Page 59 of Crude Heir

I hesitate, the strap halfway over my head, gauging the path to the apartment. The floor is even and relatively dry in the garage. Once we get inside, we’ll take the elevator, so she should be okay to move around on her own. “We’ll go at your pace.”

“Thank you,” she murmurs, a trace of gratitude in her voice.

We take our time, strolling into the building then over to the elevators. After a quick ride up, the doors open to reveal the runner leading to the corporate apartment. Nicole seems a little uneasy as we step into the hallway.

Once we make it to the apartment, I unlock the door, holding it for her to enter. She steps in ahead of me, but we barely make it inside when my phone rings.

Somehow, I know my plans of laying Nicole out on my bed are going to be put on hold.

I pull my phone, checking the screen while I set her bag down. I grin when I read the name. Pressing the button, I bring the cell up to my ear.

“Hey, bro,” Addler’s familiar voice comes over the line.

“Hey.” I recognize Addler’s voice immediately, despite the loud hum in the background. He must be on the highway. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, we’re just getting back to the apartment.”

“Good. We’re just headed home, too.” He sounds unusually cheerful. “I have Elena with me in the truck.” Ah, the woman he claimed wasn’t “his girl.” That explains the cheer. “I won’t keep you. Just wanted to see if you found anything else.”

“We’re down to the last two ranches, yours being one of them,” I add.

“Shit,” he mutters, clearly not thrilled with the situation.

“And there’s a lot more money involved than what we originally thought.” Though it may not all be on his property. “Think you might be able to take a look around some of the locations where Kelly Oil & Gas has been doing business?”

“What are we looking for?”

“Verification. We need to confirm the work being done on paper is actually being done in the field.”

“Damn it. Simon Kelly’s due to come in tomorrow morning to announce the construction division has been sold.”

“Think you can do it before then?” I ask, considering the urgency.

“We’ve had a few snake incidents over the past few days,” Elena’s voice, slightly muffled, comes through the line. “I don’t know if going out at night would be safe.”

“Not if you want to keep this on the down-low,” Addler admits.

“Fuck.” My frustration builds.

“I can wrangle Ezequiel,” he offers.

“Sage can help, too,” Elena suggests.

“We can’t send her out on her own,” he states.

“What about with Bill?” she quickly counters.

“How about we put her with Ezequiel? We can send Bill to get Simon at the airport. He can figure out a way to delay if needed.”

“That sounds like a plan,” she agrees.

“Damn it. I wish I could help with that.” They’re doing everything for me, while I’m pretty much just sitting on my ass after putting him in this predicament. “Maybe we can still catch a flight down.”

“If you’re willing to come, I can send the plane,” Addler offers generously.

Why didn’t I think of that? I put the phone to my shoulder. “You up for a trip to South Texas?” I ask her.

“Sure,” she replies, the tension in her expression betraying her nervousness.

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