Unexpected Love (White Oak-Mafia #2) (22 page)

And true to her word, Helen never told a soul. He knew that for a fact. Had anyone in the Campinelli’s family known he’d killed the bastard, they would have killed him within days of Eddie’s death.

With the head of the family dead, Cobbs was able to pick off several of the key players before they scattered from Chicago like rats.

And for a long while, the Campinelli family remained a historical footnote…until Benito had taken charge. That bastard was a throwback to the lawless past. But then so was Cobb’s son. His boy had been testing boundaries and skirting laws since his first step, always depending upon Cobb’s connections to keep him out of trouble.

Shucking off the past, he focused on the room before him. He began his search in the dresser drawers to his left.

He had just finished the last drawer when a soft knock sounded on the door.

“One minute,” he called out and lay down to make it appear he’d been napping. Then he got up and opened the door for Tess. “Do the fellas need help making their beds?” he asked.

Tess chuckled and shook her head. “The guys assembled them on their own. I’m going to make fish and hamburgers. Which would you like?”

“Fish sounds good.”

Her cheery smile left no doubt she liked his choice. “Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, but you can join the guys in the living room if you want. They are going over the computer displays.”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll lay back down for a bit more.”

“Of course. To be honest, all the computer images are just squiggles and lines. I can’t see anything in them. So I’m just enjoying their excitement when something gets them giddy.”

More than once in his life, Cobb’s had regretted not getting rid of Eddie’s spawn. If he had, Tess would have never existed, and that would have been a great loss.

“I’ll set my watch so I’m at the table in twenty.” He then closed the door and resumed searching. Helen had possessed evidence of something that allowed her to hold power over Benito. He dearly wanted to find it.

***

Steel felt like it was Christmas morning as they reviewed the outputs from the GPR. The ground was full of signals that looked to be artifacts of a past culture.

Frank pointed to a dark spot. “That looks to be an ax head and this a spear.”

“I agree on the ax head, but this looks more like a figure of some sort.”

He glanced up as Cobbs entered the room. “Come look if you like,” Steel offered.

Cobbs walked over and studied what they thought was an ax head and spear or figure. He chuckled and shook his head. “I’ll have to take your word for it. To me it looks like an ant colony.” He then entered the kitchen. “Can I be of assistance?” Leaning in, he whispered something in Tess’s ear, and she laughed before asking him to put out plates for everyone.

Cobbs turned around and counted heads. “Looks to be eight. Am I missing anyone?”

“Nope. That’s it,” Steel replied and then noticed his men eyeing Cobbs with concern.

“This is Sheriff Cobbs. He’s staying the night and will be driving back in the morning.”

Frank frowned. “I was told there aren’t any roads up here.”

“Pretty close to the truth,” Cobbs said. “Anyone calling what I drove up ‘a road’ is a born optimist.”

“That’s the damn truth,” Dan muttered.

Just as Tess got the food on the counter, an explosion erupted overhead and the lights went out. A few moments later, the room illuminated, only slightly dimmer.

“Backup generator just kicked in,” Tess said and frowned at Dan and the sheriff both holding their guns. “That was lightening. Steel, you better check your computers.”

“Damn it!” Steel cursed at the now black screen. “Is it possible that this PC isn’t plugged into a socket supported by the generator?”

She sighed and walked behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. “No, I’m afraid it’s fried. However, for the future, whenever we expect a storm, keep your computers unplugged.”

“But we used your surge protector,” Frank said.

Tess grimaced. “They can’t save you from a direct hit. The lightning strike may have hit the cabin above. I’m going to go check and make sure it’s not burning.”

Steel rose. “I’ll go with you.”

Cobbs re-holstered his gun. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go with Tess.” He patted his gun and gave Steel a meaningful glance.

“Thank you, Sheriff.” Once the two were gone, Steel looked at his staff. “We lost a half day’s work but learned something important. Whenever Tess says there is going to be a storm, computers get unplugged. These are…were…eight-hour batteries. Also, upon returning to the house, first thing, even before showers, we download our information onto DVR discs, date and label them, and place them in the storage room. In addition, I will buy us some external storage that performs automatic backups, so while we shower, our data will be secured. Any questions?”

“No,” Frank grumbled.

“It’s not like we lost a week of work. In fact, this may have been a good thing because we can tighten up our specs. Tomorrow, when we return, I want both meterings to be done an inch apart.”

Instead of groans, all the men nodded.

