by Evelyn Adams
He disconnected the phone and Claire went inside to tell her crew where she was going and to see if she could snag a tamale for the road.
LUKE GUNNED THE Veyron, weaving through the city streets between his office and the jobsite. He gave a command and in a moment one of the many attorneys he had on retainer started talking through his Bluetooth wireless.
“Luke, what can I do to help?” asked Mason. He was a damned fine attorney and over the years he and Luke had developed something close to friendship.
“I’ve got trouble on the Ashton Court site and Claire is in the middle of it. The police were at the site, and they found some ammunition tucked away in boxes.”
“Fuck,” said Mason.
“Not what you want to hear from someone you pay as much money as I pay you,” said Luke.
“Sorry,” said the attorney. “But ammo means the ATF. They don’t play. Who’s Claire and how involved is she?”
“She’s the woman I’m seeing. She’s also the electrical contractor on the job.”
“Wait. Is this connected to the death of Mr. Lester?”
“Maybe. I don’t know yet.”
“You know my job would be easier if you were more risk averse. Where are you now?”
“On my way to pick up Claire and then we’re going to the station so she can make a statement.”
“Not without me. Neither of you talk to the police without me present. Understand? This isn’t like dealing with Mr. Lester’s widow. The ATF doesn’t mess around where contraband ammunition is concerned. They’ll shut you down.”
“I was afraid of that,” said Luke calculating what another delay was going to cost him.
“I’m on my way,” said Mason. “I’ll meet you there. Neither you nor Ms. English talks to anyone until I get there. Listen to me. This is what you pay me obscene amounts of money for.”
“As long as you realize that it’s obscene,” said Luke, disconnecting the call.
He revved the car and blew through a yellow light. In a few more minutes, he was pulling up in front of the construction trailer. Luke ignored the two police cruisers parked by the storage containers. He wasn’t going to talk to anyone, not even on his own jobsite without Mason beside him. Claire was waiting for him on the construction trailer steps, wearing jeans and a faded T-shirt which hugged her gorgeous curves. With her hair pulled back into a ponytail under her hard hat she could have more easily passed for a calendar model than a contractor. When she saw him her worried expression was replaced by a smile, and something inside his chest did a little flip. Knowing that just seeing him had the power to change her mood was intoxicating as hell. He slid the car into park but before he could get out to open her door, she was already sliding into the passenger seat, stowing her hard hat behind the seat.
“Tell me what happened,” he said.
Before she answered, she leaned across the seat to brush a kiss across his cheek. He turned to catch her lips, kissing her soundly before she sat back down in her seat and fastened her seat belt.
“You’re right,” he said, smiling at her. “I got carried away and forgot. Thanks for reminding me.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” she said.
He liked that she was comfortable enough to joke with him. She couldn’t be too anxious if she was willing to play.
“Now,” he said. “Why are we headed to the police station?”
“The police found ammo in some of the nail boxes. They’re back there securing the site,” she said, motioning to the storage area. “Luke, none of this makes any sense. I’ve known Sparks for years. He wouldn’t have anything to do with this kind of thing. And he sure as hell wouldn’t let it go on if he knew about it.”
Luke was less sure of the construction manager than Claire was. There had been too many things that didn’t sit quite right to assume the older man was innocent in all of this. But he’d wait to pass judgment for Claire’s sake if for no other reason. However all of this ended, he doubted he’d be using Matthews again. Theft, vandalism, Pete’s death and now this, there were just too many problems to be a coincidence. It was a shame. He’d really like Mr. Matthews. He’d seemed like an honest hardworking man, but there was too much money at stake to take chances. Construction delays killed otherwise profitable projects, and there had been nothing but delays on this job. Still he owed Matthews for introducing him to Claire.
“Were you with Sparks when the police showed up?”
“No, I’d come down to find him to let him know when we’d be ready to call for the next inspection. He was already in the storage container with the detective when I found them.”
“Detective Benson?” Luke waited for the light to turn before heading back downtown.
“Yes. He was there with an officer I didn’t recognize. Sparks let them look through the boxes because he didn’t think there was anything in them. It was almost like they knew exactly what they were looking for. It only took them a couple of minutes to find the bullets. Luke, what’s going on? Have you ever had this happen on another of your jobs?”
“I haven’t had half the problems on other jobs that I’ve had on this one.” He glanced over at her and saw worry clouding her face. “It’s not your fault,” he said reaching over to run the back of his finger down her cheek. “None of this is your fault, Claire.” He felt her nod and turned his attention back to navigating his way to the police station.
He pulled the car into the underground garage wishing he’d thought to take the other car and his driver. When Claire called, his protective urges overwhelmed his reasoning ability and all he could think of was getting to her. He slid the car into the widest space he could find and hoped no one keyed it before they got back. Taking Claire’s hand, he led her down the garage stairs and to the main level entrance of the precinct. Mason was already waiting for them in the lobby.
“Claire, this is Mason Jeffries. He is my ridiculously overpriced attorney. Do what he tells you. Please,” he added as an afterthought because it increased her chances of doing what he wanted.
