Torch (Unbreakable Bonds 3)

“Yeah.” Rowe’s shoulder slumped and his entire body sort of sank in, as if he was deflating right before Noah’s eyes. He couldn’t stand to see Rowe like this. The man he came to know in the Army was filled with boundless energy, ready to take on whatever was set in front of him, no matter how impossible the odds.

But this wasn’t the same Rowe. This Rowe had experienced loss and he was worried about losing again.

“Come on.”

Rowe’s head popped up and he frowned at Noah. “What?”

“Let’s get a couple sniper rifles, a few hand grenades, and some of your other toys. We’ll put one between Jagger’s eyes and call it a day.”

Rowe stared at Noah for a second and then exploded with laughter, rocking back so that his ass was seated on the edge of his desk. “Oh yeah, because that would be just so damn easy,” he replied, his words dripping sarcasm.

Noah rolled his eyes. “I never said it would be easy, but I figured it would at least be fun and would relieve a little stress.”

A soft snort slipped from Rowe. “Most people go for sex as their source of fun and stress relief.”

“You offering?”

Rowe didn’t answer right away, then he smirked. “Please. You couldn’t handle all this.” He ran his hands down his chest. Noah couldn’t stop his eyes from following Rowe’s hands as they molded his shirt to his hard, muscular chest and flat stomach. Couldn’t handle it? Fuck, Noah was more than willing to die trying.

“And you’re terrified by how much you might love it if you try,” Noah said with more heat than he’d meant to.

They stared at each other for a moment. Neither breathed. Their teasing had suddenly taken a turn into too much truth for either of them to handle. Everything within Noah screamed that he walk over to Rowe and kiss him. Pin him on the top of the desk and touch every damn inch of the man while exploring every bit of his mouth with his tongue. He wanted Rowe panting and begging and writhing beneath him.

Rowe’s cheeks turned red and he looked away first, clearing his throat. “I’ve thought about it…killing Jagger,” he clarified quickly. “He’s not an easy person to get close to. Too much security. And even without the security, he’s got the police and feds still watching him.”

Dropping back in his chair, Noah placed his hands behind his head, trying to appear relaxed when he felt anything but. Disappointment tightened his chest. “Okay. So we go after the arsonist and we keep an eye on Jagger. Maybe an opportunity presents itself.”

Noah sat up at the knock on Rowe’s door. Rowe called for the person to enter, running his hand through his hair so that it was left standing up in all directions.

A young man stuck his head in the small opening and he looked in, starting a bit when his dark eyes fell on Noah before shifting on to Rowe. “Hey, boss. You got a sec?”

“Come on in, Quinn.”

The man’s eyes darted back to Noah for a heartbeat before he pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked in. He was slender, all knees and elbows, in his baggy Deadpool graphic tee and worn jeans. His hair was shaved on the sides while the remaining hair on top of his head was dyed black with red tips.

“Noah, this is Quinn, our other hacker.”

Noah shifted in his seat, starting to rise, but the man nearly jumped out of his skin so Noah kept his seat. The kid—and he was more kid than man by all appearances—was skittish as hell.

“Noah Keegan,” he said, softening his voice as he extended his hand.

“Quinn Lake,” he replied, shaking his hand. “Whoa! You’re the Ranger, right?”

Noah looked over at Rowe, raising one eyebrow in question. He didn’t mind people knowing that he was a former Ranger, but he wasn’t a fan of how it seemed to be spreading so quickly around the city.

Rowe threw up his hands in helpless defense. “Wasn’t me!”

“Andrei mentioned that you were partnered with Rowe once. Said you were joining the team,” Quinn added.

“Quinn, did you want something other than to make me look like a slave-driving ass?”

“You don’t need help with that,” Noah muttered and Rowe simply flipped him off, keeping his eyes locked on Quinn.

“Oh, yeah,” the hacker said with a sheepish grin. “I developed this system to scan for the use of certain key words including both the Warehouse fire and the one in Indian Hill.”

“What? On social media?” Noah inquired.

Quinn snorted. “Tip of the freaking iceberg. I’ve got social media, chat rooms, and even parts of the dark web covered. Those government drones can’t touch my skills. I can wrangle all of the Internet.”

Noah directed his gaze back at Rowe who looked completely undisturbed by his employee’s boast. “Sounds real legal, Ward.” The hacker didn’t even blink, pride still pulling his grin wide.