Chapter Fourteen Chloe
“Why?” Rush asks.
The look on Darby’s face tells me that she’s had to answer this question too many times, and she’s tired of it. She lets out a long sigh before explaining.
“I’ve been working in hotel management for years.
I love what I do, but my ultimate goal has always been to own a hotel.
I started the business plan in college. Every job has been research.
I thought meeting Jayson was another step forward.
He and his friend, Jefferey, are real estate investors.
When I told him my idea, he was eager to help.
Now he thinks we should sell out and try again later. ”
“And you don’t want to do that?” Rush asks.
She shakes her head. “Maybe I’m being unreasonable, but this is my dream.
I’m not ready to give up. Besides, I’ve put all the money I saved into this project.
If I just give up, I’ll lose everything, and it will take me too long to be in a position to try this again.
I don’t know if you can help me, but Juliet said you were looking into Red Rock Construction.
Do you think there is something wrong with them? ”
“Maybe,” Spock says. “We started looking at them because someone has been sabotaging Chloe’s construction sites.
They also attacked her father and left a threatening message.
We believe that whoever is causing her problems is retaliating against her because she won the Inferno Ridge bid. Red Rock is one of those who lost.”
Darby shoots me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry. I hope your dad is okay.”
“He’s recovering. He had to have stitches, so he’s resting at home.”
“That’s good,” Darby says. “We haven’t seen any sabotage. Or, at least I don’t think we have. Huh.”
“What?” Spock asks.
“I realized that I don’t know if we’ve been sabotaged or not. We have had problems. Maybe some of those problems could have been from sabotage.”
“Like what?”
“We bought a rundown motel on the outskirts of the Arts District. The Sun Haven. It was built in the seventies and hasn’t been properly maintained in decades. Twenty-eight rooms surrounding a cracked swimming pool, an office that smelled like mold, and a cracked parking lot.”
I know the property. I’ve driven past it several times. The faded yellow sign is missing half its letters, and most of the windows are covered with plywood.
“We bought it with the intention of tearing it down and building from the ground up,” Darby continues.
“Something for people who want to visit Las Vegas but aren’t interested in spending their entire vacation inside a casino.
Local art in every room, a restaurant featuring food from local farms, live music on the weekends, and rooftop space overlooking the Arts District. ”
“That could do well,” I say.
Darby turns toward me. “I still believe in the project, but as I said, Jayson and Jefferey are ready to give up. I think Red Rock has been bleeding us dry. My partners think it is only a run of bad luck. They both say that Red Rock has a good reputation, but I feel like something is off with them.”
“In what way?”
“As I said, the problems started with the demolition, and they haven’t let up. Once the demolition was done, they claimed the original soil report was inadequate. They ordered more testing and conveniently found compaction problems that required additional excavation and imported fill.”
I frown. “Did your original report show any issues?”
“No. We hired another engineer to review both reports. He said the additional work might be justifiable, but Red Rock had already replaced the soil before he could inspect it.”
“Convenient,” Spock mutters.
“Very. Then Red Rock told us the city wouldn’t approve the foundation permit because the plans didn’t account for an underground utility line.
I wanted to contact the architect and get him involved, but Jayson signed off on the change before I could do more research.
Relocating it cost us almost forty thousand dollars. Red Rock added a fee for the delay.”
“What else?” Puma asks.
“The fire marshal rejected part of the sprinkler design. Red Rock blamed our architect, again. This time I had the architect take a look. He said the subcontractor changed the specifications. The framing failed inspection because several support points didn’t match the submitted plans.”
I feel my jaw tighten. “Who installed the framing?”
“Red Rock’s subcontractor. They charged us to tear it out and redo it.”
“That’s their mistake,” I say sharply. “You shouldn’t be paying for it.”
“That’s what I said. However, Jefferey and Jayson said it wasn’t a big deal. They were worried that Red Rock would stop working on the project if we made a fuss.”
Darby leans back, running her hand through her hair.
“After that, it was one thing after another. They said supply-chain issues forced them to substitute more expensive materials. A plumbing inspection failed. An electrical conduit had to be moved. They claimed new code requirements meant upgrading the ventilation system, even though the code hadn’t changed since before they submitted their bid. ”
“And every problem costs you more money,” Puma says.
“More money and more time. Our fourteen-month project is entering month eighteen, and we’ve barely begun. We’ve burned through our contingency fund and taken out another loan.”
The room falls silent.
Darby looks around the table before her gaze settles on Puma.
“Last week, a company called Canyon Crest Holdings contacted us with an offer to buy the property. The offer barely covers what we owe.”
A chill crawls over my skin.
“Did they approach you? Or did you approach them?”
“I think they approached us. I know I didn’t contact them; however, considering how gung-ho the guys are to sell, I can’t be confident that they didn’t send out feelers.”
