Trouble

3

Michael returns to the hospital, he needs to check on Joanna. He gets to her room and finds several medical personnel swarming it. His man comes over to him as soon as he sees him.

At Michael's look, the guard explains. "Shortly after you left the alarms in her room went off. A nurse was in there and called code blue and suddenly this place was swarming with people."

"Do you think the nurse was responsible?" I wouldn't be the first time a medical person caused injury to a patient. He even has some on his payroll to do just that.

"Not this time," the guard says and points to a quietly sobbing woman sitting in the waiting room. "That's Miss Greene's cousin, her only remaining family."

"Making Miss Greene her only remaining  family?" Michael questions. That's not necessarily true and he knows it.

"I don't know, but they were close. I was told that." 

Michael sneers, "By the girl?" That information is garbage. 

"No, sir, by Miss Greene when I checked with her." The guard corrects and Michael loses the sneer and takes on a thoughtful look. He goes over to the quietly weeping girl.

"Miss can you tell me what happened with Miss Greene?" Michael asks gently to the sobbing girl.

"Joanna was talking then suddenly she faints and the alarms go off. I called her nurse and they brought in a crash cart. I was told to get out since I'm off duty and she's family." 

"So why are you crying? Surely you trust your coworkers?"

"Joanna has wanted to die since her family was killed. She's not fighting to live. She doesn't want to. It actually shocked me that she fought to wake up when I read her chart. She shouldn't have survived the attack."

"Why do you think that she did, if she has this death wish?" Michael wants to know more about the woman that ended the attacks.

"She wouldn't want anyone else to suffer like that. She wants justice for those that have already died. Justice her family never got because the drunk was rich." The nurse's lips curl up in a sneer. Her family thought they would lose Joanna when the verdict came down. It took a long time for Joanna to become even a fraction of the person she was before the accident. Now this.

"She'll get justice, that much I can promise." Michael says softly. He thinks about his brother sitting waiting for his punishment.

"Last night wasn't the first time Joanna was attacked. One of your men raped her the night before." 

Michael turns around rapidly from looking at Joanna to look at the cousin. "What are you talking about? My men know that those that aren't whores are strictly hands off."

The girl sneers at the man. "Well someone either forgot to give them the memo or they just don't give a damn. Look you need to leave, your negative energy will make it so she's less likely to live as it is."

"What the hell are you talking about now?" Michael is furious and is all but pulling his hair out of his head at the things he's hearing. Not just his brother has been betraying him. Cole was preparing for a coup. The two walk back to the room once the others leave.

"My cousin told me that many of the waitresses were sexually attacked by your VIP men. The lesser men didn't dare attack. The waitresses were too scared and were threatened to say anything." The cousin replies softly stroking her cousins hair and voice gone soft as she looks at her poor cousin.

"Why didn't they say anything directly to me?" Michael seethes.

The girl looks at him in disbelief, "You most trusted men against the words of the waitresses? Please we all know how that will go, then your men will kill them for saying anything."

Michael turns to the man that followed him into the room, "Jordan, check out the security footage from the time Miss Greene worked to the time she left yesterday." Jordan doesn't say a word he just gets started pulling up the footage Michael ordered.

Jordan is unable to hide the shock, "It's Jayson. He follows her out. He's still doing up his pants as he comes in. Miss Greene Is bruised and scraped and has a look of being shattered about her."

"Of course she does, before her rape she was a virgin," The cousin scoffs with disdain. "You really shouldn't hate her, she has done nothing to merit it. Just because you've failed to protect her not once but twice, that isn't her problem, it's your's." The sneer is evident and her disdain thick as she throws this at the man before her.

The man turns his hate filled eyes to her, "You are walking really close to the line, Miss. You really should shut up now."

The girl gives him one last sneer before turning her full attention to her cousin.

"What did you mean about my hatred?" The curiosity burns the man.

"Both my cousin and I are empathic. We can feel the emotions of others. I'm not as strong as she is but even I can tell you absolutely hate her. You might be able to lie to me, might be able to lie to yourself, but there is no way in hell you will be able to lie to Joanna."

The two are so caught up in their fight that they don't notice that Joanna is awake.

"If you two wish to fight please take it outside my room or get me earplugs?" Joanna says sluggishly, her voice filled with pain.

"My cousin is correct Mr. Jamison. I feel your hatred. You didn't feel that way about me before and I have done nothing to you except give you a description of my...oh, of course. The attacker was someone close to you. They betrayed you so I am to blame." Joanna looks to her cousin.

"It's okay Amy," she smiles at her before turning to her boss. "The other girls are terrified and wouldn't tell you. I don't care if I live anymore. It wasn't just the one that attacked me, there are others."

"Who?" Michael demands.

Joanna scoffs at him, "Like we are given the names of the VIP's? They are all upper men. The lower ones don't touch us, but the upper men do."

She smiles softly before she falls back unconscious.

The cousin pushes Michael out of the way, "No, no, no, no." She reaches for her cousin's wrist ignoring the beeping of the heart monitor. Suddenly the sound of beeping stops and a straight alarm sounds.

"Get out of here and tell the nurse to call code blue." Her cousin demands already starting chest compressions.

Michael and Jordan leave the room and do as the cousin orders.

Perhaps he won't be able to repay his debt to the woman he loathes after all.