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“What happened?” Linc asks, suddenly standing so close to me that I can make out the gold flecks in his dark eyes.
His fingers are digging into my upper arms. When had he reached out to grab me? I don’t remember. One second, I’d been cursing and the next, Linc had grabbed me. I try not to focus on the feel of his large hands wrapped around my arms or just how close he’s standing right now. And I’m definitely not trying to breathe in the scent of him so I can dwell on it later when I’m alone. Self-care Saturday is sounding damned good right now.
“Harlow?” Linc says, giving me a little shake.
I’m glad he did because I think I was ridiculously close to burying my face in his chest and sniffing him for all I’m worth. Shaking off those thoughts, I focus on the present.
“Damned thing shocked me,” I say looking toward the outlet where I’d just attempted to plug in the vacuum.
Linc doesn’t look away from my face. It’s as if he’s studying me to make sure I’m okay. To be honest, I'm more surprised by my reaction to his nearness than the shock of the outlet.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Piper asks, clearly worried.
I drag my gaze away from Linc’s to give her what I hope is a reassuring smile.
“I’m fine. I promise. It scared me more than anything.”
Linc releases my arms only to take my hand in both of his. My heart jumps into my throat at the feel of his big hands enveloping mine.Don’t freak out,I tell myself.He’s just making sure you’re okay. That’s all.But I can’t help but glue my eyes to our joined hands to try and memorize the sight. He inspects my hand as if looking for a wound. I try not to think about the way his skin feels against mine or the way I don't want him to stop touching me. My heart is pounding so loud I'm surprised the others don't hear it. When Linc doesn't find a wound, he seems satisfied and releases me. I look up at him to find that his expression has shifted from concern to something else.
“When’s the last time someone took a look at the wiring in this building?”
I almost don’t recognize Linc’s voice. It’s hard and angry. The smile from a few moments before is gone and the dim light from the front windows makes his dark eyes look almost sinister. His jaw is clenched, and I can see a muscle ticking there. He’s waiting for me to answer his question. I try to think back.
“Um,” I say. “I’m not sure. There haven’t been any problems before now. I guess when I bought the place. There was an inspection.”
Linc’s eyes darken even further. “Who did the inspection?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. The guy the realtor recommended.”
Linc closes his eyes and pulls in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. I’ve never seen him like this. He looks pissed off, but I don’t understand why.
“Was it Todd Ralston?” he asks.
“Yes!” I say, pointing at him. “That was his name. Why?”
“Because Todd Ralston was arrested for fraud last year,” he says. “It turns out he wasn’t a licensed contractor and never has been. He’d take people’s money, do a half-assed inspection, and throw out a couple of easy fixes to make it look convincing. He passed a lot of buildings that weren’t even up to code.”
A sinking feeling spreads in my gut. “What are you saying?”
He turns his dark eyes on me. “I’m saying that this old building of yours might need more than a couple of new pipes.”
Chapter 5
Linc
Harlow hasn’t said much since I told her that her inspection was most likely bogus. She looks worried and a little pissed off, but that’s to be expected when you find out your livelihood might be on the line because of someone else’s greed. I keep hearing her shout of pain and that pop that I’d known immediately was the sound of electricity arcing. For a split second, I’d imagined the worst. I’d pictured her small frame falling to the floor, lifeless. It had been enough to make my own heart stutter.
I try not to think about the fear that shot through me at the possibility of something bad happening to Harlow. Instead, I focus on the anger I feel at her shoddy realtor who didn’t do his homework and find a licensed inspector. Not to mention Ralston himself. The piece of shit. He’s lucky he’s already in jail. I’d love to get my hands on him. Faulty wiring can start fires or electrocute people. His shitty work could get someone killed. Harlow’s lucky this place hasn’t caught fire while she was asleep upstairs.
That brings me right back to my fear over Harlow being shocked by that outlet. Which just puts me into a shitty mood. I was at work earlier when Luke called to ask if I had a spare wet/dry vac. When he told me the reason he needed it, I’d left right away. But I hadn’t lied to Harlow. I’d been mostly finished with the job when I left. Still, I’d planned to drop off the vacuum and go back to check on any last-minute issues before calling it a day. I’d hoped to have time to clean up a bit before meeting the seller about those tools. But I’d taken one look at the mess in Harlow’s shop and seen the worry in her eyes and decided to stay. It had nothing to do with the way her wet shirt had been clinging to her body. Nothing at all.
The cleanup had looked worse than it was. It hadn’t taken long for the four of us to clear out the bulk of the water and the water-logged items. I think most of it is salvageable. The floors are quality, sealed tile so they’ll survive. But I have a feeling those pipes are as old as the building itself. And I have real concerns about the wiring now. I try not to let my concern show as I search for the fuse box. It doesn’t take long for me to assess the situation.
“I hate to say it, but we have to go soon if we’re going to make dinner with Art,” Luke says, coming up behind me with Piper at his side.
“I can skip dinner and help Harlow get this place cleaned up,” Piper says.
“You’ve both done more than enough,” Harlow says. “I already pulled you away from the shop for the afternoon. I refuse to let you miss dinner. Go. I’ll be fine.”