Silence settles over the table.
I glance around at the grim faces. Darby’s experience confirms what Spark uncovered. Red Rock doesn’t merely take advantage of mistakes. They create the problems, drain every available dollar, and then send someone in to claim what remains.
Puma leans forward, resting his thick forearms on the table.
“How much do you need to finish the hotel?”
Darby hesitates. “That depends on so many things. I want to fire Red Rock and find someone else,” she sends a wistful glance in my direction before continuing. “However, that means we’ll face more penalties and delays. Not to mention a potential lawsuit.”
“You didn’t answer the question,” Puma says.
Darby releases a slow breath. “Our revised estimate puts us eight hundred thousand over budget. I have nothing left to invest except for my income. Jayson and Jefferey have told me that they’re done.
I can’t be mad at them. They’ve already invested more than they planned.
They’re hoping to recoup some of their investment from the sale to Canyon Crest.”
“And if they could get their original investment back?” Puma asks.
Darby’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”
Puma looks at Wildcard, then Spock, before returning his attention to Darby.
“What if the Demon Dawgs became your silent partner? We could buy out Jayson and Jefferey. We could front you the money for the project, in exchange for partial ownership of the hotel. You’d still be the majority owner.”
My head snaps toward Puma.
Across the table, Juliet straightens. Rush’s expression doesn’t change, but something sharp and interested appears in his eyes.
Darby stares at Puma. “You want to invest in the hotel?”
“I want access to Red Rock Construction.”
Understanding dawns slowly on her face.
Puma continues. “If your partners are ready to walk, we give them a clean way out. We take over their interest, but you remain as the primary contact. Red Rock doesn’t need to know anything has changed.”
Darby looks from Puma to Wildcard. “You want me to pretend everything is normal?”
“As normal as it can be when the contractor is deliberately bankrupting you,” Wildcard says.
Puma nods toward Spark and Juliet. “With access to your records, contracts, emails, invoices, and change orders, they can trace where the money is going. We keep Red Rock working long enough to identify everyone involved, including the people behind Canyon Crest Holdings.”
“And when they manufacture the next crisis?” Darby asks. “Because there will be one. I’m out of my depth. I don’t know if these problems are real or manufactured.”
I lean forward as the pieces begin fitting together. “I can help. I can review their reports and their change orders before you approve anything. I can help determine if the work is legitimate or a scam. I can also help you push back if necessary. I know the process just as well as they do.”
Everyone turns toward me.
I’m already thinking through what I’ll need.
“I can examine the plans, inspection reports, subcontractor invoices, and proposed corrections. If Red Rock claims there’s a code violation, I’ll verify the code.
If they blame a subcontractor, we’ll find out who caused the problem.
They won’t be able to keep burying unnecessary work in technical explanations and expecting you to approve it. ”
A faint smile crosses Puma’s face. “That’s what I was thinking.”
Spock’s hand tightens around mine beneath the table.
“No,” he says firmly.
I turn toward him. “No?”
“You’re already in danger. Putting you directly in Red Rock’s path gives them another reason to come after you.”
“I won’t be dealing with them directly,” I counter. “I can be in the shadows. If you’re partnering with Darby, she can send everything to Spark. As far as Red Rock Construction knows, you’ve hired an independent consultant.’
“They could learn who the consultant is,” Spock argues.
“Then don’t use her name,” Juliet says. “Set up a consulting company with no obvious connection to Chloe or DC Construction. Route the files through me.”
Spark nods. “I can create enough layers to make it difficult to trace anything back to her.”
“Difficult isn’t impossible,” Spock says.
The concern in his voice softens something inside me. He isn’t trying to control me. He’s afraid.
I squeeze his hand. “I can help without ever stepping onto that property or speaking to anyone at Red Rock.”
Spock’s jaw remains tight, but he gives me a reluctant nod.
Darby looks overwhelmed. “You’re seriously offering to invest nearly a million dollars just to expose Red Rock?”
“We’re offering to buy into a viable project while taking down people who prey on others,” Puma corrects.
“If the numbers work, the club gains an investment. You get the funds to finish your hotel. Your partners walk away without losing everything, and Red Rock keeps believing they have you trapped.”
“And Canyon Crest?” Darby asks.
“We let them think you’re considering their offer,” Avery says. “Make them show their hand.”
Puma nods. “You don’t agree to anything today. Bring us your partnership agreement, financial records, and the Red Rock’s contract. We’ll have our lawyer review everything. If it works, we move quickly.”
Darby glances at Juliet before looking back at Puma. Some of the exhaustion has lifted from her face, replaced by cautious hope.
Puma’s gaze shifts to me, then Spock.
“We’ll take down Red Rock Construction and everyone working with them,” he says. “But understand this—whatever move we make, we protect Chloe.”