Page 25 of Pain
"You okay?" Xander narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah, just took a fall during the weekly basketball game with some of the guys. Fell hard on my shoulder. It's fine, but keeps stiffening up on me. You should have come with."
"Take up football or soccer or something like that and I'm in. Basketball has never been my thing." He preferred a good set of weights or a long run. "If we don't have any cases in the next few days, I was thinking about getting some new ink." He ran his hand down his arm, touching one of the few spots that didn't already have ink covering it.
"I haven't heard if there's anything." Dyson glanced toward the geek cave door. "What do you think of the new guy?"
"I actually like him. He'll fit in well. The question is, can he put his personal issues aside to focus on other cases. He's been delving so deep into the dark web with one goal in mind, actually having to dig up information on others is going to be a challenge for him."
"Can't blame him for having tunnel vision where his daughter is concerned."
"No, you can't, but I worry what happens if he doesn't find her there. How long before he breaks?"
"It's something we'll have to watch for. He might not break. Many don't."
"And many do." Xander shrugged. "He's holding it together better than others, but he's also holding a lot in. As much as I hate Katie, she might be just what he needs." Xander thought about the psychologist that tormented him every few months. He hated her digging into his life. She always wanted to talk about his past, but he was more than happy to leave the past where it was. For Matt, his issues were current, and having someone to talk to would probably be a good thing.
The sound of the geek cave door opening had Xander looking down the hall.
When Bryon stepped into the room, he was all smiles. "I knew he'd fit in with us." He went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. "The guy is going to give Carter a run for his money, and that's going to be fun to watch."
Carter prided himself on being the best, and if Matt was as good or better in some areas than he was, that would push Carter to work harder. He hated having someone know more than he did. They were lucky to have such talented hackers working for their team.
"He's a good guy. I think he'll be a good fit."
Bryon nodded. "I think he was a bit shocked by our systems, but once we showed him the layout, he jumped right in. He's just going through some last-minute things with Carter and Trenton, then he'll be out. Are you taking him home?"
"Yeah, I don't mind." Xander had to go past Matt's place to get to his anyway. "What's the week looking like? Any jobs?"
"We're working on a few things, but the perps changed their location last night. Moved the boy they have to a more secure area. Until we can get more information, it's on hold. I wouldn't expect much until next week."
"Want me to call Adam and schedule?" Dyson asked.
"Yeah, tell him I need an hour." Xander rubbed his arm.
"Ink therapy for you two?" Bryon asked.
"You should come with us. You'd love it."
"Sorry, I'm too old." Bryon shook his head.
"Bullshit." Dyson laughed. "There's no rule saying you can't get ink after forty."
"I'm pushing fifty. I've gone this long without it. You two have enough ink for all of us." Bryon nodded to Xander's arms.
"Hey, I'm not as bad as he is. I've only got a few," Dyson protested.
"You guys have fun." Bryon turned as Becca walked in the door. "Hey, beautiful."
Xander raised a brow at the endearment. It was clear Bryon had a thing for Becca, but this was the first time he'd heard him call her anything other than her name.
"Hey, guys." Becca handed a thick file to Bryon. "This one will make you sick."
Bryon opened the file and his face paled, which meant it had to be bad. The team had seen the worst of the worst. It took a lot to get to them.
"What's up?" Dyson asked.
"One-year-old girl." Bryon didn't look up from the file.
