Torch (Unbreakable Bonds 3)

“People are scared—” Noah started.

“No shit they’re scared! I look like the fucking angel of death. I’ve lost my wife, two of Lucas’s businesses have burned to the ground, one employee has been killed, and I don’t even want to think about the number of times Andrei or I have been shot at over the past year.”

He dropped his arms loose at his sides, his hands flopping against his jeans. The urge to throw something twitched through him, but he didn’t. What he really wanted to do was march down to Jagger’s house and blow the fucker up along with anyone inside, but there was no way in hell he’d get close to the place before Jagger’s security mowed him down. And even if he did kill Jagger, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure that would end all this shit. He just couldn’t see a way out of this mess.

“I’m tired of being on the losing end of this, and I don’t know what to do next,” he softly admitted.

Noah pushed back to his feet, shoving his hands into his pockets before he wandered back around the desk, putting the large piece of furniture between them. Rowe looked at Noah, arching one eyebrow at him in question. This didn’t look reassuring.

“I’ve talked to Andrei and I’ve looked at your security system,” Noah carefully said. Rowe’s defenses automatically went up. Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to be good, but Noah was his best friend, his lover. He trusted this man with his life…and as he was coming to accept, also with his heart. He’d hear him out. “It’s good.”

“Damn straight it’s good. Just not good enough. Someone has found a way around it.”

Noah paused and licked his lips. “What if they didn’t need to find a way around it?”

“What do you mean?”

“What if they didn’t need to find a way around your security system because they had someone on the inside helping them shut it down?”

“No!” Rowe instantly barked. “No! Fuck no!” he repeated because Noah’s words were a swift kick to the gut. Just the thought that someone within his company had betrayed him made him want to vomit. He knew these people, counted them as family. Most of them had been with him for years, believed in what they were building together. No one would betray their family like that.

“Just listen to me—”

Rowe rushed around the desk and got in Noah’s face. “No, you don’t know these people like I do. I know this idea has been rattling around in your head for a while now and it’s not what’s happening here. They wouldn’t do that.”

Noah shoved Rowe back a step. “And you need to think!” Noah snarled. “You’d rather get yourself killed than pull your head out of the goddamn sand. I know these people and this business mean the world to you, but there’s more going on and you have to face it.”

Clenching his fists at his sides, Rowe stalked away from Noah rather than give in to the temptation of slugging him. He couldn’t think about it. Wouldn’t consider it. No one would do that…but it made sense. These were damn arsonists. There was no way they could hack his system. He’d hired some of the best white-hat hackers to crack his security system and they all came up with nothing. There was only one way in and that was if someone was letting them in.

“For just one minute,” Noah started again, his voice lower and calm, “don’t think about the people. Think like the sneaky bastard that you are. How would you get in?”

Rowe took several deep breaths, his fists opening and closing at his sides, as he tried to push aside the rage to think clearly. “If I couldn’t hack the system, I’d get myself someone on the inside,” he grudgingly admitted. “Bribe or maybe threaten. Make them crack. Give them no choice.”

“How do you know—”

“Because that’s not what’s happened here!” Rowe snapped before Noah could continue. “There are only a couple people who would have the kind of access you’re talking and they would never crack. Never!”

Noah looked away from him, but not before Rowe caught the sadness filling his bright blue eyes. He walked over and pulled open the door to reveal Gidget standing on the other side, her hand raised as if she was about to knock but she was frozen. Tears cut wide tracks down her cheeks, her breathing coming in shallow pants.

“I-I’m so sorry, Rowe,” she said in a soft trembling voice that threatened to knock his legs out from beneath him.

Rowe stumbled over to his chair and dropped heavily into it, but instantly wondered if he should have gone straight to the private bathroom at the back of his office. His stomach roiled, threatening to send all the bile up his throat and out. Not Gidget. Never Gidget. She couldn’t…wouldn’t.…