“That’s not how the no asshole rule works. You don’t get a free pass for being brilliant and you know it.”
“You think stockholders think that way? You think they care if I’m an asshole if they’re making money?”
Owen made a down gesture with his hand. “Lower your voice. We’ve had this argument a thousand times.”
“And you never won it.”
“Except I did.”
He said that with no pride, no intention to rile Reid up. Owen wanted to keep the peace, but Reid was on edge. “No, Kuch won it for you. You don’t have enough asshole in you to out-asshole me.”
Owen put his hand over his face to muffle a laugh and that did rile Reid.
“It took me being an asshole to build Plus, rule or no rule, but suddenly I need to be a different guy when the company is on top. And you’re going to fuck it up. You’ll misfire on Ziggurat and then you’ll be out of a job too.”
Owen looked away. “I don’t want to fight with you. I get what happened was brutal but you brought it on yourself and if Ziggurat fails I’ll take responsibility for it.”
Like the fucking all-round good guy Owen was. Reid shoved his hands back in his pockets. “It doesn’t have to be like that, bring me back in.”
Owen waved to someone behind Reid with a quick smile. “What are you talking about?”
“Bring me back as a consultant, head of projects, let me focus on Ziggurat and you run things with Sarina and Dev.”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“You can make it work like that.” If he wanted to. He was the boss. He could make anything happen.
“I don’t want to fight with you, Reid.” And wasn’t that the whole problem.
“If you’d have stood up to me harder this would’ve been different.”
Owen made a noise of exasperation. “Now you’re blaming me. You are unbelievable.” He turned his face away.
“It cuts both ways. I’m a monster and the only person on the face of the planet who could do anything about that wanted to keep the peace instead.”
Still facing away, Owen said, “You shouldn’t be here.” His cheeks were flushed and he’d mirrored Reid’s posture, hands shoved in his pants pockets.
Reid was sweating under his suit. “Maybe it’s you who shouldn’t be here.”
Owen faced back around and pinned Reid’s eyes with his bright blue ones. “Never admired anyone more than you, Reid. I fucking hate you’re turning that against me.”
And that was the hardest thing of all in this. It wasn’t about the money or the moral right or who was the biggest asshole. They were partners, equals. Friends, and now this was between them.
“Is your date the woman from the bar? What was her name, Lush?”
“Her name is Zarley.”
“Well it’s good you’ve got someone in your life. Enjoy it.”
“You mean while it lasts because you think I’m going to be an asshole to her too.”
Owen sighed. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I didn’t say that.”
Reid didn’t want to fight with Owen either. It made his chest go tight like that time he broke a rib in a building site accident.
Owen skewered him with a last hard look. “Try not to be any more of an asshole than comes naturally tonight.” He left without a backward glance.
Reid knew this wouldn’t be easy. His road, he’d walk it.