Terry woke refreshed and ready to face the day. He showered and donned sweats then swung open the adjoining door, expecting to have to again knock to get Dino’s attention. No need, the door was already wide. Dino was on the phone and Terry leaned against the doorjamb to listen.

“Yeah, yeah. When,” Dino groaned, rolled his eyes and Terry entered to sit. The one-sided conversation continued. “And the fucker didn’t think to call? Jesus … yeah, yeah I know, I know.”

Terry’d heard enough. He tugged the receiver from Dino’s ear. “What’s up?”

“Shit,” Grant hissed over the phone. “Sorry man, didn’t mean to be disturbing you.”

“Never mind that. What’s happened?”

“One of our insured … George Augustino … remember him?”

“Yeah,” Terry looked to Dino who was tugging on his own sweats. “Bought the family package. What about him?”

“Turns out his son, Richard, nineteen, was touring Peru with some friends. The kid called yesterday to tell his dad he suspected someone was following him.”

“Bloody hell,” Terry rubbed his eyes.

“Yup, taken this morning. The first contact was made at the Augustino house an hour ago.”

His mind racing over flight schedules and travel time, Terry ran a hand down his chin then drew in a long deep breath. No, he couldn’t do what he wanted to do, couldn’t do what he thought he could do. This was a time to start putting his plan in action, even though he had yet to explain it to his partner. Watching Dino toss items into an empty suitcase he reached out, gripping the man’s arm to stop him then spoke into the phone. “Zack, you know the drill here. Get someone to the Augustino house in Dallas and you get your arse to Peru and set up. I expect regular reports. Don’t go Rambo on me, mate. Have a field team on standby.”

“Walker and Steading?” He could hear Zack jotting on paper.

“Yeah, maybe add Collier too. Get them stationed and supplied in Ecuador, far enough away but close enough to move in. From here on in, call on the encrypted cells. We’re gonna be waiting to hear from you, mate.”

“Will do. Later.”

Dino looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Yes, he knew that Terry said he’d back away from all field work, that he’d take this holiday and relax as well as discuss changes to the company … he knew all that but fuck, he wasn’t expecting to see it. He blinked and grunted as he unpacked the bag.

“So … we ain’t going to Peru?”

“No, mate. We got work to do here. What?” he stared at his gawking partner.

“Nothin’, buddy. Nothing at all.”

“Grab your encrypted cell, we’re heading down to the gym.” Terry led the way to the modern facility where he pushed himself as hard as Charlie ever had. When it was done, he was drenched with sweat and feeling good. After a shower, he’d have the big talk with Dino over a late breakfast. What happened to his holiday after that was up to his partner … if the man was still his partner after they talked, that is.

Dino wasn’t used to pushing his body so hard, but he wasn’t about to let Terry outdo him. He pressed all concerns about the yet unveiled new business structure down while he dealt with aches and pains he hid all the way into his own steamy shower. Fuck, he wished he had a whirlpool to take care of this. He stood and let the water thud a massage over shoulders, lower back, thighs then he shifted and let it pound on the top of his head. That was all it took to awaken the concerns teasing at the edges of his brain. Terry had been way too enigmatic about these business changes and Dino had a few suspicions he couldn’t shake.

The rumble in the pit of his soul told him that Terry was calling it a day, retiring, leaving it all behind. That dilemma left Dino with two options as he saw it. He too could quit, but what the fuck else would he do? Or … he could toughen his shoulders to take it all on alone. Damn, but he hated when that happened … even temporarily. How was he going to do it permanently? Needless to say, as he dragged his aching ass down to meet Terry for breakfast, he sure as fuck wasn’t looking forward to it.

They’d received a report already from Grant who was handling the set up well enough. Even through the encrypted distortion, Dino could hear the nervousness in the man’s voice, but there were no two ways around it. It was time for Grant to step it up and handle a case like this alone. Well … not completely alone … he had the advice of the partners and the assistance of a strong team. Another thing Zack Grant had that kept amazing both Terry and Dino … was dumb beginner’s luck. Hopefully it would still be working for him over the next few weeks.

At the table, Terry talked small talk, not something he was so good at and finally Dino shot a glare.

“Alrighty then, you wanna get into this now … or wait ‘til we get upstairs?”

“Hit me with it now,” Dino pushed his plate away and leaned back, preparing for the worst.

Terry sighed, slid his coffee closer and sipped. “It’s time to do some revamping, mate. As I see it, what we been doing is only half measures. Granted, it’s the status quo and it works fine to make a financial killing … but we aren’t bloody life insurance salesmen, Dino. Everyone needs life insurance ‘cause everyone’s gonna die.”

Dino was blinking, still waiting for Terry to lower the boom but somehow hearing every word too. His golden brows curled with a mix of concern and confusion. “Go on.”

“We do well selling K&R insurance. Bloody hell, better than well. That’s because the world’s gone mad and smart travelers are educated enough to know they need it. They know if they’re taken, the money’s there to negotiate with … and with us they know without a doubt, that should it all crumble, we’ll go in and get their sorry arses. They pay for it and we’re always prepared for it.”

Terry was on a roll, talking a bit faster than usual and Dino was blinking. Where the fuck was he going with all this?

“We already think outside the box, mate. Creating the family insured package may have just saved young Richard Augustino’s life. But … it’s only half way. Dino,” Terry leaned across the table and spoke quieter. “I’m proposing the creation of a whole new segment to our business … fuck, a whole new approach to the entire bloody industry.”

“So, you’re not retiring?” Dino gawked.

Terry blinked, grinned. “Stick with the program here, mate. Focus. What the bloody hell would make you think that? What I’m talking about here is major, will take meticulous planning and money, mate. Serious money.”

