Chapter Twelve Chloe
I listen to the Demon Dawgs dissect my competitors' actions and words. Knowing someone bears enough of a grudge to attack my father physically scares me, but seeing how methodical the Demon Dawgs are about identifying that person removes the ball of fear from my stomach, leaving it empty and angry.
Spock taps the side of my plate, reminding me to eat.
I pick up one half of my turkey sandwich. “You know, I’m capable of eating without supervision.”
Spock doesn’t back down. “Never said you weren’t.”
“Then why are you watching me?”
“Like the view.”
Rush snorts.
Heat moves into my cheeks as I take a deliberately large bite, making it impossible to answer. Spock’s mouth curves into a satisfied grin.
Across the table, Alisa catches my eye and smiles. The warmth in her expression says she understands exactly what Spock is doing. It also says I shouldn’t expect any help from her.
“Don’t encourage him,” I mutter after swallowing.
“I didn’t say anything,” she points out.
“You didn’t have to.”
“I take it you found something of interest in the documents we brought back?” Spock asks Spark after his announcement.
“Yeah.” Spark drops the papers onto the table. “Something interesting.”
“How interesting?” Wildcard asks.
Spark pulls out an empty chair and places his laptop on the table. “Interesting enough that while Red Rock Construction may not be the ones behind the attacks on Chloe, they’re certainly not the good guys.”
A cold feeling crawls across my skin.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
Spark opens his laptop and turns it so the screen faces Puma.
“I started going through the information Spock printed from the computer at Red Rock’s office.
I matched the names and addresses against their previous projects, then Rush sent me the pictures of the journal he found.
Most of the early entries line up with the database. ”
Rush leans forward. “Told you that thing was more than some asshole’s daily planner.”
“You were right.” Spark taps several keys. “The database covers projects going back almost twelve years. Some are commercial. Some are apartment buildings, housing developments, and retail properties. At first, I thought it was just a client list.”
“But it isn’t,” Spock says.
“No. It’s a record.”
“Of what?” Puma asks.
Spark looks directly at him. “Projects with cost overruns.”
“Cost overruns aren’t unusual,” I say. “Material prices change. Developers request upgrades. Inspectors find problems. A project can go over budget for dozens of legitimate reasons. It’s not unusual for a construction company to keep track of them.”
“Yeah, but not like this.” Spark rotates the laptop farther, allowing the rest of us to see the spreadsheet on the screen. “Between thirty and forty percent of Red Rock’s projects have significant cost overruns.”
I frown. “How significant?”
“Enough to put the developers in financial trouble.”
Spark continues. “Red Rock files liens against the properties when the developers can’t pay. Sometimes the developer finds enough money to settle the debt. Sometimes Red Rock takes them to court. But in several cases, a third-party steps in and buys out the developer.”
Dice wipes his hands on a napkin. “That could be legit. Several investment companies see a struggling project and come in to buy it cheap.”
“Several companies?” Spark asks. “Sure. The same company each time?”
“Wait. Are you saying the same company purchases these projects? Wouldn’t someone have caught on to this by now?”
Spark’s gaze sweeps around the table before landing on Puma again. “If the investors had dug deep before selling, maybe. It isn’t the same company buying up these projects. There are several, but they all fold up under the same umbrella. Red Mesa Properties.”
I stare at the names highlighted on Spark’s screen, trying to make sense of what he’s saying.
“Red Mesa,” I repeat. “I’ve heard the name, but I don’t know much about them.”
“They keep a low profile,” Spark says. “They own commercial and residential properties all over Nevada, Arizona, and parts of California. On paper, they look like a successful real estate investment company.”
“On paper,” Viper says darkly.
Spark nods. “The companies that take over the troubled projects appear to be independent, but I’ve traced each one back to Red Mesa.”
Spock folds his arms over his chest. “Red Rock gets the construction contract, drives up the cost, then places a lien when the developer can’t pay.”
“The third-party swoops in,” Rush adds. “Buys the developer out before the whole thing collapses.”
“And that third-party is indirectly related to Red Mesa,” Wildcard finishes.
Puma’s expression hardens. “Hiding the connection.”
“Looks that way,” Spark says. “Red Mesa ends up with a property worth more than what they paid, and there’s no obvious link between them and Red Rock Construction.”
I push my plate away. My appetite is gone.
“You think the overruns are deliberate.”
