Page 20 of Spock’s Snare

"We're not sitting around waiting for whoever's behind this to make the next move."

She tilts her head. "What do you mean?"

"We had a club meeting today, and Puma has a plan."

That earns her full attention.

"When we realized someone might be targeting you over Inferno Ridge, Puma had Spark dig deep. He ran background checks on the other construction companies that lost out on the bid.”

She nods slowly, encouraging me to continue.

"We're splitting up and visiting each company. Spark is still digging, but Puma wanted us to go face-to-face with the other owners.”

“You think they’ll confess?” Chloe asks with some doubt.

I shrug. “We are an intimidating lot.”

She chuckles. “You are.”

“We don’t know if they’ll let something slip, but at the same time, if they were responsible for the attack on your father, seeing us on their doorstep might make them nervous. We’ve paired off accordingly.”

"Meaning?"

"Two former military officers run Desert Storm Construction. Chill and Hunter are handling that one. Both of them served, so they speak the language. They’d be the most likely to notice if anything is off about them."

“I guess that makes sense. I just don’t think Jake or Luis would stoop to something like sabotage or attacking my dad.”

“You know them?” I ask.

She nods. “Our paths have crossed. I don’t know them well, but they seem like good guys.”

I nod, because I agree with her assessment.

"Adams Construction gets Viper and Rattler."

She raises an eyebrow.

"Intimidation or seduction?"

I chuckle.

"Among other things. Viper and Rattler are twins, so they can relate as siblings. Viper has a way of reading people, and Rattler notices details most folks miss.”

“And Viper is hot.”

I chuckle. “She is; she’s also intimidating as hell. If either of those guys is the one causing you trouble, they’ll think twice about it.”

"And the others?"

"Wildcard and Dice are visiting Sin City Construction." I grin. "Between Wildcard's charm and Dice's ability to spot bullshit from a mile away, they'll either make friends or make somebody nervous."

She laughs softly.

"Knowing Monroe, I’m thinking intimidation is the right way to go. He’s not a friendly guy. Who are you meeting?"

"Rush and I are heading to Red Rock Construction. They were the hardest for me to get a feel for during the discovery phase. Every conversation was with someone different. There wasn’t a single point of contact. Rush is a numbers guy. I’m hoping between the two of us we can break down some of the walls they have up.”

Chloe frowns. “I don’t know very much about them. I’ve met the others, but I can honestly say that I’ve never met anyone from Red Rock Construction, even though they have projects all over town. What happens if none of them are guilty?”