Page 30 of Protecting Lainey (Broterhood Alliance #7)

Finn spent a restless Sunday debating whether to call Lainey or let their kiss simmer. He replayed it so many times. The softness of her body as he held her, her mouth on his, so familiar and yet not. He wanted more.

When Monday morning came around, he was torn between confronting her or pretending nothing had happened.

He checked in with Caleb first. His construction project was on schedule with no problems. That was good news.

A few minutes after seven, he pulled into Lainey’s site. The air was already heavy with humidity. He stepped out of his truck, reached for the carry-out tray, and spotted her.

Lainey was already there, pacing across the sidewalk, phone pressed to her ear.

“No, Haywood Lake, not Lakeland. They’re two different towns. Different counties. Get those windows here today.”

She ended the call with a muttered curse and turned. She froze the moment she saw him standing there holding coffee and donuts.

“It looks like you could use a caffeine and sugar fix,” he said with a grin.

Lainey reached for one of the cups. “Is it too much to hope that there’s whiskey in it?”

“Sorry, no whiskey,” he said as he picked up a pink frosted donut from the box with a napkin and held it out for her. “Will a donut suffice?”

She reached for it with her other hand and took a big bite. “Mmm,” she groaned. “I haven’t had a donut in forever.”

Finn nearly dropped the takeout holder. Her groan went straight to places he was trying hard not to think about. He cleared his throat. “Glad I could help,” he managed.

Before she could answer, a sleek black Mercedes pulled up to the site and parked as if it belonged there. A tall woman stepped out, with flawless hair, heels and a tailored suit that probably cost more than his entire wardrobe. Finn didn’t know who she was, but he already didn’t like her.

Lainey’s smile faded. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Finn leaned in. “Let me guess. Not a friend?”

“Sarah Granger,” she muttered. “State Redevelopment Liaison.”

He blinked. “A what?”

“It’s a state-level consultant that oversees the county’s projects,” she said. “But mostly she just sticks her nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Sarah glanced around the site and then walked over with a practiced smile, like a politician’s smile, on her face. “Lainey, I was in the area and thought I’d stop by.” She looked around the site. “This is quite the undertaking.”

“Yes, it is,” Lainey said coolly. “What brings you here? I didn’t realize you made surprise visits.”

“Oh, sometimes it’s good to get out and see what’s happening on the ground.” She turned her gaze to Finn and gave him a once-over.

“Hi. Sarah Granger. And you are?” She extended her hand to shake.

Finn stepped forward and shook her hand. “Finn Ryder. Security.”

Sarah gave him a cheeky smile, stepped back, and looked at Lainey. “I heard that there’ve been problems here and you hired security.”

“We’re back on track,” Lainey replied tightly.

“Hmm, good to know.” She gave them a tight nod. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just take a quick look around. Strictly off the record, of course.”

“Of course.”

Lainey watched her walk away, tension radiating off her shoulders. “As if this day could get any worse,” she huffed. “Sarah’s here to dig. God, I hope she doesn’t find anything. I’m not sure I can handle any more drama today.”

Sarah made a show of looking around before waving and getting back into her car.

“That was interesting,” said Finn.

Lainey exhaled loudly. “She’s just getting started. Rumor has it Sarah was pulling for another developer.”

They stood in silence for a moment.

Finn took a deep breath. “Lainey…”

CRACK.

It sounded like a gunshot. Lainey ducked.

Then another sharp snap .

“Clear out,” someone yelled.

A worker on the second tier of the scaffolding stumbled back just as a stack of boards shifted sideways. The top corner of the scaffold twisted and collapsed.

Lumber crashed to the ground. One man went down, clutching his leg, shouting in pain.

Finn was already moving. He sprinted across the lot, dragging the injured worker clear as the dust settled around them.

Lainey was right behind him.

“Call 911,” Gus roared from somewhere near the office trailer as he raced over.

It was chaos. Shouts. Dust. Sirens already whining in the distance.

Travis stood by the old warehouse they were renovating well out of the main line of sight but close enough to see everything. The first crack didn’t surprise him.

He didn’t flinch. Didn’t shout. Didn’t run.

Just watched.

The bracket Dean loosened Friday afternoon had done the trick. It held all weekend. It held long enough to pass a casual inspection. It didn’t hold today under the additional weight.

It wasn’t a major collapse. No one died.

But it was enough to rattle everyone and slow things down. Enough to make people question the safety of the site.

He could already see it. The concerns. The delays. Permits under review. And Lainey front and center with fingers pointing straight her way.

