Page 59 of Possess

“But I’ve done nothing wrong.” That meant she’d see less of Zeke. Her tummy tightened. Damn Rudy. He was friends with the guys from Starr Construction. Hell, he went out for beers with them, but because she was female, it was different? It shouldn’t be, but it was.

“I know that. My boss does too, but he’s getting pressure from his boss, and for the moment, they’re thinking this is the solution.”

Allyson shook her head and pulled her files. She had five for Riggs and two for Starr. “How are we going to do this?”

“Give me job 1836, 1978, and 4432 from Riggs.” She pulled the files and handed them to him. “I left you the other two jobs for specific reasons. I’m checking with Rudy later to get jobs for you.”

“All right.” She wondered why he left her those two jobs. She’d barely looked at them. Actually, the permit and the plans on one of them came through Friday as she was leaving.

“I’m sorry about this, Allyson. I have no choice here.” Wes stood. “I know your work is above board.”

“Thanks, Wes. It’s not your fault.” She watched him leave her office, then her phone rang. “This is Allyson.”

“Good morning,” Zeke’s rich tone soothed her nerves.

“Good morning. What can I do for you?” She wondered why he was calling.

“I was wondering if you could meet me on one of the jobs this morning?”

She pulled up her calendar. Her morning was open. “Sure. Which job?” She hoped it wasn’t one she just gave to Wes for Rudy.

“2982, technically, still within the county’s jurisdiction.”

Allyson opened the file. “Right on the edge in the unincorporated area.”

“Yep. Can you meet me there at eleven?”

“Sure. I got the permit and the plans on Friday.”

“Yes. Pull into the parking lot when you get here, and I’ll come out with the owner. There’s some paperwork we have to discuss before we start.”

She looked at the file. “You’re being mysterious.”

“You’ll understand why. See you in a couple of hours.” The line went dead.

Allyson spread the small version of the plans on her desk but couldn’t see anything different about this job. It looked like a remodel on an existing building. She read the permit over, and yep, it was clearly a remodel of business space. Okay. She’d put the address into her phone GPS because it was off the beaten track, and she didn’t want to get lost.

* * * *

At five after eleven, Allyson pulled over to the side of the road. She was lost. Her GPS couldn’t even figure out where this place was. It had only taken her so far, and she thought she could figure it out. Nope. She dialed Zeke’s number.

“Allyson, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. But I’m lost.”

“I should have picked you up or at least met you and had you follow me. Where are you?”

She told him where she was on the main road and the mile marker post. “Okay, can you put your phone on speaker, you’re nearly here.”

“On speaker.” Allyson placed her phone in the holder.

“Go straight, once you hit mile marker fifteen, go about a quarter of a mile, and on the left you’ll see a driveway. Turn into the driveway and follow it. It will bring you to the parking lot.”

“All right.” Allyson spied the road marker and noted the mileage, then kept her eyes peeled. Yep, there it was. She missed it driving back and forth. “I’m good now. See you in a minute.”

Allyson pulled into the parking lot and a big… She wanted to call it a house, but it didn’t have any windows. Zeke and another man stood next to Zeke’s truck. She parked next to Zeke.

He was at her door before she could open it. “I forgot how hard this place is to find if you don’t know where it is,” he said.

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