The Merger – 12

 

They made fairly quick work of getting everything packed into the truck, drove to what were now their combined offices, and unloaded.

Rosie watched with amusement when they tried to wrestle Josh's desk through the front door. "If you tip it on its side…" she pointed out. It was something they hadn't thought of, since Josh's old office had a set of double doors, which had made the job much easier there.

Once the desk was in place, Rosie told Mike he had some messages. "Nothing that can't wait, though," she said. He skimmed through them anyway and agreed.

An hour later, everything was unpacked and put in place. Rosie loved the idea that the office supplies were directly behind her desk, making them much more accessible. She also quizzed Josh about some of the gadgets he had. He explained, as he put them away, about bug finders, motion detectors, jammers, and various trackers—in detail. By the time he'd finished, she was glassy-eyed from too much information.

At that point, Mike contacted his webmaster to video-conference with him about the changes he and Josh wanted to make on the website, including, of course, its new name. When they finished, the man said he'd have something for them to look at the first thing Tuesday morning.

The last thing they needed to do was return the truck, pick up Josh's car, then return to the lawyer's office, as his secretary had called to tell them the contract was ready.

"It's official now," Mike said as they left the lawyer's office a while later, walking to the lot where they'd parked. "If I had the energy, I'd say we should head to Thirty-One Twelve to celebrate. But…"

"Yeah. I'm about to drop," Josh replied. "And I, for one, have two jobs scheduled for tomorrow. I'll probably do them better with a working brain."

"You and me both." Mike paused to unlock his car. "It's hard to believe that in just a week, we managed to pull all this together."

Josh nodded. "It's harder to believe a chance meeting led to it in the first place." He smiled. "Fate stepping in?"

"Could be." Mike chuckled. "If you'd been reading, umm, War and Peace instead of the book on burglary, our talking would have ended before it began."

Laughing, Josh agreed. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

"Bright and early, in my case. I put off doing dreaded background checks for one of my clients."

"Better you than me."

"I'll share," Mike replied seriously. Then he grinned, pressing his hands together prayerfully. "Please."

Josh shook his head. "I think I'm going to like working with you. In fact, I know I am, but that is not in my job description."

"Damn."

They both laughed before Josh walked to his car.

As Mike watched him drive out of the lot, he nodded. Yep. I think this is going to work out for both of us.

The Merger – 11

 

"How the hell did I manage to collect so much junk," Josh muttered as he began filling a third trash bag. Admittedly, one of the bags held shredded files relating to clients he'd had several years ago whose information was outdated—and would be even if they came back to him with new business. The rest of it was stuff he'd stashed on the bookshelves—mainly old safety and security magazines he'd subscribed to before deciding he could access them online where he'd have the capacity to search for exactly what he wanted to know. There were a few catalogues, too. He kept the most recent ones and dumped the rest.

Finally satisfied that what was left was what he wanted to take with him, he began putting together, then packing, the boxes he'd bought on the way over after breakfast.

*****

Mike, in the meantime, was emptying Josh's new office of everything except the shelves. He stopped long enough to remove the hard drives from the computers then dropped them off at an electronic store that would either dispose of or revamp them. On his way back, he passed a big-box store and decided to pick up the cabinet for the lavatory that he'd mentioned to Josh.

By the end of the afternoon, the office suite was ready for Josh to move in, other than the fact that the office supplies were sitting on the floor beside Rosie's desk, waiting for Josh's bookshelf.

With that finished, he called Josh. "How's the packing going?" he asked when Josh answered.

"Almost done. Then I'm going home and collapsing."

"You and me both. How are you planning on getting everything over here?"

"There's this thing called renting a truck. I'll arrange to do it in the morning before we meet at the lawyer's office."

"Sounds good to me. If you want, I'll help with the move."

Josh chuckled. "I want."

"Figured as much. I'll see you in the morning."

*****

Then it was done.

Mike was surprised how everything seemed to fall into place. He'd called his lawyer first thing Monday morning to read him the notes Josh had made about the details he and Mike had discussed. Therefore, when they got to the lawyer's office, the man already had a rough draft drawn up. The three of them went over it in detail then the lawyer told them they could return that afternoon to sign it and have it notarized.

