. We're just lucky Tom is working for our side."

"Your side, Mister Brislow, I think you would do well to remember the badger isn't on our side, just yours." He pulled a watch out of his pocket and flipped the cover open. "I'm going to stick around for the next two hours, in case anyone has something they want me to look at. Then I need to go home and look after Judy."

"Your wife?" Kevin asked getting off the bed.

The hyena laughed. "My quad canine companion. I'm afraid that unless it's in a medical situation, me and people don't get along all that well in the long term. I could never make that kind of relationship work."

Martin grabbed me as I exited. "I'm fine," I said, "Leopold said so."

"Like there was any doubt." He pulled me into his office. "You are going to have to explain things to him at some point. We can't constantly show up in his office after a fight and not have any serious injuries. I wish you'd taken my doctor on instead. But that's not why I need to talk to you." He tapped the surface of his desk and it came on, a video player waiting to be activated. "You need to watch this." He turned on.

It was a news show. A female Oxen sat behind the desk with the image of a bear with a lot of ugly scars on his body floating behind her.

"Early this morning the body of Garret Carmichael was found in his cell, dead after hanging himself using a rope he made from his sheets. Mister Carmichael was convicted of three-lifetime sentences for the gruesome murders of the esteemed Lewiston patriarch Alistair, along with one of his sons and a grandson. When contacted in regard to Carmichael's death a family representative had this to say."

"While any death is a horrible thing, one needs to remember that the weight of having committed the crimes he did is heavy and I can only suspect that it finally became too much for the young man to bear."

"The prison warden commented that Mister Carmichael hadn't shown any signs of depression. He was doing the best of his sentence, spending much of it in the prison library and online in supervised discussion with people within the archeology fields. The warden stated his suicide came as a complete surprise to everyone there."

Martin paused it. "I made a few calls every says Carmichael wasn't depressed. Do you think it's Raphael?"

"Makes no sense for it to be him. If he'd wanted this guy dead, he would have done it when he was still in charge of security here. Now he knows it would just piss me off. Thing is, people can hide depression. Was he being seen by a shrink?"

"Not that I know of. Like the report said, from all appearance he'd accepted his punishment and had adjusted to prison. Do you think Damian did it?"

"Why? It isn't like Carmichael can link him to what happened. Damian wasn't physically in Denver during any of that time. I can't see why he'd have that done."

"Do you at least know where he is?"

I shook my head. "No. The guy showed up out of the blue and vanished the same way. But we're going to find him, because if I don't think he's involved with that, I know he's behind the guys who tried to kill me. And he is going to pay for subjecting Kevin to that."

I sighed. "But right now I need to go spend time with Eddy."

Martin smiled. "And to think that only a few days ago, you were adamant you didn't want a son."

"I hate you," I said without anger and left.

* * * * *

"What do you mean, there's still no sign of him?" I almost yelled at the six men in the conference room. Only the capybara was Society, of everyone who'd join he'd adjusted the fastest, becoming one of the guys within two days.

"He's been avoiding cameras, no one in the park remembers a tiger. The guy is a master as not being found."

"People in the CIA could learn something from this guy."

"Fuck," I growled. "There has got to be something we can do to get him, I can't just sit here and not do anything."

"Then I'd recommend the second floor," once of them said. "Sex is doing something, and it'll distract you."

I glared at him. "The longer Damian is out there, the most chances are innocent people are going to be hurt."

"We're doing everything we can, boss, but we're not psychic. Unless he shows his face, there's nothing we can do."

"I know," I growled. "I just hate it." I took a breath. I wasn't going to sigh. "Go back to work, let me know if he shows up."

The only one who stayed behind was the capybara.

"Why are you doing this like this?"

"Like what?"

"Them. You have them search the city for this man you want found. You have better resources."

"What better resources?"

"The families. Why are you using these mundanes when you can get the families to do the work for you?"

"Unless you haven't been paying attention, I did ask the families for help. You and the-- I'm going to be kind here-- less than ideal candidates are what I got in return."

"Then you do not ask."

I sighed-- damn it-- and looked him in the eyes. "I'd wondered why you'd come to this meeting. You're trying to see if this is an act, aren't you? Like all the others you can't believe I don't want anything to do with the way the Rasias did things. It's not enough I refused to use their name, that I gave back the secrets with only an offer to work with me in return. You all still think I'm playing a long term game. I am not. This is who I am. I ask people to help, I take the help I'm given. I do not blackmail people into anything."

"I am not here to prod and search. I am here so that when you betray the Medeiros family, I will be there to end you, permanently."

