Torch (Unbreakable Bonds 3)

“Problem?” Rowe asked, reclining on the couch with his hands behind his head.

“Break in at Pottsfield’s house. George handled it, but it required a discharge of arms, and resulted in some broken items. George and the client weren’t harmed. Cops have the assailant in custody.”

Rowe shifted to the edge of the couch and smiled. “And you? Come on, let’s see.” He wagged two fingers at Andrei. “Let’s see the gunshot wound that’s got Lucas frothing.”

“Is that what he told you?” Andrei swore and pushed to his feet. Coming around the desk, he lifted his charcoal gray T-shirt on his left side, revealing a long, red cut with about a dozen stitches pulling the flesh back together. “Damn client lied about the severity of the threat and I was more outnumbered than I’d expected. The bullet just grazed me and I got my bell rung. Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Rowe rubbed his head, leaving his red hair standing up on end in messy disarray. “Still…bullet wound does take you out of the field for a few days.”

“That’s not a bullet wound!” Andrei jerked his shirt back down.

“It’s a wound caused by a bullet.”

“Rowe!”

“Sit. I want to talk to you about something.”

Andrei glared down at him, his arms folded over his chest. His long hair was loose, crowding around his face so that his dark eyes looked nearly black. Rowe noticed that the Romanian was wearing his hair even longer now and it was likely due to Lucas’s influence. Lucas made no effort to hide the fact that he loved Andrei’s hair.

“If you’re about to fire me again, you can shove it. You need me.”

“Will you just sit? I’m not going to fire you, but it is fucking serious.”

Andrei instantly relaxed, while confusion cut lines around his mouth. He sat on the far end of the sofa, turning to face Rowe with his left arm along the back. “What’s up?”

“I want to know how you’d feel about doing less fieldwork.”

Andrei stiffened, looking as if he were preparing to jump back to his feet. “How much less?”

Rowe inwardly cringed. “About 90% less.”

The glare returned to Andrei’s face and the muscles in his jaw flexed as if he were grinding his teeth. “Is this bullshit because of Lucas? He’s not my fucking dad.”

“No, I swear, it’s not. Well, not directly.”

“Rowe—”

“Listen. When I needed a break, you stepped up in a big way. You not only kept everything running, but profits even improved. Not a single client bitched or canceled. The fact is that you’ve got a great head on your shoulders for business and I’m wasting you in the field when I should have your ass in the office.”

Andrei’s mouth fell open in surprise and Rowe could only chuckle. “Oh,” was all Andrei could manage.

Lounging back against the couch, Rowe smiled. “You know we need to expand. Clients are traveling more and staying out of the country longer. That means they need to take extra security with them. Gidget’s been on my case to set up some servers overseas so we can start offering more personal information security options. And then fucking Lucas is gaining more notoriety with every new million that bastard makes and he’s not making it any secret that he uses Ward Security. That’s bringing us more business. We need to build and hire. To do that, I need someone I can depend on to fucking corral all this chaos and you’re my first choice.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Be the COO for Ward Security.”

Andrei launched to his feet and took a couple unsteady steps back as he struggled to catch his breath. “Are…are you serious? Chief operating officer? That’s…that’s a big deal. Rowe, I just got my bachelor’s degree from that shitty online college. I’d need a master’s for that. Did you tell Lucas what you were planning?”

“No,” Rowe said sharply and then got to his feet. He walked over and peered down the hall, relieved to find that no one was there to overhear their conversation. He closed the door and turned back to Andrei who still looked stunned. “I didn’t tell Lucas because this new job works for him. It’ll mean some long hours, but it keeps you out of the field most of the time and you’ll be home every night. For someone in a serious relationship, that’s kind of fucking important. But I didn’t want him strong-arming you into something you didn’t want. You know how bullheaded he gets when he wants something.”

“I…I don’t know…I don’t have the right degree. I’m just some fighter…”

Rowe walked over and grabbed both of Andrei’s shoulders, forcing the young man to look him in the eye. “I don’t give a damn about a degree. You’ve got real-world experience. You know how to handle people. You can read people, read a situation, and strategize. That’s what I need. And if you’ve ever got a question, you’ve got me and Lucas always. Between the three of us, we’ll figure it out.”