Now all she had to do was come up with the money to pay her crew, since she promised she would. She had the money in a contingency fund, but it was dwindling fast.
Finn asked her to come to the Brotherhood campus so they could go over plans to beef up security. Although she wasn’t sure what else could be done. They already locked the site after hours and placed security cameras around. She didn’t think more cameras would make a difference.
Unless they could catch someone on camera, which seemed to be impossible.
After a restless night, she showered and dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, a sleeveless top and flats. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put on a little makeup. Just enough to cover the dark circles under her eyes. A swish of lipstick and she was ready.
Well, as ready as she could be.
Luke was at school today, thankfully. The drive to the campus from her house took her down Hatcher Avenue, then to Ironwood Drive. She pulled onto a dirt road past a sweet little cracker house and remembered Joy and Liam lived there. There were no cars in the driveway, so they were probably at work. She followed the drive until she came to a large structure with several cars out front.
Exiting her car, she stood for a minute, taking it in. She spotted several cabins in the woods. The whole place was quiet. Peaceful.
She hadn’t expected that. Not from a place full of ex-military men. But maybe that was the point. Maybe after everything they’d seen, they didn’t need noise. Maybe they just needed quiet. A place to breathe.
Taking a deep breath, Lainey opened the door and walked into a long hallway with a kitchen off to one side. Several women were having coffee and waved. One dark-haired woman came over.
“Hi, you must be Lainey. I’m Ava Curtis, Chase’s assistant. The guys have been expecting you.”
Ava led her down the hall past several offices until they turned into a large library. Lainey spotted Finn and several others at a long table.
“Here you go,” said Ava, who turned and left.
“Lainey.” Finn got up and walked over to her. He furrowed his brow. “Nothing to worry about, sweetheart. You know everyone here.”
Sweetheart? He hadn’t called her that in … ten years. Somehow, it calmed her.
He led her in and pulled out a chair. The room was large. A window—no, a mural looked out at the woods. She said hello to Caleb. Dex and Chase were seated at one end, with Dex on the computer.
“Lainey, welcome,” said Chase. “Although I’m sure you wish it was under better circumstances.”
She gave him a small smile. “That’s an understatement. Although I am grateful for all the support and help you’ve given me.”
“You’re welcome.” He glanced around the table. “Finn, give us an update on what’s been done.”
Finn reported on the cameras and how they were securing the site at night.
“Lainey, what did the council say?” asked Chase.
Her heart was pounding in her chest. She took a deep breath. “I have ten business days to fix the problem or I lose the entire project. They didn’t shut me down, but they may as well have. No crew. No work. And I still have to make payroll.”
Chase sat back in his chair and steepled his hands. “I’m not sure what’s going on yet, but someone wants that project bad. Do you have any idea who else wanted it?”
She hesitated for a moment. “There was another company pitching for it. When I was awarded the contract, someone from their team reached out and offered me double.”
Finn stiffened beside her.
“You never mentioned that,” he said.
“I didn’t think it mattered,” she said. “I turned them down.”
Somehow, the words sounded like an excuse, even to her own ears.
“What’s the name?” asked Chase.
“Hearthstone.”
Chase turned to Dex, who was furiously typing. The silence in the room was almost sizzling with tension.