"As if having Damian out to kill me wasn't enough. Tell me something. Are you going to act on ear-say? Will you try to kill me just because a shadow made you jump? Or are you going to have the decency of giving me a chance to explain whatever it is you think is a betrayal? Because of you're going to be a hair-trigger killer, I'm sending you back right now."

The capybara frowned and searched my face. I was too tired to care about whatever he was looking for.

"I have told you that I will kill you, and you do not seem bothered."

"No, you said you're going to kill me if I betray your family, which I have no intentions of doing, so the only thing I need to know if you're a man of your word. Because I can use a man with your skill in my company, but I need to be able to trust you."

"The Rasias do not trust, they threaten."

I grinned. "Good thing I'm a Brislow then, isn't it? Get back to work. Your group will need your help figuring out how to handle guns. And If you're okay with it. I want to have you evaluated to be one of our trainers. I'm still short on decent gunmen and hand to hand experts, and something tells me you're good at both."

The capybara started at me. He grumbled something in a language I didn't know, but he left, just as a white and black rabbit poked his head in the conference room.

"Boss, you need to come to the reception, we have a situation," Jacob said with urgency in his tone.

"Can I get even five minutes to breathe?" I wondered out loud as I joined him.

In the reception area stood a rat in jeans and a heavier jacket than the weather called for, he looked nervous. Colby was on one side. Tom at the edge of the room. Martin was in his office's door. The three of them looked pissed, while everyone else looked confused.

"Alright," I said, gaging the tension. "I get the feeling you wanted talk to me?"

"Yes, sir." The rat spoke with deference and looked around. "I'm Jeroen Lewiston, I--"

I saw read, I heard the blood rush to my ears, covering what he said. I was standing before my dad, who'd just struck me because he'd found out I could do magic. Found out because Raphael fucking Lewiston had kidnapped them in an attempt at getting something that was mine by right.

"Get out," I growled, and the rat took a step back.

"Sir, please you have to--"

"If you think I'm going to let Raphael put one of his backstabber of a son or cousin or whatever you are to him. He's dead wrong."

"He doesn't know I'm here."

"Right, you expect me to believe that this isn't his plan? He's heard about the offer I made to everyone else and he thinks I'm going to just go along with it because what? I'm supposed to be fair?"

"You don't have to take my word for it," the rat spoke quickly. "Bring in a--" he stopped, looked around. He lowered his voice. "Have Maximilian Cormoran speak with me, or that Mercier..." He bit his lip. "Sam, I think his name is, have him check me out. They'll tell you I'm being honest. If Raphael knew I was here, he'd be angrier than you can imagine."

"Why? Why would he be that angry that you're talking with me?"

"Not talking, working for you."

"Excuse me?"

"I can be useful, and to be honest, I'd rather be in Denver than in Kansas City, anywhere else than there, but here at least I'm confident he won't be able to get to me."

"Why would he want to get you?" I asked, cursing my curiosity. "And how can you be useful? You don't look like you're used to fighting."

"It's..." He offered me his hand. "It's easier if I show you."

"Don't," Tom warned.

"You understand that if this hurts me, you're dead, right?"

The rat nodded, and I took his hand

"Damn--" I heard Tom say.

And I was in a dark space. I took a step back from the rat. "What the hell?" No the place wasn't dark, I could see him and myself, it was just that the floor and the surrounding space was black.

"I offer privacy," the rat said.

"Where are we?" I tried to see anything in the distance, but I couldn't even tell where the ground met the... sky, for a lack of a better word.

"Our minds, I think."

"Don't you know?"

The rat was naked before me. "Not really. Dad and Uncle Joeri tried to determine what happens, but they couldn't tell. What I can tell you is that no one can eavesdrop on us in here. No telepath, no farseers, even a precog can't see this place. When we go back no time will have passed. Or at least not in any way that can be discerned, at least not for two hours, which is the longest I stayed to date."

"Why just two hours?"

"I got bored? Dad and I had sex, but we can't bring anything, and there's nothing to do."

"I'm wearing my--" I realized I was naked. I hadn't noticed because of the oddity of what had happened and the air was the exact temperature I was. "Okay, this is weird and I can see how useful it can be. Why did Raphael let you go?"

"He didn't. As far as he's concerned, I'm at university."

"And why are you here instead of there?"

"Raphael, he's doing things differently. He doesn't care about us unless we can contribute. Dad got hurt in the attack. Something's wrong with his mind and sigils don't help. I asked Raphael to help with the hospital bills, but won't because dad can't even get an erection in his state. I've been paying for it with the money I had left, but that's running out."

"Where is he?"

"In Denver, I bought him with me and I found him a hospice, but I don't know how long I'll be able to pay for that. To be honest, if it had been only that, I'd have stayed, some of my cousins offered to help, but there's other stuff.

