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“I’m assuming no one admitted to the threats.”
He shook his head and drank almost half of his bottled water. “No, and what I learned a few minutes ago, someone gave them the gun to do the hit. They don’t know who hired them or what they look like.”
Journey sighed and sat back in her chair. “It’s unbelievable what people will do for money, and to accept it without question is just stupid.”
Laz shrugged, but before he could respond, some of the guys strolled in. Ashton and Hamilton were the only ones she hadn’t seen today. They greeted her with hugs before making a beeline to the food.
Laz had mentioned that the guys had eaten, but apparently, it hadn’t been the ones in the room. Their plates were piled high as if they hadn’t eaten in days.
“I’m sorry about the ambush at the courthouse, Jay,” Hamilton said when he sat across from her with his plate of food. “And Laz, I put a call in to the person who told me they’d keep a lid on that situation. Needless to say, they were surprised and said that they would research the situation. They’ll get back to me.”
“Thanks, man,” Laz said. “I knew the media would get wind of it at some point. I had hoped it would be after we found out who was behind it.”
“We’ll find them,” Ashton said, sitting next to Journey. “Thanks for trusting us enough to bring us in on your case…well, at least the part regarding the threat to you and Laz.”
Journey should be thanking them. All of them were former detectives, except for Parker, who was former SWAT. They all were the best of the best at their jobs. She had no doubt that together they would find the person who was after her and who had tried taking out her husband.
“I appreciate you all for stepping up to help,” she said. “I won’t be able to give you everything about the case related to Dennis Stratton, but I’ll share what I can. I think the threats have something to do with someone connected to either the merger or the city contract that the company was awarded recently.”
“Egypt did some research on the merger that fell through,” Parker said.
He sat to Laz’s left with two plates of food and a beer in front of him. It never ceased to amaze her how much he ate, despite having no fat anywhere on his muscular body.
“Leverage Construction was in negotiations with the Brockman Group, but we learned from a former Brockman employee that the owner didn’t get along with Dennis Stratton. According to the woman, the company pulled out of the deal after the valuation analysis proved the company wasn’t worth as much as Stratton claimed it was.”
Journey had figured as much after the conversation with Marta. “That leads me to think that the threats aren’t from someone involved with the merger. I’m thinking we focus on employees and the contract,” she said. “Especially since the city just decided to put the project on hold until further notice.”
“Hmm…when did that happen?” Laz asked.
“I found out this afternoon, but I’m not sure when the news will be made public.”
Laz nodded. “Which means a stakeholder, subcontractor, or whoever else was listed in the proposal is going to be seriously pissed that the deal is on hold,” he said as he gently massaged the back of Journey’s neck. His touch felt so good that she had to keep herself from moaning.
“Good point. The threat was to drop Stratton’s case so that it wouldn’t go to trial, which would’ve kept the city from putting the multimillion-dollar contract on hold,” Ashton said. “People do crazy things they wouldn’t normally do when money is at stake.”
“Since the threats didn’t work and money won’t be exchanging hands, someone might be mad enough to actually come after you personally,” Laz added, looking at her with concern.
“They already did that when they attacked you,” Journey said quietly, sadness and a twinge of guilt creeping through her. There was nothing more personal than hurting her family.
Laz pulled her close and placed a kiss against her temple. “I’m talking aboutyou. Someone might try to hurt you physically. We’re going to have your back, but Jay, you’re going to have to be diligent about your safety, too.”
Journey nodded in agreement. She and Laz had already agreed that she would stay the course with the case and not transfer it to someone else. Part of her felt secure knowing that he and the guys would be looking after her. The other part of her wouldn’t breathe normally until the person coming for her was caught.
“I will, and you guys are right about us starting with the contractors listed in Leverage Construction’s initial proposal,” she said, pulling the thick document out of her laptop bag. “I haven’t had a chance to dive into what they submitted to the city yet, and I’m in court much of the day tomorrow. It might be a day or two before I can take my time and go through every page.”
“One of us can do that,” Laz volunteered and agreed to make a copy of the document before they left. “We’ll check out every subcontractor, individual, or business they might’ve listed.”
The longer they brainstormed and divided up tasks, the more Journey appreciated their help. She kept telling herself that she wasn’t breaking any laws or jeopardizing any confidentiality aspects of the case. The thing that made her feel okay about going this route with their task force-like setup was that, together, they’d find the person angry enough to put a hit out on Laz.
The DA’s office could handle everything Supreme’s team was willing to do but not as quickly. For Laz and his coworkers, there was no red tape, no signatures of approval needed, and they could do most things under the radar.
Journey was actually a little jealous of the agency’s freedom, especially since the DA’s office was always under a microscope. They had to operate by the book, and even then, their motives were questioned by individuals and the government.
A knock sounded on the door, and they all turned toward it as Prentice walked in with a manilla file folder.
“Well, look who decided to make an appearance. The all-mighty Prentice Johnson, investigator of all investigators,” Laz cracked, and Journey elbowed him.
“Whatever,Lazarus,”Prentice said with mock disdain, getting a few chuckles from the guys around the table. “I’m too tired and hungry to verbally spar with you tonight.”