“I think it’s time to take this conversation upstairs,” Dino stood and signed the check. “Time for some real peace and quiet and focus. S’go.”

They sat at the table in Terry’s room, laptops booted up and ready but all Dino’s attention was on his partner. Where the hell was he going with this? “Start at the top, man.” He was more than curious. Terry Thorne was born with an innate instinct for seeing the obvious no one else noticed and fleshing out a solution no one ever thought of.

“Alright. I propose that from this day forward, we do not take on another client unless they do a few things … first, purchase the family package and second, undergo extensive training seminars. It’s time we take this past simple ‘peace of mind’ insurance. It’s time to step it up and shake our clients up a bit.

“We’ll begin with corporate clients; require the training in order to remain insured by Thorne and O’Leary. After a group of insured clients take the mandatory seminars, we’ll have their families take an online seminar and test to assure they understand everything. We’ll repeat the training annually and send periodic alerts regarding hot areas around the world.

“And mate, I’m sayin’ we go further than expected with this. It’s time to break the cardinal rule in K&R insurance sales … it’s time to really tell them what they’ll be up against should they be kidnapped.”

“Wow, Terry. Fuck, I’m not so sure about that, buddy.”

“I am. Listen to me, Dino. You purchase life insurance, you talk about indemnity, you talk about the value of a lost limb or the cost of a funeral. It’s time we tell them what they’re facing should the worse happen. Not good enough to just insure them … or even to teach them how to avoid being taken.” Terry stood, began to pace. “Fuck all, mate. Look at the Augustino kid. That bloke had the common sense to call home and tell his father he was being followed. It was the old man who didn’t have the brains to take it as a real threat and warn us. We gotta do what we can so that after something like this does fall through the cracks, the captive has a clue what he or she’s up against.”

Dino rubbed his eyes. Terry was right but hell, this could scare quite a few prospective customers away. “They’ll run to the competition, man. I just know it.”

“Fine. Let the competition have them. Yeah, yeah, I know the corporate heads don’t fancy talkin’ about this, but it’s time to start.” Terry returned to his seat. “After we’ve educated our existing client base, we make the same requirements of new clients. It might be a tough sale, but in the long run, the numbers will tell the tale. I predict as much as a fifty percent drop in crisis incidents. Think about it, mate. Just today, Richard Augustino was taken and he didn’t have to be.”

“You’re right. I know it. You’re a fucking genius, but fuck, Ter … what your talking about here could take years to implement. And what happens with the other element of the business? I was geared up to staff more field operatives.”

“No, don’t staff them. It’s time to start thinking about forming a stable of independents we can trust, and pay them very well. We’ll rotate them fairly and create a rewards system to keep them coming back.”

Dino stood and looked out the window. Everything in his head was tossed and overturned like a tornado had just ripped through it. And in all that chaos, everything made perfect sense. “Now, again, tell me how we’re gonna make all this happen. And … tell me how we’re gonna finance it all.”

“Financing is easy, mate,” Terry grinned. “Of course the client will pay. It’s an added service they’ll see as beneficial and they will pay … especially after learning what an average captive goes through. I’m thinking they’ll be banging down the doors for the training seminars.

“We’ll start with staffing for these seminars, a careful strategy for presentation of the information and a testing ground.”

“What testing ground?” Dino turned and leaned his butt onto the window sill.

“We’ll start with the Inn, with the family.”

“Fuck, you really want to scare the living shit out of the family? Riles and Natalie? All the new girls? I think the men can handle it, but hell …”

“I know, I know. But what better place to start? Can’t begin to tell you how much better I’d feel if I knew those we care most about have all the information they need to protect themselves.”

Dino nodded a reluctant agreement. Again, Terry was right. Right about a lot of things. But probably completely unaware that what he was about to do just might revolutionize the industry … might make them richer than ever. Fuck no, something like that probably never entered Terry Thorne’s mind. All he was thinking about was making their clients safer … and finding a niche in the business for himself that didn’t include field work. Dino chuckled and sat, sliding his laptop closer and poising his fingers at the keyboard.

“So … let’s get the show started, Tio.”

For two solid days they didn’t leave the rooms. They worked night and day, keeping room service hopping for breakfast, lunch and dinner. By their third evening in Madrid, Dino pushed the laptop aside and stretched his arms high. They’d done as much as possible without going back to New York and putting it in action. It was brilliant, fiscally sound and manageable and Dino was proud to be a part of it.

They’d been receiving regular reports from Peru and the negotiations were moving smoothly although Zack and his stand by field team were at high alert and ready at the drop of a hat. They’d done well taking Grant on, and the man was proving an asset; a younger version of a Thorne/O’Leary hybrid. But the proof was in the pudding and all decisions as to his future position as director within the company would be reserved until the case was closed. Terry had more confidence than Dino, but Dino already knew Grant was no slug. He’d manage, whether through fighting Murphy’s Law or stumbling along with dumb luck.

“I’ve had enough, I need a fucking break,” Dino rubbed his aching eyes and yawned. “Let’s get the hell out of this room. I want dinner that doesn’t come on a tray.”

Terry nodded but continued clacking on the keyboard. Dino waited a few more moments then stood. “I said it’s time for a break,” he slowly closed Terry’s laptop, nearly trapping the fingers inside. Oddly, Terry had jerked the unfeeling ones away first then chuckled, realizing what he’d done. He shrugged then rolled his shoulders.

“Sure. We’ve gone as far as we can. A drink?”

“No,” Dino walked through the opened adjoining doors and shouted from his own room. “I want dinner … entertainment … lots of drinks and maybe a woman or two. We’re on fucking vacation, Terry.”