I turn the laptop so everyone can see the screen. “Carolina Properties is owned by a holding company called Piedmont Development Partners. Which is owned by another company called Southeast Regional Investments. Which is owned?—”
“By Summit Development,” Hawk finishes.
“There are a few more steps to get there, but yeah. It leads to Summit.” I pull up another file. “They buried the connection deep, probably hoping no one would connect the dots. But the paper trail is there if you know where to look.”
“How’d you find it?” Axel asks, leaning forward.
“Started with the property deeds and dug until I found Summit, many layers deep, listed as a primary shareholder on Southeast Regional’s tax forms.”
“They tried to hide their involvement,” Stone says slowly. “But not well enough. What about the legal angle?” He turns to Josie.
“The contracts are clean,” Josie admits. “I’ve reviewed the ones Erica showed us. Standard purchase agreements, more than fair market value plus a substantial premium, help with moving costs. Nothing illegal about offering to buy someone’s house for more than it’s worth.”
“Even if you’re pressuring them when they say no?” Hawk asks.
“That’s harder to prove. Erica says they’re pressuring her by offering more money, more perks. The only threat has been a deadline to decide or the offer is off the table.”
“If it were me, I’d call that a threat,” Tank says, his eyebrow twitching. “Most of our people can’t just up and move on a dime, even with money on the table.”
“They’re picking at the east side for a reason,” Axel says, folding his arms.
“Neighbors there are mostly old-timers. Folks who don’t want to leave but don’t have the means or backup to fight for their homes. Summit thinks they’ll roll over if pushed.”
“And some will,” Cash says quietly, “especially after last year. People remember when Devil’s burned. They remember the harassment and the threats. And so far we’ve been winning. The community has had our backs. But how long until they just run out of steam? Take the money? Get it over with?”
Silence hangs for a beat. No one says it, but we’re all thinking the same thing: people are tired, and Summit knows just how to squeeze the last bit of will out of them. Every offer for a house on the east side is a bet Stoneheart’s backbone is finally ready to crack.
“So what’s their play?” Mack asks. “Why go for the east side again? If they wanted to start shit again, there’re easier targets.”
I drum my fingers on the tabletop, staring at the cursor blinking on my screen. “Yeah, but remember who Summit works for, what their original plan was when they started tearing up the road to expand the sewage tunnels?”
“Drug running highway,” Axel puts in, stroking his beard. “You think they found another way?”
“I think the cartel still wants their money and their product running between here and Charlotte. The new road construction, the new real estate deals—maybe they lost the tunnel, but if they own half the houses along the corridor, they don’t need it. They use the neighborhood as the next pipeline.”
“They set up a warehouse or a friendly tenant,” Hawk says, catching on, “run trucks out the back doors, nobody the wiser.”
“Or they just flip the whole block for a zoning change, slap up a mixed-use complex, and suddenly they own the most valuable piece of real estate in Stoneheart. All legal. All clean,” Stone says, tone flat but sharp as a blade. “They bought the cop who burned Devil’s last time. Now they’re buying the town.”
The room goes quiet, everyone processing what that means.
“So what’s our play?” Tank finally asks. “Because if they’re doing everything legal, we can’t just?—”
“No,” Stone cuts him off. “We can’t. That’s exactly what they want—for us to react with violence so they can paint us as the bad guys. Get us arrested, get the feds looking at us instead of them.”
“Then what?” Hawk leans forward. “We just let them buy up the neighborhood?”
“No.” Josie speaks up. “We fight them legally. Through the system.”
She moves to the table, spreading out her documents. “Carolina Properties can buy all the houses they want. But they can’t change what those properties are used for without zoning changes. Which means public hearings, planning commission votes, community input.”
“So if we organize the residents to oppose the changes—” Stone starts.
“We can slow them down. Maybe stop them entirely.” Josie pauses. “It’s not a guarantee. But it’s our best legal option.”
“What about the mayor?” Cash asks.
“Mayor Roberts is complicated,” Josie says carefully. “Old school, likes things quiet. Looked the other way when Summit caused problems last year.”