As soon as they'd left the lawyer's office, they picked up the truck that Josh had rented, leaving Josh's car in the rental company's lot so he could drive the truck. From there, they went to his old office.

"Not as much as I expected," Mike commented, looking at the array of boxes in the middle of the floor.

"That's because I got rid of enough stuff to fill three large trash bags," Josh told him, grimacing.

Mike laughed. "That bad, huh?"

"That bad."

The Merger – 10

 

This time, Josh was the first to arrive. Since the place was busy, he gave the hostess his name and his phone number so she could text when a table was ready. Then he settled on the low stone wall outside the restaurant to wait. Mike arrived a few minutes later, wearing jeans and a T-shirt that emphasized his build.

"I feel like a ninety-pound weakling next to you," Josh groused, smiling.

"A very fast one, though, so don't knock it. There's a lot to be said for speed over brawn, especially with what you do."

"In general, yes," Josh agreed as his phone vibrated. He checked then said, "Our table is ready."

The host seated them at a table for two on the covered patio. A slight breeze helped keep it cool in the rising temperature, much to their relief.

"Eggs, pancakes, waffles?" Mike asked, perusing the menu.

"Definitely." Josh grinned.

Mike lifted an eyebrow. "All three?"

"Well, eggs and one of the others, with sausage on the side. I worked up an appetite."

"I'm going for the Texas French toast," Mike said. "Maybe a double order."

"Michael!"

"Joshua," Mike retorted with a grin.

Josh huffed, glad when the time came to see that Mike didn't make it a double order, although he, too, asked for sausage on the side. Josh decided on plain pancakes with two over-easy eggs on top. Both of them ordered juice and coffee, as well.

"What are your plans for this afternoon?" Mike asked when the waitress had left.

"Going through my office to get rid of all the things I don't need to keep when I move," Josh told him.

"Seriously? On a Sunday?"

"Yep. Our appointment with the lawyer is tomorrow at eleven thirty. As soon as we've signed the contract, since I cleared my calendar for the day, I want to clean out my new office and get things moved over."

"How many things?"

"The usual, I guess," Josh replied. "My desk and chairs, file cabinets. I have a couple of storage cabinets, too, for all my gear, and a bookshelf, though I might use one of the sets of shelves already in the office instead. The question is, where will we put the things that are in there already?"

"The banker's boxes hold old files. I can find space on one of the shelves in my office for them. Unless you can see a use for ten-year-old computers, I'll take them to a disposal place."

Josh nodded. "After you remove the hard drives."

"No kidding. The biggest problem will be the office supplies."

Josh closed his eyes, picturing the reception area. "I will bring my bookshelf. It should hold them all. We can move Rosie's desk out a little and set the shelf up behind it." When the waitress set down their coffees, he thanked her before continuing with his line of thought. "I haven't seen the lavatory. Is there any room in there for the cleaning supplies?"

Mike chuckled. "If you don't want to be able to turn around. I'm kidding," he said when Josh frowned. "If we pick up one of those shelf units that go over the john, we can store them there."

"That works. Is there anything else we're forgetting?"

"Not that I can think of, as long as we come up with a contract that works for both of us."

"I'm sure we will," Josh replied. "We both want this to happen."

Over breakfast, with Josh taking notes, they tweaked and finalized what they thought needed to be in the contract. By the time they'd finished eating, they were satisfied with the results. "Barring the lawyer wanting to add something he thinks we've missed," Josh pointed out.

"I didn't plan on this being a working breakfast," Mike said wryly, sipping his second cup of coffee.

"Me either, but we accomplished a lot, so it was worth it. The only other thing we need to consider is upgrading the security."

Mike grinned. "I bet you've already done that in your mind."

Josh grinned back. "Pretty much. I'll come up with a final plan and show you tomorrow. Since I can get stuff much cheaper from my supplier than from a shop, it won't break us. Hell, I've got some of it already—basic things I keep on hand."

"The gear you mentioned."

