Dance or Die (White Oak - Mafia Series Book 3) (17 page)

“You have no desire to reconcile, do you?”

“Not only do I have no desire, I have no reason to,” he sneered.

She stared at him in shock. There wasn’t an ounce of the old charming Steel remaining. The man before her was horrible…and thank God, not in charge.

She leaned forward and met his glare. “Actually, you do have a reason to reconcile. Your professional career depends upon it.”

His brow furrowed. “Are you threatening to sue me for sexual harassment again?”

“I’ve never accused you of sexual harassment, and I’m not going to now. However, based on an earlier suggestion you made to Tom, back when we worked well together, he got in touch with the University of Minnesota and to make a long story short, I now possess a master’s degree of Forest Management.”

“What?” His face paled, making him look like a dead, battered cadaver. “That’s not possible!”

“It’s unusual, but I took the final exams for all the required classes and passed them. U of Minn has issued me my degree and I am now your boss. I hope you care enough about those mounds to put your anger aside and work with me to bring our plans to fruition.” She paused to let her words sink in, then leaned forward and spoke in a soft but firm voice. “I don’t want to replace you. I recognize we will never be friends again. But there is no reason why we have to be enemies. Other than requiring your plans to be updated, I won’t interfere with your work. What we had is gone. But we can still do our jobs.”

His hands were clenched into tight fists. At least,
they
looked unbroken.

Just then, Tom walked in. “So, how are we doing?”

Steel turned to him. “Is it true?”

He glanced at Tess, raising his eyebrows as if he wanted to make sure Steel was talking about her new status. She nodded.

Tom sat on the edge of the table and faced Steel. “Yes. Tess has obtained a master's degree and according to the ironclad agreement that the governor signed, Tess is now the Forest Manager.”

Steel shook his head. “She’s not competent! And pulling strings to get her that degree is going to come back and bite you on your ass. Just wait until the governor finds out.”

Tom remained calm. “I’ve told the governor about this change, and he is quite pleased. He has evidently received several calls from managers of parks assuring him Tess’s plan was not feasible. Then they used the initial timings as proof, only the governor already knew those projects were completed. What he didn’t realize was how amazing Tess’s achievements were, until he learned no other park manager believed them even possible.”

Tom smiled at Tess. “The governor wanted to give you a raise, but I reminded him, the state doesn’t pay your salary. So he wants to have a commendation party instead.”

Tess grimaced. “Tell him I’ll go to one once the park opens.”

Tom chuckled. “I knew you’d say that, so that’s what I suggested, and thankfully, he agreed.”

His hand landed on Steel’s shoulder. “So…have you two found common ground to work from?”

Tess looked at Steel.

He breathed in and then out, then met her gaze. “Those mounds mean everything to me. So yes. I’ll do whatever is needed to make this work.”

Tess smiled. “Then we’ll succeed.”

By the time Tess arrived back home, the stumps had all been treated and the platform for the mounds was finished. At lunch, she put in a call to the gravel supplier and ordered 4,000 tons of gravel for the two-mile stretch of maintenance road starting tomorrow.

The owner insisted upon coming out, so she gave him directions. She knew he’d say she hadn’t ordered enough, which was true, but she only wanted a single lane of gravel laid presently. The electric company would have an easier time setting the poles without gravel in their way.

When Mr. Carson arrived, the first thing he asked was to speak to her boss.

“I’m the boss,” she assured him.

“Surely, there is someone above you,” he insisted.

“I’m the person in charge. Do you have a problem working with a woman? Should I call another company?”

He pulled out a paper from his pocket. “Who is Dr. Castile?”

“He’s my head archeologist.”

“Oh…so he’s not your boss?”

Tess smiled as she shook her head. Thank God he wasn’t or her life would be an utter nightmare. “Are you able to work with me, or should I get someone else?”

“Sorry. I just got bad information,” he grumbled. “I am most willing to work for you. However, you’re going to need more gravel than you requested.”

“I know.” She then explained her desire to only lay a single lane of the road at present.

He nodded. “Actually, that makes sense.” He then smiled. “The power company is going to like you.”

“I’m more interested in them working quickly.”

He snorted. “Good luck with that. They are the slowest snails you’ll ever meet. They can spend a whole day putting up a single pole.”

“Well, I’m hoping to make this a little faster.”

“So they’re running the line by the road?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Then maybe you did order enough because if you put gravel between the poles, I guarantee you some fool in an ATV will drive right into one.”

Tess frowned. While the road was only to be used by the rangers, Mr. Carson made a good point. ATV owners rejoiced in going where they weren’t allowed.