“It’s only overpriced if it’s not worth it, and I assure you; I’m worth it. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. English.” Mason shook Claire’s hand and then led her to the elevator. “You are not compelled to be here. You are helping out in the interest of justice. I’ll tell you if there is something I don’t think you should answer. Do not volunteer information they don’t ask for.”
“I want to help them find out what happened to Pete,” she said, and Luke could see the determination in her expression. The woman didn’t let anything scare her.
“Of course,” said Mason as the elevator doors slid open.
Luke felt like he was on a TV crime drama. Rows of desks with overworked looking detectives ran down both sides of the room. There were a few people who looked like they were there to give statements, but for the most part it was police officers filling out paperwork. He recognized one of the detectives from the night of the accident but he didn’t see Detective Benson. He assumed he was in another room with Sparks. Luke still couldn’t decide how he felt about the construction manager. He’d wait until he had more information before forming an opinion.
“Mr. Masters, Ms. English,” said the detective whose name Luke couldn’t remember. “Thank you for coming in.”
“I’m Mason Jeffries, counsel for Ms. English.”
The detective nodded but neither man offered their hands. “If you’ll come with me, Ms. English. We can talk back here. Mr. Masters you can wait over there if you’d like.” He motioned to a tired looking waiting area with a mostly dead potted plant and a coffee marker with coffee so dark it looked like it had been brewed the day before.
Luke tipped his head in acknowledgement and then watched as Claire squared her shoulders and followed the detective down the hallway and out of sight, taking a piece of him along with her.
HE WAS PACING the waiting area twenty minutes later when Sparks came walking down the hall. He saw Luke and made a beeline for hi
m.
“Mr. Masters, I can’t tell you how sorry I am about all of this. I don’t understand what’s going on. Nothing like this has ever happened on a job I’ve managed before.”
The older man looked genuinely remorseful but it was too late. His anger needed a target and Sparks had painted a huge bull’s-eye on his chest.
“It’s never happened on any of my jobs either,” he said, his voice cold as ice. “I’ve also never had a man die on one of my jobsites. And now Claire is dealing with the police, the ATF, and whoever the hell else is back there and all I can do is pay expensive lawyers to make sure things don’t get any worse. This is not what I expected when I hired Matthews Contracting. I’ll talk to Mr. Matthews, but I really don’t want to see you right now.”
The construction manager opened his mouth to speak but must have thought better of it because he closed it without saying anything. He gave Luke a small nod before turning and walking away. Luke didn’t bother to watch him get onto the elevator. He would call Matthews as soon as he knew more about what was going on. The trouble on the job might not have anything to do with the construction manager, but after a certain point it had to stop being a coincidence or a fluke and start being related.
He paced for another fifteen minutes before he saw Claire walking down the hallway toward him. She was flanked by Mason and another man he didn’t recognize with the detective bringing up the rear. She looked small with all the men surrounding her. Not frail – he’d have a hard time ever thinking of Claire as frail – but he still wanted to protect her. Whisk her away and make her forget about all of this.
She hesitated when she reached his side, but he didn’t. He pulled her to him and into his arms, folding his body around her, sheltering her. The three men facing him wore a mixture of expressions ranging from curiosity to envy. After a moment the new man stepped forward.
“Mr. Masters, I’m Agent McCellan from the ATF. As I believe you know by now, someone has being using your jobsite to move illegal ammunition. We’ve secured the site, and we have officers on the scene to interview the crews working on the job, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to shut the site down temporarily.”
Keeping an arm wrapped around Claire’s waist, Luke glanced at Mason to see if he had any recourse. Mason gave his head a slight shake.
“Of course, Agent. Whatever you need.” There was no use picking a fight he wouldn’t win. It was better to cooperate until he had enough information to make a better decision. “Do you have any idea how long the job will need to be closed?”
“No, but I will let you know when you can reopen. Until then no one goes on the site without a police escort. Is that clear?”
“Crystal,” said Luke, fighting the urge to grind his teeth. “Let me know as soon as we can start construction again. I trust you won’t take any longer than is absolutely necessary.”
Agent McCellan gave him a smile which said he’d be taking as long as he damn well pleased. Luke ushered Claire to the elevator, trying not to think about the tens of thousands of dollars he was going to lose every day the job was shut down.
“CAN THEY DO THAT? SHUT down the job for as long as they want?” Claire asked Mason when they were outside the precinct.
“I’m afraid so. We’ll stay on top of it and push as hard as we can, but until they declare the site open, there isn’t much we can do.”
Claire felt Luke strung tight beside her. She was worried about getting her draw in time. If they didn’t finish the rough-in, they didn’t get paid, and she wasn’t sitting on a buffer of capital. Until the flip sold, she was running with very narrow margins. But her concerns were nothing compared to Luke’s. She couldn’t imagine how much all of this must be costing him. Equipment, interest and now on top of everything significant legal fees.
She’d liked Mason as much as she probably could a lawyer. It had been reassuring to have him with her, especially when the ATF agent showed up. Even though she hadn’t done anything wrong, she couldn’t help but feel guilty with the lawyer sitting next to her.
“Keep me posted,” said Luke.