"Yep."

"Tell you what. Since you're going to be working on your old office this afternoon and probably more than just tossing stuff you don't need, I'll clean up your new one so it's ready for you to move into."

"You're sure you want to spend your Sunday afternoon doing that?"

"I'm sure," Mike replied. "The sooner we get everything set up, the better. After we meet with the lawyer, I'll get in contact with my webmaster to have him revamp the website. Then, we'll be in business."

The Merger – 9

Mike watched as Josh walked across the park to join him, admiring his lean build, which showed to his advantage in the tank top and running shorts he was wearing. "Beat you," Mike quipped when Josh joined him at the edge of the path.

"Maybe getting here, but just wait." Josh grinned, slapping Mike's shoulder. "Warm-ups first, though."

"Always," Mike agreed—and they did. As Josh went through his routine, Mike found his gaze going to Josh's tight ass more than once. Stop, he cautioned himself. We're here to run. This isn't a prelude to a seduction. Not that he'd go along with it if I tried, which I won't. He's not my type, to begin with. That didn't stop him from appraising Josh's body the way he might some man at a bar or club.

"Ready?" Josh asked, stepping onto the path.

"Whenever you are."

They started out at a slow lope. It didn't take long before they sped up, running side by side down the path. Then Josh, with a devilish grin, increased his speed. Mike matched him step for step—at first—but Josh slowly pulled ahead.

Oh no, you don't. Mike figured with his longer legs, it would take no time at all for him to catch up. In that, he was sadly disappointed. Josh widened the distance between them.

A picnic table marked the beginning of the end for Mike. He rested one hand on it, panting for breath, vowing he'd catch up with Josh if it killed him, then took off again. At that point, Josh was out of sight around a curve in the path. When Mike got to it, legs aching, he saw Josh leaning against a tree, a wide smile on his face. He didn't even look winded.

"Ready to call it a day?" Josh asked.

Mike almost said he wasn't, then reconsidered. "Yes. But next time—"

"Next time, I'll give you a head start." Josh winked.

"Not even," Mike grumbled. Then, with no small amount of admiration, he said, "You're damned good."

"Practice. Lots of it. Now if we competed in the gym on some of the machines they've got there, you'd beat me hands down. My idea of lifting weights is picking up a heavy dictionary."

"I told you yesterday, gyms aren't my thing." Mike chuckled when Josh blatantly looked at what Mike knew were his muscular arms and chest. "I'm a mesomorph." He eyed Josh, wondering if he knew what that was.

"I figured as much. Me? I'm ectomorphic, which is the ideal for a runner." Josh grinned. "Remember, I read everything I can get my hands on, so you didn't stump me. Your musculature makes you an obvious mesomorph. On the other hand, I'm lean…thus an obvious ectomorph."

"Should have figured you'd know the difference."

Josh laughed then said, "Are you ready to head back?"

"Yes, but we jog. I don't think I can flat-out run at this point."

Josh nodded. "Honestly, I'm with you on that. I was showing off and I'm feeling it now."

"It's nice to know you have it in you to do that," Mike said as they started back up the path. "Showing off, I mean."

"I'm not a cold fish," Josh protested.

"Oh, I know. You're just not exactly the outgoing, bragging type, either. Not the kind of person I'd expect would show off—and admit it."

"You'll learn," Josh replied. "I have a competitive streak—occasionally."

When they returned to the park where they'd started, Mike asked, "Did you eat breakfast?"

"No. Why?"

"Me neither, so why don't we stop and get some?"

"All hot, sweaty, and dressed like this?" Josh moved his hand up and down.

"Good point. Let's go home, shower and change, then meet somewhere. That is, if you want to."

"I'm good with it."

By the time they got to their cars, they'd decided on a place. "I'll see you in half an hour, give or take," Mike said.

The Merger – 8

 

For a few minutes, they compared notes on graphic novels they liked or didn't like. That ended when a good-looking man came up behind Mike, tapping him on the shoulder. When Mike turned to see who it was, the man said, "It's been a while since you've been in here, Mike. I missed…" He glanced at Josh then obviously revised what he was going to say. "Missed seeing your friendly face. Who's your friend?"