"Raphael insist we all have a duty to increase the size of our family. I get that, but we're not given a choice. I don't want that, not for me, not for my son when I have one."

"He's forcing you to have children?"

"Jerry, you said your name was?"

"Jeroen."

"Jeroen, what kind of monster has Raphael become?"

"He's just desperate and scared. A lot of our family died."

Rape. The fucker was forcing sex on them. I was going to take to Maximilian about this the next time I spoke with him.

"You understand I can't just take you at your word."

"Yes, sir. Just bring a mind reader."

"Would that work in here?"

"No. Powers don't work here. That's why I think it's our mind and not an actual place we go to."

"How do we go back? What if I want to go back but you won't let me? I could see this being used as a prison."

"Except I need to be here. It's boring enough with someone I care to be with, I wouldn't do it with someone I don't like unless it's business or something and not for a long period. And I just have to will us back."

"Then do it."

"--it!" Tom finished.

I released Jeroen's hand and took out my phone. "Stand down Tom, it's fine."

"That's it. I'm looking for a tower. I'll make arrangements for your son to have comfortable arrangements, but you're getting a bare cell. I swear, you are looking to get killed."

I brought up a number I didn't want on my phone, but I wanted to be sure I'd know if it was him calling, and pressed it. I put the phone on speaker and put in on the counter. It rang and rang. As I thought it would go to his message center it stopped.

"What do you want?" Raphael didn't sound happy.

"I want you to know I'm sending him back."

Jeroen opened his mouth to protest, but I silenced him with a finger.

"Send who back? What the fuck are you talking about Rasia? If you're just calling to make my day worse you can fuck off."

"I'm referring to that spy you tried to sneak into my company, did you think I wouldn't realize who he was?"

"I don't have the time for this."

"Does the name Jeroen, mean anything to you?"

"What?"

"Rat, of course, a little taller than I am, nineteen, twenty?"

"Twenty-one in two months, sir," Jeroen answered.

"Jeroen?" Raphael asked, sounding dismay. "Why the fuck are you not in school? Get your ass back here now, before I send someone to get you."

I smiled. Oh, Raphael was pissed. And if there was one thing I knew about the guy it was that he couldn't act to save his life. "I wouldn't do that, Raphie, not unless you want me to return them to you broken."

"Fuck off Rasia, this is a family matter, you have no business shoving your cock into it."

"Well, Jeroen asked for asylum, and I'm granting it. I'll be looking after him from now on." I disconnected the call. "Well, that's that. Welcome to the company. Louise, put Jeroen on the payroll with the usual hiring bonus so he can get settled in."

"Sir, you don't have to," Jeroen said.

"I'm not going to have you scrimp until the first paycheck comes in. Colby, give our new hire a tour. Tom stand down. He's an employee, not a threat. Martin, I need to talk with you." I went in his office before anyone had time to react and closed the door.

"I don't think--"

"I don't want to hear it," I cut him off. "I'm the one who hates the Lewistons, the rest of you are just angry at them out of support for me, so I'm the one who's allowed to decide if I'm going to give one of them a chance."

"Okay, that's fair. I'd give them another five minute to figure out we're busy and they'll move on."

"While that's happening, Jeroen had a father in a hospice somewhere in the city. He's in a coma. Caused by Damian's attacks. I don't have the details, but sigil didn't heal that."

"How do you know that?"

"He told me. His power gave us time. You can ask him for the details. What I want you to do is find his father and have the cost taken cared of through a blind trust. No, tell him your dad decided to take over his care since he looks after the people in his city. Is having him here going to cause your dad troubles with Raphael?"

"Nothing more than siding with you instead of him hasn't already cost. I'll tell dad about it, he might want to take over the cost for real."

"Fine, but he doesn't have to feel obligated. Is the lobby clear?"

Martin looked through the blinds. "It is."

"Good. I am going to your place to spend time with Eddy. He's a godsend. I have no idea how I'd get through this without him to go back to at the end of the day. Or when the stress of this place gets too much. I'll come back once I'm calm."

"You could arrange to have him here. He'd be easier to reach."

"I don't think she--" I stopped myself. Forced the memory of what she'd done to me aside. "I don't think Loraine would appreciate it. She's still worried I'm just going to take him from her and leave her to fend for herself. Right now he's all she has."

"I'm glad you're thinking about her wellbeing."

"It isn't easy, but Eddy needs her as much as he needs me."

I opened the door and checked the lobby for any sign of Tom. Of course if he wanted to ambush me, there was little I'd be able to do to stop him.

I made it to the door and opened it as the tiger on the other side reached for the handle.

"Hello Denton," Damian said as I pulled my gun out and shoved it in his face.