Chapter Five Spock
The room fills with my brothers and sisters as I settle into my usual chair. Normally, Church is loud and boisterous, but not today. There are no insults or lame jokes, just men and women with grim expressions.
Puma waits until everyone's seated before he starts.
"We've got a problem."
The room goes still.
"I think everyone here knows Chloe Davenport, right? She’s the owner of DC Construction, the company that won the bid to build Inferno Ridge.”
A murmur goes around the room as everyone acknowledges that they’re aware of Chloe.
“Someone attacked her father on another site. They knocked him unconscious and left a threatening message for Chloe.”
The murmurs turn angry.
“I’ve spoken with Chloe, and she told me that this wasn’t the first time damage was done to the site. She’s been under attack since she won the Inferno Ridge bid.”
“You think someone is attacking her because she won the bid?” Chill asks.
Puma shrugs. “The timing fits. She said the incidents started soon after Spock made the decision and informed the other companies.”
“What kind of attacks?” Rush asks.
“Mostly vandalism. Some equipment has been stolen or damaged. Chloe didn’t connect it to winning the Inferno Ridge bid right away.
She thought it might be one of the assholes she fired.
According to her foreman, Blackwood, Chloe had to fire a couple of misogynistic creeps who didn’t like working for a woman. ”
“But you think it’s tied to Inferno Ridge?” Chill asks.
Puma shrugs. “I don’t know, but the timing says it is a possibility.”
The atmosphere in the room darkens.
Inferno Ridge is our development. Whoever's targeting Chloe isn't just after her company anymore. They're interfering with Demon Dawgs' business.
Rush leans forward, resting his forearms on the table.
"Sounds like someone didn't like losing the bid to a woman.”
Puma gives a single nod.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Four other firms bid on the contract. I asked Spark to pull together some information on them. We’re going to look into each one and see if we can find the assholes who are working against Chloe. Spark.”
Spark taps a key on his laptop, and the wall-mounted monitor lights up with the Adams Construction logo. Two headshots appear beside it.
"Derek and Danny Adams," he says. "They’re brothers and co-owners.”
I study the pictures. They’re both in their mid-thirties. Neither looks mean enough to attack an older man, but looks can be deceiving.
"They've been in business almost ten years," Spark continues. "They have a good reputation. They’re licensed and bonded with no major OSHA violations. On the surface, they look solid.”
“What lies under the surface?” Rattler asks.
Spark grins at him before clicking to the next slide. Several financial charts fill the screen.
"They’re hurting financially."
He points at a downward trend.
"They’ve overextended themselves, and they’re scrambling.
They had a couple of projects go south when investors pulled out.
They were probably hoping the Inferno Ridge project would be their salvation.
We have money, and they know it. However, they’re not down and out.
They have bids out for other projects that could have them regrouping quickly. ”
Puma leans back in his chair.
"Have they had any dealings with Chloe?”
"They've lost bids to DC Construction before," Spark says, "but nothing close to the size of Inferno Ridge. This would've been their biggest contract in years."
Every set of eyes shifts toward me as I explain why I didn't select them.
"I remember the proposal," I say. "They looked good on paper. I met with them a few times, and they came across as reliable. It’s why they made it to the final cut. However, I called a few of their clients, not just the ones on the list of references that they sent me.”
"What'd you find?" Wildcard asks.
“They do quality work with fair pricing. The crews are professional, but their schedules often slipped.”
I glance around the table.
"Inferno Ridge is a big project. If they can’t stick to the schedule on smaller projects, how could we rely on them to handle something as complex as our subdivision?”
I look at Puma.
"The club trusted me to pick the right contractor. I wasn't looking for the cheapest bid. I was looking for the company most likely to finish on schedule."
Puma gives me a short nod.
"You made the right call."
"I still believe that."
Spark changes the slide again.
"Everything I found supports Spock's decision. Adams Construction has never been accused of fraud or sabotage. They've simply developed a reputation for missing deadlines."
"Any other connections to Chloe?" Viper asks.
Spark shakes his head.
"Nothing I could find. They’ve attended some of the same industry events, but nothing more.”
"The only concern I’d have about them is that they were my third choice, and they knew it.
They knew that I was considering DC Construction.
Neither had anything bad to say about DC Construction or Chloe.
That could have been an act. However, neither of them seemed agitated when I broke the news.
They thanked me and said to keep them in mind if we wanted additional help. ”
Spark closes the Adams file and immediately brings up the next company. A new logo fills the screen.
SIN CITY CONSTRUCTION
Next to the logo, Spark displays a photo of a man in his late fifties or early sixties.
"Elvis Monroe," Spark says. "Owner and operator."
A few chuckles circle the table at the name.
Spark ignores them.