"My business partner, Josh. Josh, this is Ben."

"Business partner, huh?" Ben grabbed a chair from the next table, swung it around and straddled it. "So, how've you been, Mike?" he asked, blatantly ignoring Josh.

Mike gave Josh an apologetic look as he replied, "Never better. Everything's going great. And you?"

"Comme ci, comme ça. There's a new band opening at the club over on Fifth next Friday. Want to come with me to see it?"

"Won't Dan object?"

Ben snorted. "He's history. Has been for a couple of weeks."

"Sorry to hear that. Look, it sounds great, but Josh and I have something else planned."

"I thought…" If looks could kill, the one Ben gave Josh would have laid him out.

"That's always been your problem, Ben," Mike replied somewhat snidely. "When you do think, you jump to the wrong conclusions." Turning his full attention to Josh, Mike asked, "Are you ready to go?"

"Definitely." Josh stood, saying to Ben, "It was nice to meet you." Then, since Mike was already on his feet, Josh put one arm around his waist. He pointed a finger at Ben. "Next time you decide to come on to my man…don't."

"Damn, you were good," Mike said moments later when they were out on the sidewalk. "I'm sorry. He had no reason to act the way he did. We were never more than casual friends."

Josh laughed, stepping away now that they were out of Ben's sight. "That's okay. At least that little scene answered one question for me. You are gay."

"You hadn't figured that out? You could have asked, you know. In point of fact, you sort of did."

Josh shrugged. "And you avoided it, so I figured your private life was none of my business unless you wanted it to be."

"Look, I don't care who knows. I wouldn't hang out at Thirty-One Twelve if I did. Sure, there are straights there, but there are in most bars. Okay, that didn't come out quite the way I meant it. What I mean to say is, nowadays we're pretty much accepted in most bars here in the city, so you can't presume someone is gay just because a bar tends to have a larger gay clientele than straight."

"That's true. Still, it's nice to know you are."

Mike grinned. "Are you interested in my body, Mr. Aston, and now that you know we swing the same way, you're going to make a play for me?"

"Good lord, no!"

"Ouch."

"That wasn't a put-down," Josh hastened to say. "We're barely getting to know each other, and we're entering into a business arrangement together. Neither one of those facts is conducive to hopping into bed just because we can. One of the reasons I don't go to bars very often is the fact that I'm not into casual hookups."

"Neither am I, actually," Mike replied, "appearances to the contrary."

"Honestly, I didn't think you were." Josh resisted a sudden temptation to hug him, to prove he meant it. Instead, he said, "What time do we want to go running tomorrow?"

"The earlier the better to avoid the heat. The last I heard, they're predicting high seventies by noon and it's only May. Talk about climate change."

Josh laughed, replying, "Then, around seven? We can meet at Mushroom Park and go from there."

"That's fine with me. Did you walk over here? I can give you a ride home if you want."

"Thanks, but no. It's only three blocks. So I'll see you at seven, and don't be late." Josh wagged a finger at him.

Mike laughed. "I won't be. See you then."

Josh watched as Mike headed down the street, turning into a parking lot on the corner.

As he headed in the opposite direction, Josh wondered what the chances were that they might end up in bed together sometime in the future. Probably nil. I wasn't kidding when I told him that was something we should avoid since we're going to be working together. If it didn't work out, the tensions afterward could really screw things up.

The Merger – 7

 

"What do you do for entertainment?" Mike asked Josh.

"Run. Take in a movie now and then. Read and run."

"Now running I can get into," Mike replied.

Josh tilted his head. "I'd say from looking at you that you spend time at the gym, as well."

"Not really. I'm blessed, as my dad says, with a great metabolism. Spending time sweating at a gym doesn't do all that much for me. I'd rather do a half-hour run." Mike chuckled. "I still get sweaty but I also get fresh air and, if the time and weather are right, sunshine, too."

"Where do you run?"

"Do you know Palmer Park?"

Josh nodded. "One of my go-to trails is there."

"Where are the other ones?"

