Page 6 of Spock’s Snare

"Takes more than one idiot with a pipe to put me down."

The attempt at humor doesn't completely hide the tension in his eyes.

Before I can respond, the doctor enters. "Are you the daughter?"

"I’m Chloe."

He smiles. "Your father is correct. His hard head probably helped."

Dad smirks triumphantly.

The doctor continues. "The CT scan is clear. No skull fracture, no bleeding, and no signs of a concussion."

The knot in my chest loosens.

"We'd prefer to keep him overnight for observation," the doctor says, shooting Dad an amused look, "but he's made his feelings on that subject very clear."

"I hate hospitals."

"So I've heard."

The doctor turns to me.

“We can’t force him to stay. Maybe you can talk some sense into him?”

I look at the obstinate look on my dad’s face and chuckle. “I’ve never been able to before; I don’t see this time being any different. If it helps, I plan on staying with him.”

The doctor sighs, but nods.

"If he develops headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, sensitivity to light, slurred speech, or unusual drowsiness, bring him back immediately."

"I'll keep an eye on him."

CHAPTER THREE: SPOCK



I watch Chloe’s taillights disappear down the road. After the chaos of our arrival and the ambulance's departure, the place now feels empty and quiet. I walk back inside to stand before the message painted on the wall. I clench my hands into fists and resist the urge to punch them into the wall to obliterate the message. We need to figure out who is doing this and put an end to them. I stare at the drops of blood left behind from Bill’s injury and fume.

Puma steps into the room next to me and growls.

“Let’s get this place cleaned up.” He pulls out his phone and makes a call. The person on the other end picks up immediately. No one ignores Puma.

“Wildcard,” he says. “Need every prospect we’ve got available to come down here. Bring trucks, lights, and cleaning supplies.” He provides the address before continuing. “Yeah, Chloe with DC Construction is having some trouble.”

As Puma relays the information, I grab a discarded cloth, dampen it, and scrub the bloodstains from the concrete while Puma continues issuing orders.

“I promised Chloe we’d figure out who is harassing her and take care of them. She said the problems started soon after she won the Inferno Ridge project. Spock can put together a list of who lost out on the bid. They may or may not have anything to do with this, but it’s a start. See if Spark has any security cameras that we can install on the site. Tell him to order a dozen or so if we don’t have them. I want this place covered. Tell everyone that we’re having Church in the morning, and the focus will be on protecting Chloe. She’s building our future. I don’t like that someone is messing with her.”

He ends the call and slips the phone back into his pocket.

For a moment, he surveys the site with his hands on his hips. Then he turns toward me.

“Spock.”

“Yeah?”

“You need to put together a list of every contractor who bid on Inferno Ridge. Have Spark do a background check and then start digging. It may not be one of them, but it’s a place to start.”