Page 19 of Heart of Stone
“Well, fuck,” Stone mutters, leaning back in his seat.
“It’s not just utilities,” I add, spreading out the notes I’ve been collecting. “Code violations appearing out of nowhere. Health and safety inspections. Noise complaints.”
“They’re manufacturing problems,” Stone growls.
“Then swooping in to ‘save’ people with quick cash offers,” I confirm. “But only on properties they want.”
Mack pushes his glasses up his nose, frowning at my notes. “There’s a pattern here.”
“Yeah.” I tap the map. “They’re creating a corridor. Look—the Wilson place, the old factory, now these three houses. They’re boxing in the elderly residents first.”
“Easiest targets,” Lee says, his voice hard.
Duck clears his throat. “Martha Wilson swore she’d never sell. Her daddy built that house.”
“She said she’d accepted an offer last week. Amazing what foreclosure threats can do,” I say. “Especially when you’re on a fixed income and suddenly facing ‘urgent’ repairs from code violations.”
“Fuckers,” Tank mutters.
Stone studies the map, his expression thunderous. “We had a chat with some of the contractors who’ve been walking into town. Got one drunk last night. He said equipment’s arriving next week for the factory lot. Once construction starts…”
“The surrounding houses become unlivable,” Axel finishes. “Noise, dust, traffic—those old folks won’t last a month.”
“We need to slow them down,” I say. “Create enough delays that they miss their permit deadlines.”
“And protect our people,” Lee adds. He looks at his father. “We’ve already lost one brother to these assholes, and we’ll be damned if we let them drive out the folks who built this town.”
Stone nods slowly. “Duck, how’re those shell companies coming?”
“Paperwork’s clean. We can start buying properties tomorrow, lease them back to the original owners at fair rates.”
“Good.” Stone’s eyes meet mine. “Your neighbor—she notice anything about last night?”
I think of Andi, exhausted on her porch with three kids to feed and no power. “Not yet. But she might if we got guys coming and going at all hours.”
“Keep an eye on her,” Stone orders. “If we’re right and Summit’s targeting the street…”
He doesn’t need to finish. We all know what happens to people who stand in Summit’s way.
“I got it covered,” I say, ignoring Duck’s knowing look.
“Got some more intel from our new bestie Rico,” Lee adds, stretching his long legs under the table. “Summit’s got ties to the cartels. They’re running money through their developments, cleaning it.”
“Explains the pressure to build,” Axel says. “Can’t launder what isn’t there.”
“Any proof?” Stone asks his son.
“Nothing solid,” Lee replies.
Stone nods, stroking his beard in thought. “We need to be smart about this. Summit’s got reach. One wrong move…”
“What about the utility company?” Tank asks. “They’ve got to be in on it.”
“My cousin works dispatch,” Cash says, his voice like gravel. “Says all the shutoff orders are coming from up top, marked urgent.”
“Follow the money,” Mack mutters, making notes.
I think about Andi again, about those kids. About all the other families Summit is targeting.