Perfect.

The headlines were easy to imagine.

Another safety concern at historic redevelopment site.

He adjusted his tool belt and walked calmly toward the mess, pulling on his gloves like everyone else.

Just another day on the job.

Lainey sat at her desk, rubbing her brow.

When was this going to end? The police had finished taking statements a short time ago.

There was nothing she could tell them. The site was locked over the weekend.

Finn had checked the feeds. No one had access.

It was the only piece of equipment damaged.

Yada yada yada. And they promised to file a report.

The crew had been dismissed for the day with pay. Gus and Finn were walking around the site, checking every bolt and nail.

But she wasn’t done. There was more paperwork to be filled out, and Lainey knew the town would get involved. She only prayed that they didn’t take the project away from her, but after all the problems, she couldn’t guarantee that wouldn’t happen.

A knock on the door jolted her out of her negative thoughts.

“Lainey, the safety inspector is here,” said Gus, poking his head in.

“Crap.” She let out a long breath and stood. “I guess I’d better get this over with.”

Out in the lot, she spotted an older woman in khakis and a navy polo with a clipboard in her hand staring at the twisted scaffolding surrounded by yellow caution tape.

“Why do I feel like I’m going to my doom?” Lainey muttered.

“You’ll be fine,” said Gus beside her. “This is just a blip. These things happen.”

“Happen, yes. But so many on one site?”

He had no answer.

Finn came out of one of the buildings, noticed the woman and made his way over.

“Lainey Harper?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Carmen Ellis from the county Building and Safety Division.” She flipped open a folder, scanning the notes. “I’m here to assess the incident and review your compliance history. I’ll also need access to the site and structural plans for the scaffolding.”

Finn stepped forward before Lainey could respond. “The plans are in Lainey’s office. I can walk you through the site.”

Carmen cocked her head. “And you are?”

“Finn Ryder. Brotherhood Alliance is providing security for the site.”

“Noted.” Her gaze shifted to Gus. “And you are?”

“Gus Navarro, construction foreman.”

“I want a full list of everyone who accessed the scaffold in the past seventy-two hours,” Carmen said. “And the name of whoever signed off on the last safety inspection.”

Gus cleared his throat. “That would be me. But no one flagged anything unusual. It was fine when I checked Friday afternoon after the crew left.”

“No one was here over the weekend,” Finn cut in. “We have security cameras covering every entry point.”

“Who was the last person on it?” Carmen asked.

Gus thought for a minute. “Dean Jacobs. But I signed off after he was down. Nothing unusual.”

Carmen pursed her lips and turned her full attention to Gus. “Well, either you missed something, or someone found a way to get in,” she said.

“Are you implying this was our fault?” asked Lainey. “We don’t know if it was equipment failure or…”

“Or sabotage,” Finn said, stepping forward.

“Unless you have proof of that, Ms. Harper is responsible for site safety, and this could’ve killed somebody.”

“But it didn’t, thank goodness,” Finn replied. “This site is tight. Tighter than most I’ve worked.”

Carmen raised an eyebrow. “Not for me to decide. The council may see it differently. I’ll be filing my report. Expect a hearing.”

She handed Lainey the citation.

Lainey stood frozen for a moment as she took the piece of paper in her trembling hands. Her stomach churned as she walked back to her office.

She wanted to scream. Or cry. Or throw something. But none of that would help. Not when vultures were already circling, waiting for the opportunity to take this project away from her.

Tears threatened to flow down her cheeks, but she swallowed hard. Show no weakness. Be strong.

Damn it. She worked too hard for it to unravel over a piece of paper.

But her mind was already racing.

Would the council close the site down? Issue a temporary stop order? That would mean anywhere from seventy-two hours to a couple of weeks. And she guaranteed the crews’ salaries on the premise that they’d be working, not sitting at home or worse, looking for another job.

Oh God. Did she even have enough money to cover that?

Either way, her reputation was on the line again.

By the time Lainey pushed open her office door and sat at her desk, the weight of it all crashed down on her shoulders.

It wasn’t just the collapse. It was everything all over again. The whispers behind her back. The rumors. The people who thought she couldn’t handle this just because she was young.

Her throat tightened.

Just when she thought her life was back on track, shit happened, and Finn was here to see it.

Perfect timing. Kick the woman when she was down.

Between that and the secrets she buried for ten years, her stress level was maxed out.

What would he say if he knew? What would he do? Would he walk away? Or worse, would he stay and look at her as if she betrayed him all over again?