Hard to Handle

by Raven Scott

  Sam remained silent, not wanting to give excuses and explanations when none would be satisfactory.

  The punch was swift and hard, a right hook straight to the jaw. Sam’s head snapped back from the blow, and he felt his lip split as it smashed against his teeth. He shook his head, trying to clear his vision in case there was another one coming.

  “What the fuck, Sam!” Evan yelled. “You slept with my fiancée and you didn’t tell me? You and I weren’t tight or anything back then, but shit, man! I had a right to know.”

  Sam wiped away the trickle of blood from his mouth.

  “I know that. You’re right, mate. I should have told you. But I didn’t, and I regret it. So I’m telling you now.”

  “That’s why she wanted you on this case,” Evan said as other things started to become clear. “Have you guys been together all these years?”

  “Nay! Of course not,” Sam shot back. “We have had no contact since the day I found out who she was. Not until she showed up at Fortis last Friday.”

  Evan watched him hard as though seeing Sam for the first time.

  “But now things between Kaylee and I are . . . complicated,” Sam finally acknowledged.

  “Complicated?” Evan shouted with a rude snort. “You’re screwing each other, aren’t you? Jesus Christ, Sam. What the fuck!”

  Sam clenched his jaw hard, resenting the crude depiction of what was happening between him and Kaylee.

  “It’s not like that.” He took a deep breath, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I think there could be something more between us.”

  Evan scoffed, then laughed bitterly. He gave Sam a scathing look and stormed out of the room.

  CHAPTER 18

  The first calls Kaylee made that morning were to Annie and Paul, to prepare them for the damage to the front of the office building and to let them know she would be working from home at least for the day. She then called Terry in Paris to let him know what had happened yesterday and the decisions that had been made since. Not surprisingly, he was angry and concerned, but also relieved. They worked out how to submit the formal withdrawal from consideration for the new government building in Paterson, New Jersey.

  “So, it is over, Kaylee? Have you achieved what you set out to do?” Terry finally asked.

  She didn’t have a concrete answer for him.

  “I wouldn’t say it’s over. But, now that I have some professional help, I think the end is in sight,” she explained.

  “Good. Sam Mackenzie seems very capable, and I would imagine his whole team is the same. I’m sure they will do everything they can to uncover the truth.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Have you put any thought into what will happen with Antonoli Properties when this is well and truly over?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, to be honest. I imagined we would just shut it down. Or if it proved profitable, you would take it over and buy me out.”

  “Yes, we did discuss those options at the onset. But I think you have enjoyed building the business, even if it was with ulterior motives, no?”

  “I think you’re right, Terry. If I stop and think only about the business plan, and the early vendor proposals, then winning the two Brooklyn projects, and working on them now, it has been fun,” Kaylee mused.

  “Well, it sounds like you have decisions to make, my friend.”

  “Thank you for everything you’ve done, Terry. I know you didn’t think any of this was a good idea, but you still supported me. I really appreciate that.”

  They spoke for a few more minutes; then Kaylee slowly walked back to the living area. Raymond, Renee, and Sam were at the table working away at computers.

  “Where’s Evan?” she asked as she approached.

  Sam stood up and took Kaylee gently by the arm, steering her away from the others. But not before she caught a glimpse of his busted lip. Her heart started pounding.

  “He’s out on the terrace,” explained Sam in a soft voice. “I told him. Everything.”

  Kaylee took in a shaky breath and looked down. She could only nod, knowing this moment was inevitable. Sam held her back as she tried to walk away.

  “You might want to give him a few minutes to cool off,” he added. His expression was stoic, but she could see that his emotions were buried just below the surface.

  “No, it’s fine,” she insisted. He cleared his throat and released her arm.

  Kaylee walked out onto the terrace, where Evan was leaning against the glass railing, looking out at the city skyline. She stood beside him silently for a couple of minutes.

  “I never thought you were a liar, Mikayla,” he finally said. “Or should I call you Kaylee?”

  She didn’t respond, knowing that he was lashing out from feelings of betrayal and anger.

  “You told me that something was missing in our relationship, that you loved me as a friend, but it wasn’t enough for a marriage,” he added.

  “That wasn’t a lie, Evan,” she said sadly. “You know it’s true. You must know that we never had a strong passion between us. We were apart for weeks at a time, with you working overseas, only talking occasionally. I was fine with it—it worked for us at the time. I understood your work schedule, and I was busy at school, then with my career. I didn’t need anything else.”

  Evan looked down at her, and she could tell he was confused and waiting for her to say it all.

  “I didn’t want more. Until I did,” Kaylee finally admitted. “That’s how it happened, just a random thing. Some guy who came out of nowhere, and made me feel . . . Suddenly I knew that I wanted more from a marriage than a comfortable routine and good friendship.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that, Mikayla?” Evan demanded. “I would have been mad, hurt, but at least I would know the whole truth. He was my partner, for Christ sakes!”

  “That’s why, Evan!” she replied. “It was bad enough that I broke up our engagement, hurting you, disappointing our parents. What good would it do to damage your business relationship with Sam? He hadn’t done anything wrong—I had. So I couldn’t live with that too.”

