Ignite (Unbreakable Bonds 7)

Noah sighed with relief. “I will. We wouldn’t dare leave you boys out of the fun.”

“And I’m calling Snow to give him a heads up.”

“Tattletale.”

“Keep us in the loop,” Lucas pressed on one last time and then ended the call.

Noah dropped the phone in his lap and closed his eyes. He loved Lucas and the rest of the gang. Loved when they all worked together on something sneaky, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Lucas and Andrei in on this mess when they had a little girl waiting for them at home. It was just another reason why Noah didn’t want kids. He loved this wild and crazy life he had with Rowe. He didn’t want to slow down or stop because they had to worry about a little one depending on them at home.

“I told you not to say his name,” Rowe muttered, and Noah couldn’t help but chuckle. His lover really was insane.

“Nothing from Gidget,” Noah said. “Just the-man-who-can’t-be-named checking in.”

“I think we lost them,” JB announced into the growing quiet of the car. He grabbed the front seats and pulled himself forward so that he was between Rowe and Noah. “Where do we go now?”

Noah’s phone vibrated in his hand, and he looked down at a series of texts that Lucas had sent. His laughter filled the vehicle.

“Lucas says that Garrett and Royce are on standby if we need them,” Noah read aloud.

“Bossy fucker,” Rowe said, but he was also grinning.

“And he says there’s a spare set of keys waiting for us at the security desk.”

“What security desk?” JB asked.

Rowe laughed before Noah could answer. “I totally forgot he’s got a penthouse in DC. Bought it years ago, before he met Andrei, but he’s never used it much.”

“If it belongs to Lucas, I’m sure it’s posh,” Noah murmured.

“Definitely. It’ll give us a place to hide out and safely catch some sleep for a few days before we might have to move again,” Rowe said.

Noah turned his head to look over at Rowe as they sat at a red light. “How did he know? I didn’t say we needed a place to crash.”

Rowe just shrugged. “He’s just like that. Bossy as hell, but always thinking ten steps ahead of the rest of us. Always has a plan. Always ready to take care of his family even if he can’t be there to do it in person.”

It was a family Noah had never expected to find, but he was damn glad to have it.Chapter Nine“This place is nuts,” Rowe breathed as they stood in the foyer of the luxurious penthouse apartment. White porcelain floors and dark millwork stretched out in a living room that rivaled Rowe’s entire house for space. Soft blue sofas sat perpendicular to a long gas fireplace with a white, marble coffee table in between. Like the penthouse in Cincinnati, this place had floor-to-ceiling windows, this one with a view of the Washington Monument. Rowe wouldn’t be able to stand all the open windows. It was like living in a fishbowl.

He strode through the room to the kitchen where there was more white in the countertops and cabinets. A massive island took up half the kitchen, and stainless-steel appliances gave the only color outside of the silver backsplash. The whole apartment looked like it was ready for a spread in a magazine for the rich and famous.

“Sheesh, Lucas,” he muttered, turning a circle.

“You haven’t been here before?” Noah asked as he opened the refrigerator. “Holy shit, there’s food. Good, I’m starving.”

“He probably had a delivery placed ahead before he even called us.” Rowe set his satchel on the countertop and frowned. “There is way too much fucking white in this place. I feel like I’ll get it dirty if I breathe on it.”

“What kind of friend is this?” JB asked as he strolled into the kitchen.

“A ridiculously rich one.”

“I like the way he spoils you. There’s a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label in here with a ribbon around it.” JB winked and strode back out of the room, his head moving right and left as he took everything in.

Rowe looked up at the cathedral ceilings and whistled. “Why the hell would he need a place like this when he’s hardly ever in DC?”

“You know Lucas.” Noah pulled a bag of grapes out and started hunting through the cabinets. Probably for a colander. “Likes to have the best of everything. Sees it as a smart investment. How many condos do you think he has?”

“Who the fuck knows?” Rowe opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. “Even the booze is already cold.” He chuckled. “Sweet asshole.”

JB returned, his blue eyes blinking wide. “There are four big bedrooms, five bathrooms, and an upstairs living room in addition to this one. Plus, a study. How big is his family?”