Twenty-Eight
1793 Words
Hans sat at his desk going over the latest issues he was having regarding the city's gangs with his men. Most of them had been cut loose from his banner after completing one or more favours for the Don. Only one in particular still stayed with him. One particular group had been creating a noticeable problem regarding the distribution of drugs to minors. It was something that always drove his temper through the roof.
“Are we good, Hans?” Francis Rubin asked cautiously.
"Ross, send a team to locate, infiltrate, and destroy them. I want an example made out of them in the most painful way possible." Hans said. “Yeah, we’re good, Frank. How’s the family?”
“My girls are doing great. My baby is turning ten in a few months and Tempy is grown up and living on her own. She wants to go to college, but she took a year off to work. Word has it you found out your boy had a kid or something? No worries on the source, Sir. I already got rid of them,” Francis told him.
Hans nodded, “That’s good. Above and beyond as usual. Payment was just dropped into the usual account, so you can head home.”
“Kenni is a smart one with a penchant for learning. Kid already knows how to do s**t other kids her age struggle with. Must get that from her Mama, cause my side ain’t that smart.” Francis laughed as he left.
As he finished giving the crew their orders, his secretary’s voice came over the intercom. Hans called for quiet as he hit the switch. “Yes, Grace?”
“Doctor Reyes is here to see you, Sir,” she replied.
At one point, he had doubted Ambrosia’s abilities, but she worked wonders with his health over the last few months. After doing research into his family medical history and doing some tests, she told him he had been taking useless pills, diagnosing him with a lingering chest infection. When Hans went to his regular physician, the doctor got angry that a fresh-out-of-university female made a life-altering decision without consultation.
Unfortunately for him, Ambrosia was in the room at the time.
Hans had never seen a man so terrified in his life when she turned on him, threatening his clinic and his license to practise medicine in the country. For him, having the male doctor call the young woman down was all the incentive he needed to fire the man on the spot. It was easier to breathe, and even his blood pressure had gotten better and his sleep patterns were more stable since she started treating him.
“You can send the good Doctor in, Grace,” Hans replied. “Did you put in for your week off for your daughter’s graduation?”
“Doing so at the end of my shift, Sir,” she replied before hanging up.
Hans turned to Ross, “Make sure her week with pay is approved for me.”
Ross inclined his head just as the door swung open. He watched as the young woman walked in, her phone to her ear. He knew just from the look on her face that she was talking to Callum. There was no doubt in his mind that the man had been trying too hard, but it was fun to watch his young cousin fumble. “How long before you approve her to be your daughter-in-law?”
“It’s already done, Cal just needs to stop stepping on her toes and let things fall where they may,” Hans muttered.
“Callum, I-” she growled in frustration. One perfectly sculpted brow arched over her green eyes.
Her face contorted dangerously, “Cut me off one more time, Callum. I f*****g dare you. No, you've already pissed me off this morning when you broke my rule about giving Nix sugar. Absolutely not. What part of high quantities of sugar is not good for a developing child didn’t you understand? Oh, well, in that case I’ll get you a dictionary and a book on how to understand basic communication for your birthday next year. It was incredibly irresponsible.”
Some of the men in the room hid their laughter while others tried not to be seen by her. So were Hans, Ross, and David, who had been sent to be her guard.
"I have actual work to do right now, so I’m hanging up. I said I needed time, now suck it up. You had better be there, or the only bells you’ll be hearing will be the ones that ring for your funeral when I’m done with you,” She said in a no-nonsense tone as she disconnected the call. Exasperated, she looked at Hans, “Please tell me that you’re going to be more reasonable than your son?”
Hans laughed, “As long as he’s the only person that you’re pissed off with today, I’m good. Has your analysis come back so soon?”
“I put a rush on it to get it done as soon as possible for you," she said as she brought over the paperwork from her bag.
As Hans listened to her detailed, dumbed-down the explanation, he could feel his temper rising. “So, what you’re saying is that I was taking the wrong medication?”
“Well, it wasn’t doing your body any favours, that’s for sure,” she replied.
