The Killing Game(25)

“The foundation’s been poured and framing’s started.”

He headed back on the road that would take them to his office and her car. “And Brian threatened sabotage this morning.”

“That’s what it sounded like.”

“If that’s true, most likely they’ll wait until the construction’s further along, really make it hurt you. Better make sure you’ve got good insurance.”

“I’m sure that’s all in place, but I’ll check. Carter’ll love that,” she admitted with a grimace.

“He doesn’t like you checking on him?”

“Not a bit. Since Greg’s death, he’s the point man. Emma’s not around and he thinks of me as the interloper.”

“Why isn’t Emma around?”

Andi hesitated, but then thought, what the hell. Holding back wasn’t going to help anyone. “She’s less reliable.”

“Irresponsible?”

“She drinks.”

“Ahh . . . Do the Carreras know that?”

“Probably.”

They didn’t talk further until he’d pulled in next to her Tucson. Then he leaned an arm on the steering wheel and looked at her. “Okay, I’m going to tell you a few things. You decide what you want to do about them.”

“Okay . . .”

“First off, I think you’re absolutely right. Brian Carrera threatened you and the lodge project. Just as an FYI, there’s no negotiating with the Carreras. They’ll find your weaknesses, which includes your sister-in-law’s drinking and your pregnancy, and exploit them.”

“I told you, they don’t know I’m pregnant.”

“But they will.” He lifted a finger to stop her next objection. “Second, I agree that you need protection. That note was left for you and was likely another threat from them. I don’t like the idea of you living in some out-of-the-way cabin—”

“It’s not that out of the way.”

“—where the security’s already been breached. Which leads me to number three: I would step up security at the construction site, and also, I think you do need a bodyguard.”

“Like I said, I’ll sleep on it.”

“You’ve got my cell number. Call me when you decide, or if anything happens. In the meantime, I’m going to go on the offensive with the Carreras.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know who Ted Bellows was?”

“Was,” she repeated. Then, “Oh. Yes. The guy who died in the boat accident with one of the Carreras.”

“After refusing to sell his lake property to them. Bolchoy talked to Bellows’s widow, but then she clammed up and wouldn’t say anything further. She’s scared, but it’s been a while. I’m going to make a run at her again.”

Andi opened the door, then looked back and met his gaze. “I get the feeling you were just waiting to be unleashed.”

His answer was a quicksilver smile. “Maybe,” he said.





Chapter Six



Andi arrived at Wren Development at twenty to ten and went to her makeshift office. Greg had occupied the largest corner office, but since his death Carter had taken it over. He’d actually asked Emma and Andi if they thought it would be all right, which was a total surprise. At the time Emma had been shaky, grieving, and hungover, and Andi had been dazed and grieving herself, so they’d both shrugged and said it was fine with them.

Though it wasn’t officially hers, because she wasn’t officially an employee, Andi had been given Carter’s old office. Emma was happy enough with the windowless one next to the break room, apparently, though her husband, Ben, had bitched long and loud about the inequity. Carter had told Ben that Emma could have any damn office she wanted, but she chose that one. He’d added meanly that it was next to the break room, where Emma filled up glasses of ice for the bottle she kept in her desk—a lie—but Ben had left in a cold rage. Emma hadn’t given a rat’s ass one way or the other. Even detached as she’d felt, Andi had asked Carter if there was something they should do to help her, but Carter had thrown up his hands and demanded, “What? Rehab? We tried that once and she got pissed off and checked herself out, and Ben won’t lift a finger to help. All he cares about is Wren money.”

He wasn’t completely wrong about Ben, and Emma ignored Andi and Carter’s hints about getting things under control, so the situation remained unresolved.

Andi hadn’t seen Emma in a few weeks; she’d been too involved in her move and trying to figure out why she was feeling so enervated. Now, she headed into the conference room early, already wishing the meeting was over. She had things to do, and since meeting with Luke, she felt a bit like a traitor to the Wrens, though there was no rational cause for that she could think of. Carter just had a way of making her feel like an outsider making outsider choices. She knew he wouldn’t like Luke being involved even peripherally with the Wren family.

And what do you think of Luke?

Her mouth curved, and immediately she dropped the smile from her lips, disconcerted. I feel safe, she told herself. Safer, at any rate. She didn’t know if she needed a full-on bodyguard, but Luke knew the Carreras and what they were capable of all too well, and he wanted, maybe even more than she did, to put them away. That was what counted: for her, for the Wrens, and for her baby.