"The bike path along the creek and the running one along the canal."

"I never tried the path at the canal."

"You should. If you want…" Josh paused.

"Tomorrow morning?"

"Reading my mind?"

"Nope," Mike said. "Your hesitation. Like you weren't sure you should suggest we run together."

"I didn't want to impose. I feel like I'm sort of taking over your life."

"You're not. Honestly. Changing it? I suppose so. But I needed the push to get me to do what I've been planning but never took the effort to implement." Mike picked up his beer, took a swig, then said. "I'm not lazy. I'm just set in my ways, I guess. With you around, that might change." He smiled at Josh as he set the bottle down again.

Josh took that the way he was certain Mike meant it as a general, not a personal, comment. It can't be personal. As far as I know, despite the fact that we met here and are back here at his suggestion, there's no reason to think he could be gay. He's not checking out the men, for one. Of course, I'm not either, but it's not my thing. I have no interest in a one-off with someone.

"Promise me one thing," Josh said. "If I make suggestions you don't like, tell me. This merger isn't going to work if you start to resent my stepping in—or stepping on your toes."

"I will. I doubt it'll happen, though. I'm pretty easygoing when I'm not concentrating on a job. You start telling me how to do my jobs, then I might get pissed."

Josh laughed. "Since that's not my field of expertise, I don't see that happening, any more than you'd try to tell me the best way to set up security on someone's home or business."

Mike held up his hands. "Not in this lifetime."

"Then we're good on that. You asked me. Now it's my turn. What do you do for entertainment?"

"Nothing terribly exciting. Veg in front of the TV, read, occasionally hit up a club to hook up with friends."

"That's what you had planned the first time we were here?"

"Last Monday?" Mike rolled his eyes. "Nope. Like I said, I was unwinding after a very busy day—one beer then home to eat and see if there was anything on TV that wouldn't put me in a coma."

Josh chuckled. "It does have a tendency to do that. That's when I pick up a book instead."

"Yeah, I figured that from what you said about you being a reader."

"I am," Josh admitted. "Fiction, non-fiction… If it has words and makes sense, I'll at least give it a try."

"More than I usually do, unless it's a graphic novel. Now them I can get behind." He shot Josh a wry look. "And not because of the pictures, though the artwork can be pretty damned good."

"I know. I've read some, like…"

The Merger – 6

 

Saturday evening Josh walked from his apartment to Thirty-One Twelve, arriving just after eight. He'd spent most of the day second-guessing himself about what he and Mike had planned—not meeting at the bar, but the whole going-into-business-together proposition.

Can I really work with someone else? On a personal level, being close with someone had never ended well. He had two exes who would attest to that. Both of them had walked out after deciding he was too anti-social—at least as far as going out and having what they'd called a "good time". So I'm not a party guy. What's wrong with that? Not everyone wants to spend their weekends hanging out with a bunch of people who are trying to prove they have lives outside of work.

But merging their agencies was work, he'd decided, not personal. It's very different. Mike seems to be dedicated to what he does and not averse to expanding if it brings in more clients—for both of us. We didn't butt heads when we were figuring out what we needed to do for the merger. That's a good sign.

"Now to hope that holds true after we find out more about each other," he said under his breath as he pushed the door open to enter Thirty-One Twelve. His gaze went to the bar. Every stool was full and none of the men were Mike. Scanning the room, Josh finally spotted him at a table well away from the band and the dance floor. I didn't know we'd be trying to talk over that kind of noise. The band wasn't playing last time I was here. Another reason I never liked barhopping with my exes. He wasn't a music snob—his tastes were fairly eclectic—but the decibel level in a bar… Shaking his head, he walked over to the table.

"You made it," Mike said when Josh was seated. 

"You thought I wouldn't?"

"Not really." Mike looked around, spotted a waiter, and flagged him down. "Do you want a non-alcoholic beer?" he asked Josh as the man came over.

"Yeah." Josh grinned. "I could order a Roy Rogers or a Shirley Temple."

"You are not a kid."

"Not recently," Josh agreed, telling the waiter he wanted a near-beer, while Mike ordered a real one.