"He’s been in business for twenty-five years. He works primarily on home remodels and subdivisions.”
“He was the one I was leaning toward. That is, before I met him,” I say.
Puma looks my way.
"Yeah?"
I nod.
"On paper, he was perfect. He had the experience we needed.”
"What happened?" Wildcard asks.
I lean back, replaying our meeting in my head.
"I knew that whoever won the bid was someone I’d have to spend a lot of time with,” I hear the knowing chuckles.
“Shut it. I didn’t pick Chloe just because I wanted to spend time with her.
” These are my brothers and sisters, so I probably shouldn’t lie to them.
“Okay, that wasn’t the only reason I picked her.
Anyway, back to Monroe. He bugged me. He was intense.
Not only did he come across as desperate, but he was also arrogant.
He kept telling me that I needed someone like him since I couldn’t possibly know what I was getting myself into.
But then, his bid came in much higher than the others. ”
Spark changes the slide to display a spreadsheet.
“Probably why he hasn’t won a major bid in four years.
His latest projects have all been minor rebuilds and renovations.
The bigger developers stopped using him.
I have a few calls out to see if I can find out why they stopped hiring him.
He’s laid off most of his workers. He only has a small crew now and barely earns enough to stay out of bankruptcy. ”
Puma drums his fingers on the table.
"So losing Inferno Ridge could've been the final nail."
Spark nods once.
"That's my assessment."
"He loses that contract..." I say quietly, "...and he's watching his company die."
I study Monroe's photograph again. During our meeting, I'd sensed panic lurking behind every smile, every promise, every handshake. At the time, I'd trusted my gut without knowing why.
The monitor goes black before Spark displays another logo but no corresponding picture.
RED ROCK CONSTRUCTION
Spark zooms in on the chart.
"They're structured differently than the other companies. They're a corporation with a CEO, CFO, regional directors, project executives... the list goes on. Individual project managers handle day-to-day operations."
"Who's the boss?" Wildcard asks.
“That’s part of the mystery. They are a privately owned corporation.
They don’t publish their organization chart, financial statements, or revenue.
I’m still digging, but there isn’t much information out there.
However, there is plenty of information about how they do business from their clients. It’s a mixed bag.”
“What do you mean?” Viper asks.
“They get glowing reviews and scathing complaints. It’s hard to tell what’s going on with them.”
“That’s why I didn’t choose them,” I chime in. “Every time I called, I’d end up talking to someone new. They could answer my questions well enough, but there was no relationship. I got the feeling that they wanted total control while just providing me with updates. That isn’t what I wanted.”
Puma nods in understanding.
“Anything to show that they needed the Inferno Ridge contract or that they were bothered by not getting it?” Dice asks.
I shake my head. “I called and left a message. They never got back to me.”
Spark closes the Red Rock Construction file and pulls up the final company.
DESERT STORM CONSTRUCTION
"Jake Morrison and Luis Ortega," Spark says. "These guys are Army veterans, hence the name. They served two deployments together. Once out, they moved here and started the company. This was about ten years ago.”
"I liked them,” I say. “They seemed like good men.”
Several heads turn toward me.
Spark nods. "Everything I found backs that up."
He advances to the next slide.
"They have a good reputation. Their projects consistently finish on time. I haven’t seen any legal or money problems. Their clients post raving reviews about their business. I couldn’t find any red flags.”
“I checked their finances. They’re in good shape. They would have been a good choice.”
"So why didn't they get the job?" Hawk asks.
"They almost did," I respond, leaning back in my chair. “They were my second choice.”
Puma raises an eyebrow.
"That close?"
I nod.
"Real close. They knew their business," I say. "They didn't try to impress me. They just laid out the facts. They also didn’t balk at working for a motorcycle club. I thought they might, but they didn’t blink an eye when I told them who we were."
"That's pretty much how everyone describes them."
"They would've done a good job on Inferno Ridge."
"But?" Puma asks.
I glance toward Puma before answering.
"Then I met Chloe. She’s gorgeous, yeah, but that wasn’t the reason I chose her.”
Chill snorts, causing me to grin.
“Okay, that wasn’t the only reason. It also wasn’t the main reason.
Chloe didn’t strike me as someone just chasing the money this project would bring to her business.
She came in excited about the project itself.
I told every company what we were trying to build, and she was the only one who came in excited and with ideas.
She knew what we were trying to build. She got it. ”
The room stays quiet until Viper breaks it.
“So, you don’t think Desert Storm Construction has a motive to go after Chloe?”
I shake my head. “I don’t see it. Not these guys.”
Puma nods in agreement.
“Monroe seems like the one we’re looking for, but I don’t want to discount the others. We need some face-to-face with these guys.”