  He looked away and swore slowly under his breath.

  “I’m sorry, Evan. Maybe we should have told you at the time, but it wouldn’t have changed anything. Not really, and you know that,” she continued. “I’ve seen you with Nia, remember. The way you look at her. That’s what things should be like, right? That’s what matters in the end.”

  “Are you in love with him?” Evan finally asked, his tone slightly warmer.

  Kaylee sighed deeply. “I don’t know. Love at first sight seems like a ridiculous fantasy. But whatever I felt for Sam when I met him is still there, even now. But it feels more like slow torture, to be honest.”

  “Good, you deserve it,” Evan said, but there was a wry smile on his face. She elbowed him in the side, and he yelled out in protest.

  “Will things be okay between you and Sam?” she finally asked.

  Evan looked down, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know. I have to wrap my head around this whole thing. He’s the most straightforward guy I know, that’s all.”

  “Evan, he had no clue who I was. When he found out, he was so angry. About the impact to you.” Evan swore again. “I don’t know why he didn’t tell you, but I know it’s weighed on him. So please try not to make it into something bigger than it needs to be.”

  He ran a hand over his low-cropped wavy hair. “Let’s get back inside. We have work to do.”

  Kaylee followed Evan, and they joined the others at the dining table, setting up one end to review the stack of documents she had amassed over the last couple of years. She was very aware of the cold barrier between the two partners, but the others seemed unaware.

  Sam and Renee left later in the afternoon to have a closer look at the destroyed BMW, which was now sitting in a scrap yard. They returned a few hours later and went back to work at their computers. The housekeeper arrived around noon, as was her usual schedule. Kaylee told
Silvia that she had hired a few consultants for work and they’d be at the apartment for a few days. Silvia quickly made them lunch and took Niko out for his afternoon walk. She completed her cleaning chores and made a big pasta dish for dinner before leaving in the late afternoon.

  “Okay, let’s regroup,” Sam said once Silvia had left. “Raymond, where are we with the information we have from Clement Media?”

  They all surrounded his large panel screen while he opened up a few documents.

  “I’ve reviewed the files we had collected on Holt four years ago. Here is the email from Battleford, dated Friday, May eleventh, at two-thirty in the afternoon,” Raymond explained as he opened the communication.

  “Someone will be in touch,” Sam read out loud. “Pretty cryptic. Any other communication between them? Phone calls or text messages?”

  “Yup.” He moved between files on the screen. “There was a call the day before between Holt’s cell phone and a landline number connected to Groveland Development. It was over twelve minutes long. But no way to say exactly who he spoke to. And I couldn’t find any calls between Holt and someone at city hall that week, either by cell phone or through a work line.”

  “He had told me the complaint came from the comptroller,” Kaylee recalled. “It was a lie.”

  “It appears so,” Raymond concluded.

  “Is there anything on his cell phone after he was fired that Monday? So after May fourteenth?” Evan asked.

  “I checked that, but his mobile number became inactive after that, then canceled a few days later. Tried to find if he’d gotten another number registered to him through his cell phone carrier, but the records have been archived. Will take me a little more time to access the data.”

  “What about the annual audits from Clement Media?” Sam asked.

  “We’ve completed security checks for all employees at the twenty-one papers and publications under the Clement umbrella. A few cases of the usual drug usage, inappropriate relationship, a couple of DUIs, but none have triggered a red flag for signs of bribes, exerting influence, or other corruption.”

  “Okay. So we have pretty compelling evidence that Anthony Fleming directed Battleford to bribe Holt,” Sam said. “Let’s see if we can prove Fleming also had him killed and got to George.”

  “I’ll dig up all the police records and any media coverage from the car explosion, and access George’s phone records from that time. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  “What was the name of the chief editor at the Journal?” Sam asked.

  “Mark McMann,” Kaylee provided.

  “We should talk to him,” added Sam. “If I remember correctly, George had McMann fire Holt, and question him on who was involved in the bribe. Maybe Holt gave up some information.”

  “And maybe that information got Holt killed and George caught up in the mess?” Evan suggested. “It makes sense. Explains why George was so insistent that Fortis should back down.”

  “Renee, let’s see what McMann is up to these days and set up a conversation,” directed Sam.

  “I should do it,” Kaylee interjected. “I could say that I’m ready to return to journalism, and want to meet him to talk about job opportunities.”

  “No, it’s too risky,” Sam said immediately.

  “Hold on, that’s not a bad idea,” interrupted Evan. Sam gave him an annoyed look.

  “I can ask questions as part of an innocent conversation, or allow him to think my dad told me whatever Jason knew.”

  “McMann is still in Baltimore, but he left the Journal and the newspaper business entirely a couple of months after George retired,” Raymond added as he pulled up information in a Web browser. “He’s the VP of media relations at a company called Quinten.”

  “That’s even better,” said Kaylee. “I’ll ask him about an opportunity in corporate communications, similar to my role at the Clement Foundation.”

  “It’s a good plan, Sam,” Evan insisted quietly.

  Sam planted his hands on his hips and looked hard down at Kaylee. “Okay, but if we can set a meeting, I’m going with you.”

