Page 22 of Stone
She frowned, her mind scrambling to figure out a way forward that didn’t involve Simon staring at a computer for any length of time. As ideas tumbled through her mind, her gaze landed on a map of the Bayview neighborhood, the new development area outlined in red.
“If we think Lowery had something to do with the decision to designate that area”—she nodded to the image—“as historically important, I wonder what other decisions he’s influenced over time and if Gregor benefited from them.”
“That would be interesting to know,” Monk agreed, eyeing her as if waiting to see what she’d say next.
“Why don’t you look up all of Gregor’s projects since coming to San Francisco, and I’ll cross-reference that with ordinance decisions,” she suggested.
“What am I supposed to do?” Philly whined, only half joking.
“You will cross-reference the time frames of the developments against the crime stats in those areas,” she said, the idea gelling in her head as she spoke.
“And me?”
“We have three sources of information,” she said, pointing to herself, Monk, and Philly. “We need to collate it. Can you start a spreadsheet for us to track the developments, any ordinances that might have impacted them, and crime statistics?”
Both Monk’s and Philly’s eyes flashed with approval. Her plan limited the amount of time he’d be on the computer, but it was still valuable work. Collating the data was their best chance at seeing any patterns.
Simon eyed her, then flickered his gaze to Philly and Monk, both of whom had already started working—or were pretending to.
He sighed and returned his gaze to her. The look he flashed her told her he knew exactly what she was up to. She should feel guilty but didn’t. If he wasn’t going to take care of himself, she would. Besides, it wasn’t as if she’d told him to go make coffee or anything. If he didn’t organize the data, someone else would have to.
“Great, that’s settled then,” she said, forging on. “Let’s hop to.”
12
Four hours later, Stone stared at the spreadsheet capturing all the information Monk, Philly, and Juliana had discovered. Juliana had been right. She might have given him the task because it minimized his exposure to a computer screen, but the data, when viewed as a whole, was pretty fucking interesting.
“Over the past fifteen years, Lowery has supported multiple changes to zoning laws in areas where Gregor has subsequently won a development bid,” he summarized. “And, while the projects were in progress, petty crime in the area kicked up. Nothing too noticeable, but an uptick in car thefts, car break-ins, and home break-ins. Thankfully, no statistical increase in violent crimes.”
“The kind of opportunistic crimes people prone to that way of life would engage in,” Philly said, mulling the data over.
“Especially if they were already in the area,” Monk added.
Beside him, Juliana rubbed her temple, then sighed. “But Gregor also won bids and completed projects outside of San Francisco.” She paused, then let out an exasperated huff. “I know, just because someone engages in criminal activity doesn’tmean they can’t also engage in legitimate business,” she said. Then added, “Not that we know for certain anything criminal is going on. The data looks suspicious, but it’s all circumstantial.”
The group fell silent as sounds from the lodge room began filtering in. His brothers were making their way back from whatever jobs they’d been working during the day. Although, Viper and Lovell were probably headed out, as both were on duty at Rita C’s tonight.
“What does Gregor have over them?” Stone asked. Monk and Philly nodded in agreement over that key question. Juliana appeared thoughtful, her expressive eyes focused on nothing in particular as her mind turned over the information.
She’d pulled her long blond hair into a bun at the nape of her neck and had a pen stuck through it. The first time they’d met, her hair had been in a bun then, too. She’d been wearing a pencil skirt, heels that brought her almost to his height, and a button-down blouse, and fuck him if he hadn’t been struck dumb by the sight.
She was a beautiful woman, all lush curves, intelligent eyes, a quick smile, and with a way of studying things, of considering them, that left no doubt as to how quickly her mind worked. She was also kind and instinctive, had a quirky sense of humor, and seemed willing to keep an open mind about things. Things like visiting a motorcycle clubhouse with a man she barely knew.
Philly’s phone dinged with a text, pulling Stone’s attention from the woman at his side. He read the message, then slid it back into his pocket. “Dinner in thirty minutes,” he said. “You eating here?” Philly asked, his question encompassing both him and Juliana.
Juliana glanced at him.
He held her gaze as he answered. “We haven’t decided yet.”
Philly and Monk shared a look, then both men rose, understanding he needed a few minutes alone with her to sort out their plans for the evening.
“I’ll let you know what I hear from my army contact,” Philly said.
Stone nodded. “We’ll let you know what we decide about tonight,” he replied. A few seconds later, it was just him and Juliana.
“I like them,” she said, her gaze lingering on the door Philly and Monk had disappeared through. “Not that it matters?—”
“It matters,” he said, her tone making him wonder how many times in the past she’d been told what she thoughtdidn’tmatter. Rather than delve into that question now, though, he asked, “What do you want to do tonight?”