“I’d planned for a second delivery of gravel after the poles were set, but you’re right. I shouldn’t lay any gravel in between the posts. Deliver five thousand tons and we’ll call it done.”

He grimaced as he removed his cap and scratched his bald head. “Damn, I just lowered your total purchase, didn’t I?”

She patted his back. “Yes, but do a good job and I promise you, there will be more business. We still have parking lots to build.”

That cheered him up at once. “So which side do you wish laid?” he asked.

Tess indicated the south side, explained the depth, the reason why she wasn’t removing the stumps, and answered twenty other questions he had. Finally satisfied, he pulled out his calculator and punched in numbers. He grunted. “Your number looks good. How’d you do that?”

Tess chuckled. “I did my homework before calling you.”

“Well, I’ve never met a ‘boss’ who did that before.” He held out his hand. “Miss Campbell, it’s a pleasure doing business with you. I’ll come out with my men to make sure they do it right. When would you like to start?”

“We start work at dawn. So come as early as you can.”

He smiled. “Excellent. First loads will arrive around seven.”

She returned to her crew. Malcolm jogged up to her at once. “Problem?” she asked.

“His majesty arrived about an hour ago, pissed that you’d lied about a road being cut, doesn’t like the fence, hates the platforms, and went back up to the cabin in a fit of rage. Dan followed him.”

Tess stared up at the sky and she quelled her own temper. “Well, unless it has something to do with his sites, what Steel likes or hates doesn’t matter. Tell the men they have my permission to ignore his orders.” She rubbed her head wondering if working with Steel was just a fool’s dream. “Did we just lose three hours of work because of him?”

Malcolm smiled. “Nope. When he told me to stop building the platform, I told him we didn’t work for him, we worked for you, and if he had a problem, he needed to see you.”

She was so happy with that response, she hugged him. “You guys are the best!” She released him and nodded to the road. “Tomorrow, we’ll have gravel coming. While I was very clear with the owner that only the south side of the cutting is to be covered in five inches of gravel, I’ll want a few of my reliable crew watching just to be certain they do it right.”

“Will they need help?”

“The owner says the driver should be able to slow dump and lay a five-inch layer down. If he looks short or heavy, our men have the right to stop him and let him know, but they shouldn’t be doing the work on this.”

“And how many trucks?” Malcolm asked.

“I think five, but check, because each one needs to be watched.” She grinned. “Other people don’t have the great workers I do.”

Malcolm beamed with pleasure. “Other workers don’t get to work for you. If you put these guys on a road crew, they’d be as worthless as the rest. The fact you appreciate their effort makes all the difference in the world.” He paused and chuckled. “And the pay is appreciated, too.”

She patted his back. “You guys earn every penny of it,” she assured him. “Guess I better go up to the cabin and practice my management skills on my troubled employee.”

“Good luck,” Malcolm said, rolling his eyes.

***

Tess entered her home. Steel was yelling at someone on the phone.  “I don’t want people watching my every move! You know how competitive the field is. They’ll be criticizing everything I do.”

Tess headed straight to the bedroom hall, passing Dan leaning against the wall watching Steel. She rubbed his arm as she passed and he smiled. Once inside her room, she carefully picked up her phone and eavesdropped.

“Steel, you’re just going to have to live with it. Tess is in charge now and she and the governor want the platforms. They’ll be great tourist draws.”

“They’ll be a fucking nightmare, that’s what they’ll be. Looters can check out the area during the day and then return at night.”

“Steel, you have better security than you’ve ever had before.”

“And more people crawling about.”

“It’s a state park. You knew that when you signed on. And frankly, you signed off on these platforms before your life went to hell, so excuse me if I write this off as sour grapes talking.”

“You bastard! This is all your fault!” Steel yelled.

“Curse at me again, and I will actively search out other archeologists that Tess might get along with.”

A heavy sigh sounded over the phone. “I’m sorry. It’s just everyone I trusted has betrayed me.”

“And you’re including me in that list?”

“You got Tess her master’s degree, knowing damn well what that would do to me.”

“What has it done, besides ensure we have the best possible staff working on opening this state park? She didn’t fire you. She isn’t trying to cancel half your plans. She’s trying to work with you.”

“She doesn’t know what she’s doing!”

“Really? Well, I’ve done every job from grounds crew to forest manager before I got my current position. Do you think I’m equally clueless?”

“No,” he said softly.

“Then listen carefully. Tess Campbell is hands down the best and most qualified forest manager I’ve ever met. And for the record, the only thing I did was call the Dean of Land Resources at U of Minn and ask him to tour our new state park we were developing and meet the young woman who runs it.”