“Of course,” said Mason. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Ms. English.”
Claire thanked him and shook his offered hand. Luke held the door for her and she climbed inside, trying to shake off the unease she’d been feeling since she found Sparks in the storage container with the detective. When she glanced over at Luke, his jaw was clenched so tight she worried he might crack his molars. She reached for his hand, letting her fingers curl over his on the gear shift, but she was too fried to think of anything reassuring to say.
Luke started the car but he didn’t shift out of park. “Well fuck,” he said.
“That about covers it.”
“Are you okay?” He turned to face her, his expression softening slightly.
“Yes.” And she was; she was just feeling a little overwhelmed. Without knowing how long the job would be shut down, she had no idea how to plan for her crew or her payroll. The flip was on hold until the cabinets showed up. She was used to moving forward as fast as she could all the time. The ATF brought everything to a forced stop. Everything but her mind. It was spinning at faster than its normal pace. “I want to stop thinking about it. I hate running in circles after things I can’t change.”
“Let’s go away.”
“We can’t do that.” But as she said it something in her heart sprang to life.
“Why not? Did the police tell you not to go anywhere?”
“No, but I can’t just run out on my crew.”
“We can be home tomorrow if you want.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s after three. Most of your crew is probably home already. The rest of them are being interviewed by the ATF agents. You can’t be around for that anyway. Come on, Claire. Where do you want to go?”
Why couldn’t they go? He was right. She couldn’t do anything at Ashton Court or the flip. “You pick,” she said with a grin. “Someplace that will make me forget everything but you.”
“I know the perfect place,” he said, his smile matching hers.
THREE HOURS LATER Luke handed his keys to an obviously excited valet and helped Claire out of the car and through the doorway of one of the most beautiful hotels she’d ever seen. She hadn’t meant to, but she’d dozed off on the drive so she hadn’t had much time to think about where they were going. When she pointed out to Luke that she didn’t have any clothes or luggage, he said not to worry he’d take care of it. He’d already proved that he could, but standing in the elegant lobby wearing her grubby work clothes had her rethinking everything.
It was bad enough standing between Luke and Mason earlier when they were impeccably dressed in their tailored suits and she was wearing her jeans and T-shirt. Walking into the lobby on Luke’s arm and seeing all the elegantly dressed woman give them the once over made her want to shrink into the Aubusson. So she did what she always did when she was uncomfortable. She threw her shoulders back, stood up as tall as her five feet four inches would allow and walked through the lobby like she owned the place.
“It’s such an unexpected pleasure to see you, Mr. Masters,” said a man she assumed was the concierge or a manager. He met them partway across the lobby and led them to a smaller elevator. He swiped a key card and the doors slid open. “After you.”
Claire got on the elevator, trying hard to ignore the reflection of the construction worker standing next to the incredibly sexy billionaire developer. Luke caught her gaze and laughed out loud. The really funny thing was that part of her knew on some instinctive level that he was laughing at her for worrying and not for what she looked like. He caught her hand, twining his fingers with her before bringing her hand to his lips. The warm pressure of his lips on her hand sent desire unfurling deep in her stomach. She still couldn’t believe the effect he had on her body with just a simple touch.
The elevator doors slid open and the concierge got out sliding the key card through another lock and opening the door to a gorgeous penthous
e suite with a spectacular view of the city below. Claire walked to the window and gazed down on the city starting to get ready for the night. The sun was sinking and lights were coming on in the buildings below.
“The items you requested are in the other room,” said the concierge handing Luke an envelope with a key card. “Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
“Can you arrange a car for us in about forty-five minutes?”
“Of course,” he said and Claire stifled a giggle.
She’d gotten so used to people jumping to do what Luke needed she’d almost forgotten the your wish is my command tone some people used. The concierge had it in spades. She could almost hear the words even though he never actually said them. Luke caught her eye and winked. She loved how in tune they were. She didn’t have to say things to know he understood what she was thinking. The concierge bowed his way out of the room. When he was gone, Claire wrapped her arms around Luke’s waist.
“So why don’t you show me the items you requested,” she said mimicking the other man’s words.
“Your wish is my command.” He smacked her ass, sending her toward the bedroom with a squeal.
When she opened the door she saw wisps of black lace and silk garments laid out on the bed. There were stockings, four inch high fuck me pumps and a corset with what she could only assume was a skirt. It was so short she couldn’t be sure. She fingered the delicate lace, marveling at the intricate work that went into making the beautiful garments. When she glanced over her shoulder at Luke, she found him watching her, his gaze dark and hungry.
“I’m going to step outside so you can get dressed,” he said. “Because if I stay in this room with you, I’m going to fuck you until tomorrow and I don’t want to be late tonight. You have half an hour.” He closed the door, leaving Claire standing beside the bed with her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest.
She opened her mouth to ask for what but he was gone, and she didn’t think poking her head out the door would get her the response she was looking for. At least she could get out of her work clothes and into something more appropriate. But when she looked around, she didn’t find anything except what was laid out on the bed. Surely he didn’t expect her to go out wearing just that. It wasn’t much more than lingerie.
