Page 31 of Protecting Lainey (Broterhood Alliance #7)

Thankfully, she had a reprieve. The council met quickly and placed her on formal notice.

She had ten days to resolve security and operational issues or they would reassign the project to someone else.

While it wasn’t technically a reprieve, at least they hadn’t permanently closed her down.

The site was off-limits to the workers and the public until the issue was resolved.

Finn had pulled strings to get the Brotherhood Alliance conditional access for security improvements.

Still, it felt like one wrong move and everything would come crumbling down. Hell, everything was tumbling down, but she was still standing, and that’s all that counted.

Now all she had to do was come up with the money to pay her crew, since she promised she would. She had the money in a contingency fund, but it was dwindling fast.

Finn asked her to come to the Brotherhood campus so they could go over plans to beef up security. Although she wasn’t sure what else could be done. They already locked the site after hours and placed security cameras around. She didn’t think more cameras would make a difference.

Unless they could catch someone on camera, which seemed to be impossible.

After a restless night, she showered and dressed in a pair of skinny jeans, a sleeveless top and flats. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put on a little makeup. Just enough to cover the dark circles under her eyes. A swish of lipstick and she was ready.

Well, as ready as she could be.

Luke was at school today, thankfully. The drive to the campus from her house took her down Hatcher Avenue, then to Ironwood Drive.

She pulled onto a dirt road past a sweet little cracker house and remembered Joy and Liam lived there.

There were no cars in the driveway, so they were probably at work.

She followed the drive until she came to a large structure with several cars out front.

Exiting her car, she stood for a minute, taking it in. She spotted several cabins in the woods. The whole place was quiet. Peaceful.

She hadn’t expected that. Not from a place full of ex-military men. But maybe that was the point. Maybe after everything they’d seen, they didn’t need noise. Maybe they just needed quiet. A place to breathe.

Taking a deep breath, Lainey opened the door and walked into a long hallway with a kitchen off to one side. Several women were having coffee and waved. One dark-haired woman came over.

“Hi, you must be Lainey. I’m Ava Curtis, Chase’s assistant. The guys have been expecting you.”

Ava led her down the hall past several offices until they turned into a large library. Lainey spotted Finn and several others at a long table.

“Here you go,” said Ava, who turned and left.

“Lainey.” Finn got up and walked over to her. He furrowed his brow. “Nothing to worry about, sweetheart. You know everyone here.”

Sweetheart? He hadn’t called her that in … ten years. Somehow, it calmed her.

He led her in and pulled out a chair. The room was large. A window—no, a mural looked out at the woods. She said hello to Caleb. Dex and Chase were seated at one end, with Dex on the computer.

“Lainey, welcome,” said Chase. “Although I’m sure you wish it was under better circumstances.”

She gave him a small smile. “That’s an understatement. Although I am grateful for all the support and help you’ve given me.”

“You’re welcome.” He glanced around the table. “Finn, give us an update on what’s been done.”

Finn reported on the cameras and how they were securing the site at night.

“Lainey, what did the council say?” asked Chase.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. She took a deep breath. “I have ten business days to fix the problem or I lose the entire project. They didn’t shut me down, but they may as well have. No crew. No work. And I still have to make payroll.”

Chase sat back in his chair and steepled his hands. “I’m not sure what’s going on yet, but someone wants that project bad. Do you have any idea who else wanted it?”

She hesitated for a moment. “There was another company pitching for it. When I was awarded the contract, someone from their team reached out and offered me double.”

Finn stiffened beside her.

“You never mentioned that,” he said.

“I didn’t think it mattered,” she said. “I turned them down.”

Somehow, the words sounded like an excuse, even to her own ears.

“What’s the name?” asked Chase.

“Hearthstone.”

Chase turned to Dex, who was furiously typing. The silence in the room was almost sizzling with tension.

Finally, Dex looked up. “Well, they’re legit.”

“They’re real?” Caleb echoed.

“Yup. They’re based out of Tallahassee. Been around eight, nine years, mostly midsize land development, mixed-use builds, commercial renovations.

They’ve got a professional website, investor reports, and a lot of big projects they are working on.

The VP of Strategic Acquisitions has been on urban growth panels and quoted in trade magazines. ”

“So why the hell would they want this small project in Haywood Lake?” Finn asked.

Dex shrugged. “No idea. But remember Lainey’s part is small. The redevelopment project itself is good size. They’ve got a variety of projects going on, from port authorities, housing districts, to waterfront revitalization. This isn’t something out of their wheelhouse.”

