Chapter Thirty-Three

It was the next night before he and Brick got a chance to talk.

The kids were in bed and he and Brick were stretched out on his fold out couch.

“What a shit couple of days,” Fighter said, rubbing his fingers on his forehead.

“Come here.” Brick tugged him closer and Fighter sank against the man with a sigh.

“I’m tired.”

“You can sleep in, I’ll get the kids when they wake in the morning.”

“XiXi gets out of rehab Friday afternoon.”

“Want me to come with you to pick her up?”

Fighter glanced up in surprise. “You’d do that?”

“I’ll do anything for you,” Brick said and then smiled corny, making him laugh.

“No need to pick her up. Her boyfriend, Shane, will be there and bring her here.”

Brick smoothed his hand down his back and Fighter melted beneath the caress.

“Will she want the kids full time?”

“No. She never has,” he said.

“What about Shane?”

“What about him?” He glanced up at Brick.

“What if he wants to adopt the kids and have them with them full time?”

Fighter smiled slightly. “That’s a possibility, but XiXi and I have always had an agreement. If something like that ever happens, I get joint custody.” Fighter snuggled down again.

“How would that work?” Brick’s chest vibrated beneath his cheek when the man chuckled.

“She’ll drop them off with me and I’ll take them back. However we arrange, by week or weekend, or a few days.”

“Sounds like you are close.”

“We are, very.”

Brick hugged him tighter and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “What about your mother?” Brick asked.

“She will never accept you and me.”

“That doesn’t bother me, but if she comes at you again like she did before, I won’t stand idly by.”

Fighter rubbed his cheek against Brick’s shirt and smiled.

“You really are a knight in shining armor.”

Brick snorted. “I’m not. I’ll have her arrested.”

Fighter blinked and glanced up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“My hero.”

“I’ll show you a hero,” Brick chuckled and rolled him onto his back.

His laughter and words were swallowed, but Fighter didn’t care.

He was in paradise.

Two weeks later.

Fighter was nervous.

He ran his hand down the front of his new shirt and shifted in the chair behind his desk. To his right sat Bishop and Gabby, who were both dressed nicer than usual.

“What’s going on?” Gabby whispered, running one hand over the cast that covered her wrist. He’d told her to take extra leave, but she wouldn’t hear of it.

A sound at the door drew his attention and he stayed silent as the men from Cobalt Security entered the room.

Brick stepped in first and gave him a wink before settling into the chair on the other side of his desk. Brick rolled the chair closer to the glass and gazed at him with those warm gray eyes.

“What’s going on?”Fighter asked.

When Brick had called him to see if he was available to meet the following afternoon, Fighter had begged to be told the reason. Brick stayed closed mouthed about it, and Fighter gave in out of sheer curiosity.

Next through the door was Jaxon West along with Colonel Liam Cobalt and another slimmer, shorter man.

“Why is Liam here?” Fighter whispered. Were Liam and Spencer part of Cobalt Security?

Brick chuckled. “That’s Logan Cobalt, he’s Liam’s twin brother. And next to him is former FBI agent Macy Cobalt, Liam’s husband.”

Jaxon reached across the desk and Fighter shook the man’s hand.

“Thank you for seeing us,” Jaxon said.

“Of course.” Fighter gestured to the chairs. “Please have a seat.”

“I arranged this meeting.” Jaxon got right to the point. “I want you to know that. While Brick has a role to play, I run Cobalt Security.”

Fighter nodded and glanced from Jaxon to Brick and then back again.

“I know that Brick asked you a couple of weeks ago to take on job offers when we were stretched thin.”

“Yes.”

“How is that going so far?”

“It’s going really well. There’s only been one case we didn’t take,” Fighter said, finally easing back in his chair as his nerves settled.

Having Cobalt send jobs his way when they had too many tasks to handle had been a godsend.

“Good, good,” Jaxon said with a nod. “I want to take this a step further. What I’m proposing may seem like a lot, but it’s not. And it makes sense, so hear me out.”

Fighter grew curious at the seriousness of Jaxon’s tone of voice.

“I want us to partner together.”

Shock held Fighter from speaking and Jaxon went on.

“My hope is that Suwan Guardians and Cobalt Security can work together handling all jobs.”

“You want to buy my business?” Fighter squinted.

“No.” Jaxon shook his head. “What I want is to partner with you under one umbrella. You will keep your name Suwan Guardians and I’ll keep Cobalt Security. But we will have a partner that funds us.”

“Who?” Fighter darted his eyes to Brick. He fought the smile forming when Brick sheepishly ducked his head.

“We’ll be one entity beneath the financial partnership of Brick Industries.”

“Holy shit.” Bishop, who’d been quiet up to this point, gaped at Brick and Jaxon and then turned on him. Gabby’s eyes were wide and excitement filled her face.

Fighter recognized the look in Bishop’s intense gaze, his friend was willing him to take the deal. Gabby pulled her hands together like she was praying.

Of course, he was taking the deal.

Who in their right mind wouldn’t? He’d get enough jobs to live well plus he’d keep his own name on the doors.

Fighter glanced at Brick and met his gaze. “What do you think of all this?”

“When Jaxon approached me, I was all in. I just don’t want you to feel pressured.”

Fighter smiled.

It was just like his hero to think of him first. Fuck, he loved this man so much. He turned back to Jaxon.

“I’m in,” he said and Jaxon grinned and slapped his knee.

“I’m curious though, why are you two here?” Fighter asked Logan and Macy.

“I’m the official owner of Cobalt Security. Brick is my silent partner. I handed the reigns over to Jaxon West to run the place, but all financial decisions go through Brick and I,” Logan said.

Macy elbowed his husband and Logan grunted. “And Macy of course,” the man amended and lifted his husband’s hand to his lips to kiss his fingers.

“Charmer,” Macy snickered.

“I’ll have Cobalt’s lawyer contact yours,” Jaxon said. “After everything is signed, we can discuss job and workflow setup. If you want to keep things the same, that’s no problem.”

“I don’t have a lawyer,” Fighter said.

“I’ll have mine check the documents,” Brick said, reaching across the desk and holding out his hand palm up.

Fighter rolled closer to place his hand in Brick’s.