"Is there a reason you don't drink?" Mike asked when the waiter left.

"I don't like losing control."

"I guess I could have figured as much, although for some people it has to do with growing up with alcoholic parents."

"Not me. My folks were very normal. My life was very normal."

"Any siblings?" Mike asked.

"An older brother," Josh replied without hesitation. "You?"

"Two sisters. They're married now with kids of their own."

Josh thanked the waiter when he returned with their drinks, took a sip then set it down. "Why did you decide to become a PI?" he asked Mike.

Mike laughed. "I watched too many detective shows on TV? Not really. I looked up to my uncle, who was—is—a cop. I majored in criminal justice when I was in college then decided I'd rather strike out on my own instead of joining the police force. Too many restrictions. What about you? Why security?"

"I was always into gadgets, even when I was a kid. When it comes down to it, the things you need to set up a good security system are gadgets. Fancy ones that you have to know how they work and why if you're going to use them effectively. College wasn't an option, so I got a job with a security firm." He grimaced. "I did a lot of door-shaking before I convinced my boss I wanted to learn how to set up security, not check businesses to make sure no one had broken in. He was a good teacher. I stayed with the company for two years then decided to see if I could run my own business, rather than working for someone else."

"Did he teach you how to be a bodyguard, as well?"

"Nope. I hadn't even considered that until a client asked if I could keep him safe while he made bank runs. At that point, I had to tell him no, but it put a bug in my ear. I found a tactical training center, took some courses in hand-to-hand and using Tasers and knives, and was certified." Josh took another drink before saying, "They didn't understand why I wouldn't take all the gun courses, but since I was well above par for everything else, they passed me anyway."

"What is it with you and guns?"

"Let's just say they're not my thing and never will be. I can defend against them, which is all that matters." Josh was certain Mike would try to find out why he didn't use firearms and gave him kudos when he let the subject drop. He'll undoubtedly bring it up again, once we're working together. I'll face that when it happens—or not.

The Merger – 5

 

Deciding he had nothing to lose other than his pride, Mike rushed him, intending to at least knock him backward, if not to the floor. Then next thing he knew, he was flat on his face, with Josh's knee on the small of his back, his arm twisted at an awkward and painful angle—which given the difference in their heights and builds was amazing, in his opinion.

Josh got up, holding out his hand. Mike took it and stood. "Impressive," he said, rubbing his shoulder. He grinned when Rosie stepped into the office with a worried look on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Only a bruised ego," Mike told her.

"Uh-huh." She glanced around then back at him, saying, "At least you didn't knock anything over," then left.

"Convinced?" Josh asked.

"More than. Are you interested in joining my agency?"

"I'm interested in partnering with you. Of course, we'd need to change the name and work out a lot of details."

"Okay." Mike thought a moment. "Harte and Aston Investigations?"

Josh waggled his hand. "That doesn't include what I do."

"Hmm. Harte and Aston Protective Services."

"Same problem. No one would know you do investigative work."

"Yeah." Mike sat, again, considering options. "A & H Investigations and Protection?"

"Better. Not great, but better."

"A & H Investigations and Security. Or we could get alliterative. A & H Detection and Protection."

"I think you mean rhyming," Josh said. "It's cute, but I'm not sure we want cute. Investigations and Security works."

"All right. We'll settle on that, for now. What next?"

"A contract, I suppose, after we figure out everything else. We're both licensed, so that shouldn't be a problem," Josh replied. "Do you have a lawyer who can draw one up?"

"Yep. One of the ones I work with from time to time. He drafted the contract I use for my clients."

"All right. We'll need to change the sign on the door and… Do you have a website?"

Mike nodded. "Do you?"

"Of course." Josh gave him the address.

Mike typed it in, chuckling to himself as he did. He's nothing if not a go-getter once he's made a decision. Not pushy, but he knows what he wants and goes after it. "This isn't bad," Mike said, when he opened Josh's homepage. "Straightforward and to the point. Here's mine." He input the address and the page opened.

