Page 30 of Spock’s Snare

“Looks like names, locations, and costs. Do you think this is their client list?”

I shrug. “That’s my guess.”

“I found a journal in a locked drawer,” Rush says, pulling out his phone. “I took photos.” He punches a few keys to send the photos to Spark.

Spark pulls them up. “Same type of information, but with a few more columns. I can run these and see what I come up with.”

“Want us to split up the work?” I ask. “I want to grab something to eat first, but we can come back and help with the search.”

Spark nods, but he’s already focused on his task.

“Do you want us to bring you something?” Rush asks him.

“Yeah, I’ll take something of whatever Gramps has going in the kitchen.”

A few months ago, when Viper was accosted by three men while camping, a local man came to her aid. She didn’t really need his help, but she accepted his invitation to crash at his cabin when a storm hit. She learned he was a former biker who had recently gotten out of prison. She invited him to visit the clubhouse, not knowing that the man held a grudge against our VP, Wildcard. When he arrived, he shot our VP, but luckily the shot wasn’t fatal. Rather than kill him, Puma imprisoned him until he could sort out the story. We learned that the man believed Wildcard had harmed his daughter, Brigit. Brigit’s timely arrival kept us from killing her father, and Puma offered him a spot in the club as our cook. The kids gave him a new road name. "Gramps."

When we reach the common room, we find Rattler and Viper entering the clubhouse.

“Any luck?” I ask them.

Viper shrugs. “Not really. The Adams brothers checked out. They’re swamped with work. Derek said that they wanted our contract and were disappointed when they didn’t get it, but it didn’t hurt their business. They landed two new contracts within a week of losing the bid.”

“What about Chloe? Did you ask them about her or DC Construction?” I ask.

“Derek remembers Chloe from some show they all attended. He thought she was hot and asked her out. He didn’t seem bothered by her rejection. Said he didn’t know she was the one who won the contract with us. He seemed a little surprised that we went with her, but I didn’t get the feeling that he cared all that much.”

Viper nods her head in agreement. “I felt the same way. I don’t think they’re the ones who have been bothering Chloe.”

“What about you guys? Did you find out anything interesting with Red Rock Construction?”

I fill them in on our visit, including how we broke into the offices and brought back data for Spark to sift through.

“Have you heard from the others?” Rush asks.

“Wildcard called,” Viper says. “He and Dice are on their way back here; they were only a few minutes behind us.”

While we wait for the others to return, I plate a sandwich for Spark, then grab a bag of chips and a soda from behind the bar. Returning to Spark’s office, I place the plate on his desk.

“Thanks,” he grumbles as his fingers fly across the keyboard. He absentmindedly reaches over and takes a bite, but his focus never strays from the monitor.

“Viper and Rattler are back; they think the Adams brothers are clear. They’re busy and didn’t know that Chloe won the bid. Wildcard and Dice are on their way back. Are you having any luck?”

“I think so. Give me a few more minutes. I need to check something first…” he trails off as he loses himself in the numbers.

Shaking my head, I return to the common room. In my absence, not only have Wildcard and Dice returned, but Hunter and Chill as well.

“Anything?” I ask them.

“Desert Storm isn’t involved,” Chill states. “They’re too busy with other projects to worry about Chloe and DC Construction. They knew she won the bid and weren’t surprised. Jake said they entered their bid amount knowing that they probably wouldn’t win. He admitted that he wanted the project, but it was a stretch on their resources. They had other projects in the works in case they didn’t win. They aren’t hurting.”

“Any chance either of them resented the fact that a woman won the bid?” I ask.

Chill shares a look with Hunter.

“I don’t think so. I got the impression that Luis has a bit of a crush on our Chloe, but neither of them came off as misogynists. They were pretty impressed with Chill. They heard about her while serving and knew she was a member of the Demon Dawgs. They seemed more interested in the club than in Inferno Ridge, or Chloe.”

“So, that leaves Sin City Construction,” I murmur, glancing at Wildcard.