Page 38 of Spock’s Snare

“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.