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.