  Kaylee let out a slow, deep breath, trying to hold back her excitement. This could be it. The missing piece to the whole puzzle.

  “Is there anything more we know about the connection between Groveland and Ross Construction?” Sam continued, looking at Evan.

  “No more than Mikayla already told us,” Evan replied. “There’s no doubt Ross is a front. It’s registered in Delaware, and has no assets or employees on record anywhere.”

  “Why Delaware?” Kaylee asked.

  “One of the easiest states to create a ghost company with very little scrutiny or information required,” Sam explained.

  “I looked into their banking records, and it’s exactly what you’d expect,” Evan continued. “They have a sweeper account that funnels cash from the U.S. on a set schedule to another one in the Caymans that is untraceable.”

  “So how are they doing the work on the city contracts they win?” Renee asked.

  “Through subcontractors and cash labor,” Kaylee explained. “They set up an office on the build site and hire only the skilled workers they need. I’d bet they keep enough money in the bank to pay the expenses while the profits are quickly sent offshore.”

  “But there has to be some way for Fleming to direct these businesses,” Renee suggested. “Someone has to be in charge at Ross, or there’s an agent of some kind from Groveland.”

  “That’s the person we need to talk to,” agreed Sam. “Evan, can you create a plan to stake out any of the current Ross building sites in the area?”

  “They have three projects right now in New Jersey,” Kaylee confirmed.

  “We can check with Lucas to see if any of our agents are free for a few days, bring in a couple of DaCosta consultants from the New York office, like David Ferguson,” Sam continued.

  “Got it,” Evan acknowledged. “Do we have a list of Groveland employees that we can cross-reference?”

  “Yup. Here is everyone on the payroll, starting with owner, Anthony Fleming.” Raymond opened a folder and tiled a series of photos across the screen, starting with the head of the company, who looked well dressed, wealthy, and powerful. “Looks like Battleford manages operations. He spends most of his time with suppliers and vendor relationships. Then we have a few managers for design, engineering, and construction.”

  “Okay, send me everything you have,” Evan requested. “Any luck with the physical evidence?”

  Sam nodded while he walked over to his laptop.

  “The explosion yesterday was from a small bomb attached to the engine,” Renee told them while they all moved over to look at the information Sam was pulling up. “It had a remote-controlled detonator.”

  There were several images on the screen. Some were pictures; others were diagrams.

  “I took these pictures right after the explosion,” Sam explained. “This wasn’t your typical car bomb that’s triggered from the vibrations of a moving car. This one was meant to go off at a precise moment. As a very loud and impressive message.”

  “They were watching,” Evan said.

  “Absolutely. Kaylee and I weren’t on a schedule, and Junior was late meeting us at the office. So there was no way they would know to trigger the explosion as we left the building unless they had eyes on us.”

  Kaylee felt a shiver of fear trickle down her spine.

  “I did some research for any similar devices using a few possible schematics,” Renee continued, pointing to a few other images and technical drawings. “They’re very popular in Mexico, Greece, and almost every conflict-ridden country in Africa and the Middle East. Much less popular in the United States, but I found five reports over the last few years.”

  “One in particular caught my attention. From last year, in Rockville, Maryland,” Sam explained as he pulled up pictures from an online news report. “The car blew up in the parking lot in front of a post office, and belonged to a woman that worke
d there. But the post office is right across the street from one of the city planning offices.”

  The group around the table was silent for a few seconds.

  “Another message,” Raymond finally said.

  “Looks like we have a plan for the next few days,” Sam declared as he stepped back to stand in front of the Fortis team and Kaylee. “Raymond will continue looking through any information from four years ago. Kaylee will arrange a meeting with Mark McMann. Evan and I will set up surveillance at the Ross sites. Renee, can you review our security footage again to see if we can identify who triggered the explosive or when they planted it on the car?”

  Everyone nodded, then went back to working at their computers. Kaylee went into the living area and sat down on the sofa with her cell phone to catch up on some work for Antonoli. Despite the efforts to go after the people responsible for the threats against her and her dad, there was still a business to run. Annie and Paul were dedicated employees, as were many of the tradespeople working at the two building sites in Brooklyn. Kaylee had a responsibility to them until other arrangements were made.

  At around seven o’clock, the team took a break. Sam took Niko out for a walk again, and then he sat with Renee and Raymond at the kitchen table for dinner. Evan took his plate back to the dining table to eat in front of his computer. Kaylee returned to the sofa and ate while watching the news. But her stomach churned from the obvious rift between Sam and Evan, ruining her appetite.

  Evan, Renee, and Raymond stayed for another couple of hours, doing a little more work and sharing information, then went back to their hotel rooms for the night. Sam continued working in the kitchen so Kaylee went to her room for some much-needed rest. But as she lay in bed under the covers, she kept hoping for a knock at her door. In her imagination, it would be Sam, feeling as relieved as she was to have all their secrets out in the open. There would be no barriers between them, and new possibilities.

  But of course, it didn’t happen. She fell asleep alone with her wishful thinking.

  CHAPTER 19

  “What’re you wearing?” Evan asked in a husky voice.