Josh studied it, shaking his head. "The bar at the top with the rotating pictures and text? Distracting. And half of the home page is testimonials. Boring. Yeah, I know it's the thing these days, but why? Put them on a separate page. You want people who are searching for a private detective to know what you have to offer, not how much someone praises your services. When I see something like that, I wonder right off the bat if the testimonials are real or not."

Mike had to admit he had a point. "Since we'll need a new one anyway, I'm okay with putting them as a link on the taskbar." He began making notes as they discussed all the other things they'd need to do to merge their two agencies.

Soon the list was half a page long. At that point, Josh looked at him, asking, "Are you certain you want to do this? Like I said, I can be too aggressive, I guess, when I want to convince someone to do something."

"I'm sure. It will be good for both of us, business wise. Despite how it might seem, I'm not a pushover. It was my idea to start with, even though you made the first move. So far, we seem to get along, which is a big plus in my book."

"We do, and, Mike, I know you're not a pushover. Hell, given what you do, you couldn't be." Josh grinned. "You're just smart enough to accept that my suggestions are valid."

Mike snorted. "That's one way to put it. All right, the first thing we need is the contract. I'll call my lawyer to make an appointment." He did, and after consulting with Josh, set one up for the following Monday at eleven thirty.

With that done, Josh and Mike went over the list Mike had made, adding a few more items before Josh got ready to leave.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?" Mike asked.

"I have a regular job tomorrow morning, escorting a client—he owns a nightclub— when he goes to the bank to pick up the cash he'll need for the weekend. Other than that, I'm free. Why?"

"I think we should get to know each other—more than what we do now—if we're going to be working together. If you're up for it, maybe we could go out for a couple of drinks and talk?"

"Not a bad idea. Where?"

"Thirty-One Twelve? Say around eight?" Mike replied.

"That works. I'll see you then."

The Merger – 4

 

"Possibly. First, of course, you'll have to do a background check on me, to make certain I am what I say." Josh paused then said seriously, "I've already done one on you," as he followed Mike.

"You're kidding." Mike shot him a look of disbelief before opening the storage room door then stepping back so Josh could take a look, not that there was much to see other than shelves along one wall that held a few banker's boxes and two older desktop computers which, Mike realized, were in severe need of dusting—or just getting rid of. Other than that, there were office and cleaning supplies on shelves along the opposite wall, leaving a lot of unused, empty space.

"This could work," Josh said. "And I wasn't kidding. After I left the bar, I figured that if I'd read you right, and I'm pretty good at it, you were thinking about our pairing up—" he grinned, "—and not because Thirty-One Twelve caters mostly to gays, although I suspect you are. You were too casual about coming over to talk to me, if that makes sense."

Mike laughed. "It does, although it doesn't mean I am." He sobered. "I take it you've considered what you thought I might have in mind."

Josh nodded. "I've been thinking recently that I've been too stubborn about expanding my horizons. I'm a loner—have been since I was a kid—but that isn't always an advantage, especially when it comes to keeping a business running."

"So you decided to take a chance, jump in with both feet, and find out if you'd read me correctly."

"Yes."

"Let's go back to my office and talk."

When they were seated again, Josh asked, "Am I being too pushy? I'm not always certain when I've exceeded someone's boundaries."

"I wouldn't call it pushy. You decided you might want this then took the initiative."

"Would you have, if I hadn't?"

"I'm not sure," Mike admitted. "I did go back to the bar a couple of times to see if you'd show up. You didn't, so I figured you weren't interested in the proposition I'd only vaguely hinted at, if that. On the other hand, I thought maybe you weren't the kind of guy who usually went to bars to begin with, since you don't drink."

Josh arched an eyebrow. "So the only reason to go to one is to get hammered?"

"Not hammered, but why go by yourself if you don't intend to drink and be sociable? You weren't doing either one."

"Two of my many flaws, according to an ex."

"You're not old enough… Okay, I take that back. I figured you were in college until I got a closer look at you. Now I'm thinking you might be thirty…or close to it."

"Thirty-one, so yeah, I can have exes."

"It's fifty-fifty what sex they were, given, as you pointed out, that Thirty-One Twelve caters to gays, although not exclusively." 

