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“There’s this guy, Preston Bradford. He’s building the mansion on the river north of town.”
“And?”
“He’s up to something shady.”
“Z—”
“No, listen. I overheard him talking to his buddy about some girl and molding her to do their recruiting for them. I’m telling you, something was off about it. Can’t you make up an excuse to pull him over and search his car?”
“No,” he said, his voice sharp with exasperation. “I can’t pull him over because you think he’s up to something.”
“Damn it, Garrett, I know I’m right. Can’t you at least look into him? Do some research or whatever?”
“On what grounds?”
“I don’t know. There’s apparently a girl in a cabin and the other guy wanted to go blow off steam with her and Preston wouldn’t let him.”
“Nothing you’re saying makes sense.”
“I know. I don’t know what he was talking about either, but my gut tells me there’s something going on out here.”
“I can’t arrest someone on someone else’s gut feeling, Z. Especially yours.”
I groaned in frustration. “Fine, but when it turns out I’m right, I’m absolutely throwing it in your face.”
I ended the call and tossed my phone on the passenger seat.
My phone buzzed with a call. It was the foreman. That was weird. Was he here? Didn’t matter, it was good timing. I needed to tell him I was off the job.
“Zachary Haven,” I answered.
“You’re fired.”
Wait, what?
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’re fired. Don’t come to the job site again or you’ll be escorted off. Final check is in the mail.”
Before I could ask why, he hung up.
A jolt of anger surged through me. That asshole. He couldn’t fire me. What the hell?
The hairs on my arms stood on end. It felt like I was being watched. I lifted my gaze and there he was. Preston Bradford stood not twenty feet away, arms crossed, staring at me. His eyes were narrowed in a hard glare.
It was him. He’d told the foreman to fire me.
But why the fuck did he care about some random electrician working on his stupid mansion?
And then I realized, this was about Marigold. I was the competition and somehow he knew it.
In that moment, something inside me changed. I could have decided to beat this guy because I wanted to win. Because I wanted to show him I was the better man. He could fire me, I didn’t give a shit, I was going to get the girl. Marigold was going to be mine.
But that wasn’t it.
I was still going to win Marigold. But not for myself. It wasn’t about me anymore. In that face, I saw evil. I didn’t know how I knew, but I was sure of it. There was a malevolence in his face that went far beyond jealousy over a woman. In that moment, I got a glimpse of the devil.
And I made a choice.