“Then how did she get her fucking degree?”

“She got it because she knows more about forestry than anyone I or he has ever met. And her practical skills are most impressive. Not to mention her ability to problem solve.”

“Are you sleeping with her?” Steel demanded.

Tess was so outraged by his question that she almost made her presence known. Fortunately, Tom tore into him instead.

“How dare you! Just because you can’t keep your dick in your pants, don’t assume I have the same lack of control! And as of now, you are on thin ice with me. If you hear that I’m talking to archeologists, it’s because I will be, starting tomorrow.”

“Tom, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just infuriating. She’s ruined my life yet everything is coming up roses for her.”

“How has she ruined your life?”

“How can you ask that? You’ve seen my face!”

“She didn’t do that. In fact, from very reliable sources, she did everything she could to save you.”

“Bullshit. She caused her father to attack me. She led him to believe we were lovers!”

Tess gasped, but fortunately, Tom was already yelling at him. “Steel, according to Tess, you were unconscious by the time she arrived at the barn. However, she had her phone on and Sheriff Cobbs heard everything that went on. If you want to know the truth about all she was willing to sacrifice to save your life, how she finally made him doubt Frank’s claim that you and Dan were her lovers, then talk to the sheriff. He heard everything that went on.”

“Then why the hell didn’t he stop it?!”

Tom sighed. “Steel, your beatings were done by the time Tess arrived. As your friend, I’m telling you, you have to stop blaming other people for the terrible things that happened to you. The person responsible is dead. Tess and Sheriff Cobbs did everything they could to save your life, and honestly, your irrational behavior is making me truly question whether you are capable of running the archeological site anymore.”

“It’s my site! I found it!”

Tess shook her head. Even that was a lie. She had simply kept the sites a secret until the land officially became a state park. She had allowed Steel to take the credit for finding them so Tom wouldn’t think she’d lied to him by omission.

“Yes, you found them,” Tom stated. “And if you can return to the rational sane person you were when you found them, then I won’t push Tess to replace you. Otherwise, I have to look out for what’s best for this state park.”

“When did you stop being my friend?” Steel asked.

“When you stopped being the Steel I could trust to put his job before his emotions. Frankly, when you stopped being rational. I have a hundred percent confidence in Tess, but you are wavering around twenty percent and that’s got to improve, or I’ll bring in people who can get this done, and I’m certain Tess will do the right thing and replace you.”

“Damn you,” he whispered.

“Make that fifteen percent,” Tom said and hung up.

Tess waited until Steel hung up, and then set down her phone. Could she do that? Replace Steel for the sake of the park?

She closed her eyes, feeling horrible at the destruction Benito had caused to Steel’s life and the further destruction she might have to inflict. But in the end, the completion of her state park was more important than Steel.

Pushing herself up from the bed, she returned to the living room where she found Steel staring in the fridge.

“Are you hungry or thirsty?” she asked.

He closed the fridge door and glared at her.

She met his gaze, even if doing so made her want to cry. “If you want, I’ll cook something for you.”

“You’re the boss now, remember?” he snapped.

“Cooking was never a job requirement. It’s an act of kindness. I’m guessing today has been a horrible day for you.”

He snorted. “Worst ever.”

She thought it odd he would rank it worse than the day Benito almost beat him to death. “I think you’ve had many days worse than this one.”

“What would you know?”

“Just what you told me. I’m guessing the day the wrong helicopter arrived and started shooting everyone was worse. The day you lost your last job was probably worse. The day Benito nearly killed you had to be worse.”

He held up his hand to silence her. Silence reigned until his stomach began a soliloquy to food.

She chuckled and gently eased him from the kitchen. “How about roast beef on wheat?”

“That sounds good,” he replied softly.

“I’m updating my plan tonight. Would you like to update yours?”

“Not really.”

“Okay, let me rephrase that. You need to update yours. Since I haven’t seen Jack and Sonny since they left the cabin, I’m assuming they’ve been returned to Harpers Ferry?”

He shrugged.

“Steel…I have to know.”

“I couldn’t trust them.”

“All right. Have you looked for replacements?”

“When?” He snapped. “I’ve spent all my time in the hospital and physical therapy.”

“You’re at neither today. So let’s start working on it. Where do you normally get your workers from?”

“From whatever college I’m attached to.”

“And how will you find them now?”

His brow furrowed and he opened his mouth, but she spoke before he could.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t had time to think about it. The old Steel had a plan, because according to the plan, he’d have sixteen people on staff by now. So how was he going to find them?”