Lainey crossed her arms. “They weren’t happy when I turned them down.”

Chase glanced at Dex. “Any ties to local officials? Council members?”

“Nothing obvious,” Dex said, looking up from his laptop. “No campaign donations or shell filings. Clean on paper. But I’ll keep digging. Sometimes it’s not about money but favors.”

Lainey let out a breath. “So this was just business?”

Dex shrugged. “Apparently.”

Lainey sat back in the chair. Hearthstone might not be crooked, but someone was mighty interested in the project.

And she was running out of time to figure out who.

Finn was watching her, either worry or disappointment in his eyes. It made her stomach twist.

“I should’ve told you,” she said softly.

“You should’ve,” he agreed. “But you’re telling me now. We can work with that.”

Chase cleared his throat. “Okay. We’ll treat Hearthstone as a nonissue for now.”

Dex nodded. “I’ll flag any movement.”

“That part is good news,” said Caleb. “But what are we going to do to keep the site safe?”

All eyes turned to Finn. He leaned forward, elbows braced on the table. “We double down. Lock it up tight.”

“We already have perimeter cameras. What else is there?” asked Lainey.

Chase looked at her. “Overnight patrols, remote alerts, physical checks on the equipment.”

“Motion sensors,” Finn offered. “Trip alerts on the scaffolding and important equipment.”

“Good,” Chase said. “We’ll also have someone swing by during the night, make sure nothing else happens.”

“I can take tonight,” Caleb said.

Lainey frowned. “You mean someone’s staying at the jobsite overnight?”

Finn shook his head. “No one’s staying. Just regular check-ins through the night. But whoever’s messing with you won’t catch us off guard again.”

She rubbed her temples. “The council already thinks I dropped the ball. If they find out I’ve got security posted round the clock, they’ll think things are worse than they are.”

“They are worse,” Finn said gently. “Think about what’s happened. We’ve got to gain control, and we only have ten days to do it.”

She looked around the room. At the men who really didn’t know her. At Finn who thought he did. They were trying to help.

Having people actually care was not something she was used to.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “I hope this works.”

“It will,” said Finn. “And if it doesn’t, we adjust.”

Chase glanced at the clock. “We’ll meet again in a couple of days, see if there’s anything we missed.”

Lainey stood, pushing back her chair. “I can’t thank you enough.”

Dex gave her a two-finger salute. Caleb nodded.

Finn stood too. “I’ll walk you out.”

As they stepped into the hall, the air shifted. It was quieter. Just the two of them.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

“No,” she admitted. “But I’m still standing.”

He nodded once. “You’re not alone, you know.”

“I feel alone,” she said without thinking.

“Lainey, we’re gonna lock this down. Find out who’s behind it so you can get on with your life.”

Her throat tightened. “Why do you care so much?”

He gazed down at her. “Because it’s you.”

She stood there so close to Finn she could feel the heat emanating from him. Then she took a step forward. Just one. But it was enough.

Without a word, Finn opened his arms, and she walked straight into them.

It wasn’t romantic, just a strong, real hold.

Her forehead pressed into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her.

She didn’t cry. But she let herself stay there long enough to breathe him in. Long enough to remember she wasn’t alone.

“Thank you for today. For everything you’ve done.”

“Lainey, you never have to thank me.”

She nodded. Then, with effort, stepped away, gave a little wave, and turned toward the door.

Finn watched her leave, every inch of his body wanting to run after her. Say anything. Do something to convince her she wasn’t alone.

But what?

The hall was silent, much like his mind.

Except for Dex’s voice floating in from down the hall. “So … that was subtle.”

Finn exhaled hard and looked over his shoulder. Dex and Caleb had followed him out and were leaning against the wall with shit-eating grins on their faces.

“I didn’t say a word,” Caleb added, hands up in mock surrender. “And I’m not going to mention that earth-shattering kiss you gave her the other night. But if you two don’t get together soon…”

Finn dragged a hand through his hair. “Fuck off.”

Dex smirked. “We’re just saying security’s not the only thing that needs handling.”

Finn rolled his eyes and turned away. “You’re both fired,” he muttered as he started down the hall.

Behind him, their laughter echoed off the walls and followed him.

He kept walking. What else could he do?

He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since she had walked back into his life. Yeah, he kissed her, and she kissed him back. But what was next? Lainey hadn’t made any overtures that she wanted more.

And he sure as hell wasn’t pushing himself onto her.

Even though he wanted to be with her with every fiber of his body.