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“I have a bad feeling about this,” she said. “Like, all of it.”
“I know.”
“Did you tell Slash you think Kurt’s sabotaging you?”
I shook my head. “He doesn’t know about the bank. And he doesn’t know about Ella. She finally got back to me, by the way. Her landlord had a cash offer from the Smith Corporation, but that’s all she really knew. So, it turns out we were right. Kurt was involved in buying that building, and it looks a lot like the landlord couldn’t sell it so long as tenants still had valid leases.”
“Has Kurt been in contact?”
“Nope. I keep waiting for him to pop up like a jack-in-the-box, but he hasn’t been around. But I guess neither have I. I haven’t been at the bakery much lately, and when I have been, Duke’s been here. Pretty sure that Kurt knows I have a protector now. You know? Like he’s not going to walk in, demand I sell the building and then leave. Not if Duke is here.”
“Do you think he’s going to threaten you at some point?”
“I think he’s been attempting to throw roadblocks in my way, but subtly. And not a big deal when dealt with one at a time. The health inspection, the missing money—that was him trying to up his game. People who do that type of thing don’t just disappear; they ramp things up.”
“Do you think he’s the owner of the Smith Corporation? Or do you think he just works for them?”
I sighed. “Only one way to figure it out.” I pulled out my phone.
Jazz’s expression was pinched.
“The not knowing is worse than the knowing.”
“You don’t know what theknowingis,” she said.
“Hence the phone call.” I unlocked my phone and scrolled to Kurt’s number.
“You saved his number?”
“Yes. In case I wanted to block it or screen and send to voicemail.”
“Smart.”
I touched the screen and then put it on speaker. As it rang, I placed my finger in front of my lips and Jazz nodded.
He answered on the second ring. “This is Kurt Antol.”
“Kurt,” I began. “This is Brooklyn Palmer.”
“Brooklyn,” he said, his tone pleasant. “How nice to hear from you. Have you decided to sell your building?”
“Nope. It’s not for sale.”
“Too bad. I’m prepared to make you a very generous offer.”
“You or your boss?”
He paused. “Does it matter?”
He’s not the boss,Jazz mouthed.
“Why do you want this building?”
“It’s prime real estate,” he said. “Surely, you’ve noticed the renaissance occurring in this area.”
“I’ve noticed.” Something in my brain clicked into place. Instead, I decided to let the line out and allow the bait to dangle. “How much are you willing to give me for the building?”
“A million five.”
