Page 68 of Spock’s Snare

Brigit frowns. “Wouldn’t a reference check have caught that?”

Heat creeps into my face, even though her tone holds no accusation. “His references checked out. Two developers confirmed that he supervised their projects, and a subcontractor vouched for him. I didn’t ask who signed his paychecks because his résumé said he was self-employed.”

“They helped sell the lie,” Spock says. “Monroe had to have been involved.”

The anger beneath his voice has sharpened.

“Maybe Monroe didn’t know,” I suggest, but then shake my head. There is no way that Monroe didn’t help Blackwood snow me. I look down at my hands. Blackwood hadn’t merely exaggerated his experience to secure a job. He already had the experience. Eight years with Monroe would have been a strong qualification, assuming he’d left on good terms. So why lie?

My thoughts return to finding Blackwood tearing open drywall after hours. He claimed he was correcting an electrical mistake, but something about the situation felt wrong. His defensiveness. His anger. The way he tried to make the problem my fault because I’d been occupied.

Now I know he has ties to the company that bid against me for the Inferno Ridge project.

“Do you know why Blackwood left Sin City Construction?” Puma asks.

“Not yet,” Juliet says. “Officially, he resigned. There are no lawsuits, criminal complaints, or obvious disputes between him and Monroe. A few months later, he applied to work for Chloe.”

Juliet looks at me. “He came to you, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” The unease inside me deepens. “I advertised the position, but Blackwood contacted me almost immediately.”

Spock shifts closer, his arm pressing more firmly around me. “Sounds like he wanted onto that site, or into your company.”

I want to argue. I want to say there could be an innocent explanation, that people omit unpleasant former employers from their résumés all the time.

But Blackwood didn’t only omit Sin City Construction. He rewrote eight years of his life to hide that connection.

My gaze slides toward the children at the next table. They’re still laughing, oblivious to the fear winding tighter inside me. Only minutes ago, the room felt safe and welcoming. It still does, but now I’m painfully aware of why Spock brought me here.

Someone attacked my father and targeted my project.

And I hired a man connected to one of my competitors, giving him unrestricted access to the entire construction site.

“Why?” I ask.

“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Puma says.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: SPOCK

The morning sun beats down as Chloe and I cross the highway separating the clubhouse from Inferno Ridge. I keep myself on the side closest to traffic, even though there isn’t much of it at this hour. A few cars streak past, their tires humming against the pavement, but Chloe barely seems to notice them.

She hasn’t said more than a handful of words since we left the clubhouse.

I know that look. Her mind is working, turning over every piece of information Juliet gave us during breakfast.

Paul Scaro has ties to Red Rock Construction.

Steven Blackwood lied about his work history.

And before Chloe hired him, Blackwood worked for Elvis Monroe—the same bastard who has been avoiding us.

None of that proves what Scaro or Blackwood is doing, but it’s enough to make every protective instinct inside me snarl.

I stay quiet as we walk. Chloe needs time to process, and crowding her now will only make her dig in her heels. She owns DC Construction. She built it on her reputation and funded it with her money. Inferno Ridge is her project. She bid on it and won. She has earned our support and respect. I know she feels responsible for everything.

That’s exactly what worries me.

By the time we reach her truck, her expression has hardened into one of grim determination. She digs through her purse for her keys, and I know what she’s thinking before she says a damn word. She’s already planning how to confront them.