said.
Mattie gave it some thought. “Maybe that’s a good idea.” She told herself it wasn’t just an excuse to see him. This was about Angel. She didn’t really think Gabe would believe the boy had set the second fire, but she had to be sure.
And the more she thought about it, two fires involving Raines Construction likely meant Gabe was the target. The thought worried her more than she would have liked.
“Do you know where the building was?”
“On McKinney. On the news they said it was near Bryan.”
Mattie set a hand on Angel’s thick shoulder. “If the fire happened last night, there’s a good chance Gabe will be down there this morning. Come on, let’s go find him.”
The wooden floor of the trailer shook a little under Gabe’s weight. The walls were bare except for working plans for some of his projects, and his framed contractor’s license.
His secretary, Becky Marvin, stared at the computer on her desk at the opposite end.
“I guess you heard about the fire.”
She turned and nodded. “I saw it on TV this morning. That’s why I came in. I thought you might need me for something.”
“I’m glad you’re here. It’s looking like the two fires are connected and if they are, that means someone may be targeting me specifically. Have you noticed anyone suspicious hanging around here at Greenwood, or have any of the crew been acting strangely over the past few weeks?”
“Sorry, boss, I haven’t noticed a thing. At least nothing out of the ordinary. Hank Munro was in here a couple of weeks ago grumbling. Said you were working the black guys harder than the white guys. I told him I was the one who did the scheduling and I don’t pay any attention to the color of a man’s skin.”
“You convince him?”
She shrugged. “It was the truth. Up to him whether he believes it or not.”
“Anything else?”
“Benny Jervis was in here bitching. Said you owed him a raise after the job he’s been doing, but he’s always bitching about something. It’s nothing more than the day-to-day crap.”
Gabe made a mental note to talk to the two men, see how deep their animosity ran. As far as he was concerned, Becky was probably right and it was nothing more than the usual bullshit. Still, he couldn’t afford to leave any stone unturned.
Becky went back to work and Gabe sat down to do some digging, try to figure out which security company to hire. He also intended to install security cameras around each job site. He’d just never been much of a high-tech guy and until now hadn’t really seen a need for them, at least until the job was finished.
His cell phone rang. That weird sixth sense he and his brothers seemed to have when one of them was in trouble kicked in and Gabe knew instinctively either Jackson or Devlin was on the line.
He flipped open the phone. The caller ID belonged to his younger brother. “Hey, Dev.”
“Haven’t heard from you in a while,” Dev said. “Thought I’d better call and see if you’re still alive and kicking.”
After Dev left the rangers, he had started working as a private investigator. The stock market was climbing, and with the money he’d saved over the years, Dev invested like crazy. As Gabe and Jackson had done, Dev had also invested in Wildcat Oil.
The stock took off and Dev made enough to start his own private investigation firm in Phoenix, which later became a chain of security companies with branches in L.A. and San Diego. At thirty-two, Dev was “mostly retired,” which meant he still did detective work, but only took the cases that interested him. And was always willing to help his brothers.
“Where are you?” Gabe asked. “I thought you were spending a couple of weeks on your boat in San Diego.” Dev owned a forty-foot sailboat he kept in a slip in Mission Bay. Since he lived in Scottsdale, he didn’t get there all that often, but with a branch in the area, he used it whenever he was in town.
“The lady I took with me kept
Mattie gave it some thought. “Maybe that’s a good idea.” She told herself it wasn’t just an excuse to see him. This was about Angel. She didn’t really think Gabe would believe the boy had set the second fire, but she had to be sure.
And the more she thought about it, two fires involving Raines Construction likely meant Gabe was the target. The thought worried her more than she would have liked.
“Do you know where the building was?”
“On McKinney. On the news they said it was near Bryan.”
Mattie set a hand on Angel’s thick shoulder. “If the fire happened last night, there’s a good chance Gabe will be down there this morning. Come on, let’s go find him.”
The wooden floor of the trailer shook a little under Gabe’s weight. The walls were bare except for working plans for some of his projects, and his framed contractor’s license.
His secretary, Becky Marvin, stared at the computer on her desk at the opposite end.
“I guess you heard about the fire.”
She turned and nodded. “I saw it on TV this morning. That’s why I came in. I thought you might need me for something.”
“I’m glad you’re here. It’s looking like the two fires are connected and if they are, that means someone may be targeting me specifically. Have you noticed anyone suspicious hanging around here at Greenwood, or have any of the crew been acting strangely over the past few weeks?”
“Sorry, boss, I haven’t noticed a thing. At least nothing out of the ordinary. Hank Munro was in here a couple of weeks ago grumbling. Said you were working the black guys harder than the white guys. I told him I was the one who did the scheduling and I don’t pay any attention to the color of a man’s skin.”
“You convince him?”
She shrugged. “It was the truth. Up to him whether he believes it or not.”
“Anything else?”
“Benny Jervis was in here bitching. Said you owed him a raise after the job he’s been doing, but he’s always bitching about something. It’s nothing more than the day-to-day crap.”
Gabe made a mental note to talk to the two men, see how deep their animosity ran. As far as he was concerned, Becky was probably right and it was nothing more than the usual bullshit. Still, he couldn’t afford to leave any stone unturned.
Becky went back to work and Gabe sat down to do some digging, try to figure out which security company to hire. He also intended to install security cameras around each job site. He’d just never been much of a high-tech guy and until now hadn’t really seen a need for them, at least until the job was finished.
His cell phone rang. That weird sixth sense he and his brothers seemed to have when one of them was in trouble kicked in and Gabe knew instinctively either Jackson or Devlin was on the line.
He flipped open the phone. The caller ID belonged to his younger brother. “Hey, Dev.”
“Haven’t heard from you in a while,” Dev said. “Thought I’d better call and see if you’re still alive and kicking.”
After Dev left the rangers, he had started working as a private investigator. The stock market was climbing, and with the money he’d saved over the years, Dev invested like crazy. As Gabe and Jackson had done, Dev had also invested in Wildcat Oil.
The stock took off and Dev made enough to start his own private investigation firm in Phoenix, which later became a chain of security companies with branches in L.A. and San Diego. At thirty-two, Dev was “mostly retired,” which meant he still did detective work, but only took the cases that interested him. And was always willing to help his brothers.
“Where are you?” Gabe asked. “I thought you were spending a couple of weeks on your boat in San Diego.” Dev owned a forty-foot sailboat he kept in a slip in Mission Bay. Since he lived in Scottsdale, he didn’t get there all that often, but with a branch in the area, he used it whenever he was in town.
“The lady I took with me kept
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