“I think thirty to forty percent is too high to dismiss,” Spark says. “Especially when the same pattern keeps ending with Red Mesa holding the property.”
Alisa looks at me. “Could they be responsible for the attacks on Chloe’s project? Maybe they want the project to fail so that Red Mesa can pick it up cheap.”
The question hits me hard.
Paul Scaro is already worried about costs. The attack on Dad delayed work. Damaged equipment, stolen supplies, vandalism—every incident costs money, even when I absorb as much of it as I can. So far, it hasn’t been astronomical, but if it keeps growing…
“They don’t have the Riversedge Apartment contract,” I say.
“Maybe they don’t need it,” Spock replies. “They just need the project to fail.”
My heart begins beating faster. “But why target me?”
“Red Rock wanted Inferno Ridge,” Puma says. “Maybe they planned to run their scam and take the property. Or maybe they plan on taking Riversedge Apartment. How did you get that project?”
I look from Puma to Spark. “Paul Scaro offered it to me. He contacted me and said that he heard good things about me. We talked about the project, and he said he had another construction company in mind but wasn't happy with them. He took a chance on me. I know he’s worried about the cost overruns, but since I’m absorbing some of those costs, it hasn’t impacted him much.
We’re still on schedule. If the sabotage continues or escalates, that may change. ”
Spock’s hand closes around mine beneath the table. His grip is firm and warm, anchoring me before panic can take hold.
“We’re not letting that happen,” he says.
I want to believe him, but the list on Spark’s screen tells me how many developers probably believed they could survive, too.
Puma leans forward, all traces of lunchtime ease gone. “We need to find the connection between Red Rock and Red Mesa. Names, money, shell companies—whatever they’re using to hide it.”
“I’m already digging,” Spark says.
“Dig deeper.”
“Plan to, and I think I have a lead we can use.”
“What kind of lead?” Puma asks.
“I recognized one of the names on the list, Darby Archer. She’s Juliet’s cousin. Her name was listed in both the journal and the spreadsheet.”
The sandwiches sit forgotten on the table while the implications settle over the room.
I can’t stop thinking about Riversedge Apartments—or Paul Scaro’s worried expression when he asked whether the attacks would impact his project.
However, Spark’s words pull my attention back into the conversation.
“Who’s Juliet?” I ask.
“Juliet Archer,” Dice says. “She’s friends with Avery.”
“Avery is Dice’s woman,” Spock explains. “She’s a bounty hunter.”
I glance at Spark. His expression remains carefully neutral, but Rattler’s grin tells me there’s more to the story.
“And Juliet is Spark’s woman,” Rattler adds.
Spark glares at him. “We’re seeing each other.”
“Sounds like your woman to me,” Viper says.
“It’s complicated.”
“Only because you make everything complicated,” Wildcard mutters.
Despite the sick feeling in my stomach, I almost smile. Spark ignores them and turns the laptop so we can see the screen again. Darby Archer’s name is highlighted in the database.
“Her name appears here,” Spark says. “It’s also in the journal. Same spelling. Same project address. I called Juliet to find out if she knew why her cousin might be connected to Red Rock.”
“And?” Puma asks.
“Darby and two of her friends hired Red Rock to build a commercial project. They pooled their money to buy the property and finance construction. According to Juliet, things started going wrong almost as soon as work began.”
“What kind of things?” I ask.
“First it was unexpected site conditions. They needed special equipment to demolish the original building. Then unexpected county ordinances added costs. Material problems. Change orders. Other delays. Red Rock kept coming up with more reasons to increase the costs.”
That sounds disturbingly familiar.
“They suspected Red Rock was conning them,” Spark continues. “Juliet said that Darby asked her for help. She was hoping Avery or Juliet could investigate the company,” Spark says, before explaining to me. “Juliet is a computer whiz. Not at my level, but she’s good.”
Wildcard smirks. “You tell her that?”
“I like living.”
Alisa laughs softly, but Puma remains focused on Spark. “Anything else?”
“I don’t have the full story yet. Juliet didn’t want to explain everything over the phone.
” Spark checks the time on his laptop. “She’s on her way here with Darby now.
I told her it was important. If Darby’s name is in both records, Red Rock was watching her for a reason.
She may be able to tell us more about how the scheme works. ”
“Or tell us who approached her when the money ran out,” Spock says.
Spark nods. “Exactly.”