"I noticed," Josh said smugly. Then he grinned. "Both of them were male, which should tell you something."

"It does. Now back to what I was saying. Like you, I've been thinking of expanding, although more along the lines of picking up another investigator. But when you told me what you do, it occurred to me that you might be a better fit."

Smiling, Josh replied, "I think so. But then I'm prejudiced."

"You really do bodyguard work? You hardly fit the perception of one, especially if you meant it when you said you don't carry."

"I hate guns," Josh said adamantly, his expression darkening.

"Why?"

"Because they…" Josh shook his head. "Maybe someday I'll tell you. Right now you'll just have to take my word for it."

"So you rely on what? Martial arts? Maybe knives or Tasers?"

"Yes."

Mike looked him over, this time assessing his size and weight. He knew those didn't matter, if Josh did have martial arts skills. But against an armed man, or men, intent of doing his client serious bodily harm?

"You don't think I could take someone like you down?" Josh asked, getting to his feet. "Come at me."

"Umm…"

"Come on. I promise I won't break anything."

"On me…or in the office?" Mike asked as he stood.

"Both?"

The Merger – 3

 

Mike stopped by Thirty-One Twelve twice in the next three days, wondering if he'd run into Josh again. He didn't, which he supposed didn't surprise him too much. He did say it was his first time going to the bar, and after I bothered him, he probably decided to make it his last, too.

Therefore, when Rosie, his receptionist, buzzed him Friday afternoon to tell him that a Mr. Aston wanted to see him, Mike had to stop and think for a moment before he realized who she meant.

"He doesn't have an appointment," Rosie added.

"That's all right. I've got a few minutes. Send him in."

"I hope I'm not interrupting something," Josh said when he entered Mike's office.

"Not at all. I just finished doing background checks on potential employees for a client. The only other thing on my calendar at the moment is screening two contractors for a man who is planning a major renovation on his business." Mike smiled, gesturing to the chair by his desk. "Have a seat and save me from total boredom."

Josh chuckled, sitting. "Better you than me. I'd rather be out in the field than staring at a computer screen."

"I totally understand that but half my income comes from this." Mike waved a hand at the laptop.

"And the other half from chasing down insurance fraudsters?"

"Not quite that bad. As I told you at the bar, I do missing person's searches, too. I also do surveillance, serve summons for a couple of lawyers I work with—another bread-and-butter job." Mike smiled wryly "You know…the usual things people expect from a private investigator."

"Most of the things," Josh countered. "You said you don't set up security systems."

"Nope." Mike shrugged. "Not my skill set, as they say. I suppose it could be, if I wanted to get some training, but I manage to keep busy enough without adding that to my résumé."

"Understandable." Josh looked around the office. "You've got a camera in here, which is good, but it's not enough. Any competent thief could break into those." He gestured at the two file cabinets along the wall beside Mike's desk. "At least what you have on the hallway door is decent."

"It better be. I paid enough to have it installed."

"But there's nothing on the other doors."

"Are you trying to sell me on upgrading and having you do it?" Mike asked with a ghost of a smile.

Josh shook his head. "Not really. Like you, I have plenty to keep me busy without having to chase down new jobs." Leaning back, he looked thoughtfully at Mike. "You barely know me and vice versa, but I got the impression when we were at the bar that you pointing out the coincidence that we work in semi-comparable fields was not just casual talk."

"It was and it wasn't," Mike replied, waggling his hand. "I'm well aware I'm lacking a service some of my clients want. I generally send them to one of my competitors if they press the issue."

"Not exactly good for your business if they decide to change over to someone who offers the whole package."

"Most don't because I'm good at what I do. Still, I have lost a couple that way."

"How much room do you have here?" Josh asked.

"That was out of the blue. My office, as you can see, the waiting room, a tiny lavatory, and a room a bit smaller than this one that I use for storage at this point."

"May I see it?"

"Thinking about turning it into an office, too?" Mike asked as he got up. He wondered if that was the case and if this was Josh's subtle way of suggesting they should merge their agencies.