Ambrosia laid out the paperwork to show him, “This is your blood work from three months ago, and this is the one that I ordered for you two weeks ago. Those red numbers are known as danger zone figures, and yours are pretty high in a few hours. Any higher, and I’d be worried about cardiac and pulmonary issues.”
Hans looked over the pages, carefully examining the two papers as she spoke. Nodding as he took notice of the declining numbers between the old and new reports, he said, “It seems that I made the right decision when I chose to trust you, Ambrosia. Tell me, why continue to assist me? Is it fear? Empathy?”
“Even the Devil needs sympathy sometimes for all the demons he deals with. Besides, I don’t complain about helping keep you healthy because I’d like my son to know his grandfather while he has time,” she replied softly.
She pulled out a small bottle of pills, and put it down in front of him. "This is the medication that will clear out any infection left in your body. Take one three times a day with your meals, and drink plenty of water. I'm sure that if you can run a legitimate business and a Mafia at the same time, then you're capable of following simple orders, right?"
Hans smirked at her tone. He fully understood that she was messing around with him to burn off steam, and accepted it as her personal sense of humour. “That right?”
“Don’t do that; don’t try to play innocent when you know what you’re doing. Cal does it, too, so I guess he got that trait from you,” she laughed.
One of the other men in the room spoke up, his anger evident. “Sir, we’re pleased you’re feeling better, but why are you allowing her to speak like that to you?”
“Stand down, Soldier,” Ross said.
The African-Canadian man had taken a strong liking to the young woman in the short amount of time that he'd known her. He enjoyed the fact that she seemed to hold an air of decency about her. Ambrosia was different from the other women that had thrown themselves at Callum in the past. She didn't care about money which only made her more likable in Ross' eyes.
The man clenched his jaw, “Master Ross, the Don is a man of high regard. Some little b***h should not be talking to him like an underling.”
The angry fire that flashed in Ambrosia’s eyes silenced the entire room. She looked the men over with a sneer. “I’m well aware of the fact that I am a b***h, but if you think I give two shits what other people think of me, you're dead wrong. Being a nicey-nice goodie-two-shoes doesn’t get s**t done in a timely manner when you have slackers for subordinates."
Hans sat behind his desk, calmly enjoying the way she was tearing apart the young man. He cleared his throat, “Ross, take that one to the Blue Room.”
“Oh, and Ross,” a shiver went through him at Ambrosia's iced-over tone of voice.
He turned to face her, “Yes, Ma’am?”
“If I am late to my son’s audition because he didn’t want to keep his ideals to himself, he's mine. Understand?” Her tone left no room for anything but what she meant, and he knew it.
Hans turned his pale blue eyes to her and grinned, “His audition is today?”
“Yes, it is,” Ambrosia replied. “You’re welcomed to join us if you have time. I apologize for overstepping.”
He grinned, “Don’t be. It was amusing to watch you take charge like that.”
“You're not going to do anything excessive, right, Hans?” Ambrosia questioned with a raised brow.
“A broken jaw may help him remember his place,” Hans mused quietly.
Amber breathed out a laugh as she put the papers back into her bag. "He’ll have to deal with me being the Mafia's lead doctor, though. I don't like rude patients, so he may end up having a few more injuries if he gets mouthy with me."
“I’m sure I can look the other way if that happens,” Hans laughed as he checked his watch. “When is the audition?”
“At four, in the school's auditorium,” she answered calmly.
He raised his gaze to the people waiting for orders. Dismissing them, he grabbed his coat and got up. The men and women bowed before they filed out of the room as Ross came back in. Surprised, he looked between Ambrosia and Hans, “Your orders, Sir?”
“I am going to the school to watch Nix's audition, and I do not wish to be disturbed. You’re in charge. David, you’re with me,” Hans replied.
“Sir,” the brunet answered.
Ross bit back a laugh as Ambrosia rolled her eyes. He nodded, “I will take care of things here for you, Hans. Anything else?”
“No, that’ll be all,” Hans replied as he shrugged his jacket on.
- Writer