“I’ll slow down the GPR to get a better read there, too,” Jack promised. “I had no idea how much stuff was beneath my feet.”

Steel gripped Jack’s shoulder. “Now we do know, and we have been given the chance to do it better.”

“One problem,” Frank grumbled. “We don’t have working computers.”

“Did you check the others?” Steel asked.

“No, but—”

“Check them.”

Sonny declared computer two dead, then screamed “Yes!” when the third computer came up. He lifted the computer up and laughed. “You asked to see the ERMs. To bring it to you, I had to unplug the computer, and I forgot to plug it back.”

“Then we have three computers for tomorrow. Tess and I both have laptops that we can use until we get new ones. Sonny, make sure your computer is off and unplugged.”

To emphasize the point, the sky came alive with an electrical show that was both beautiful yet deadly.  Lightning bolts attacked the hills and river before them. The magnificent force of nature especially seemed to dislike the large tug boats slowly moving up and down the river. The crew migrated to the windows to get a better view.

Dan headed to the kitchen and spoke softly to Steel. “Could you ask the guys to get away from the windows.”

“Guys, lightning can shatter glass,” Steel warned. As he moved the burgers to a plate, he spoke softly to Dan. “So lightning can shatter bullet proof windows?”

Dan shook his head. “Nope. They were just blocking my view.”

All four men joined them in the kitchen. Frank stared at the burgers. “Okay if we eat?”

“Might as well,” Steel replied.

Soon all the hamburgers were gone. Steel had moved two fish dishes to the prep counter away from the guys and leaned against the counter eating his fish while he watched the beautiful lightning display.

“Good thing we moved the GPR to the underground shelter,” Frank said.

Steel found his statement a bit annoying. “Yeah, I don’t think a tarp would have saved it from this.”

Frank grimaced and faced him. “Sorry about questioning Tess. I had checked the weather before we arrived, and there was no mention of storms, so I thought she was just being overly cautious. In the future, if she tells me that it’s going to snow in July, I’m getting out my snow shoes.”

Tess spoke from the hall door as she and Cobbs returned from checking out upstairs. “I’m not predicting snow, but I hope you all have mud gear because tomorrow we are going to be knee deep in mud trying to get lumber up to the site.”

“What will the mound site be like?” Steel asked her as she approached the kitchen and frowned at the empty plates. He then stepped aside and watched her smile when she saw two platters of fish.

She handed the sheriff his meal. “Steel saved us dinner.” She flashed a heartfelt smile to Steel then dived into her meal. “The mounds should be fine. They’ve remained intact for so long due to the thick grass that grows up there, the protection of the trees, and the fast runoff of water. But the trail up to the mounds is a different matter.”

“Then I’m guessing moving the GPR won’t be feasible,” Frank said.

“I wouldn’t do it. The chances of it sliding down a hill are too great,” Tess warned. “But we can still port lumber.”

Frank opened his mouth, but then closed it.

“You have a question, Frank?” Steel asked.

“Nope. But due to weight restrictions, we couldn’t bring all our stuff on the helicopter, so we don’t have our mud gear.”

Tess choked on her food. Steel patted her back as she fought to recover.  Once she stopped coughing, she found her voice. “Who told you there was a weight restriction?”

“The guy who helped load the helicopter.”

“The pilot?”

“No, a skinny, tall guy. I think his name was Kyle.”

Steel sighed, finally realizing what was wrong. “I take it there isn’t a weight restriction?”

“Oh, there probably is, but not one that their luggage, four men, and a GPR unit would trigger.” She sighed. “I’ll ask Denny to bring up your stuff tomorrow morning. You’ll need to go through it at once and report anything missing.”

Frank’s jaw turned into hard granite. “Are you telling me we’ve just been fleeced?”

“Hopefully not. But in case you have, I want it documented immediately so Denny can return and let his boss know.”

“And then what?” Frank demanded.

“Steel and I will decide what to do next based on how this gets resolved.”

Frank looked at Steel as if hoping for a better reply.

Steel shrugged. “We need to give them a chance to make this right
if
you have items missing.”

The next morning, Tess woke to clear skies after the torrential downpour continued through the night. A quick investigation of the trails had her worried.

“Problem?” Steel asked when she returned to the house.

“The trails will be destroyed if the guys try to carry lumber up and down the hills.”

“Tess, you are going to have hikers wanting to use the trails after rainy weather.”

“Not the one to here, nor the one to your site. Which means the only one they might use is the trail to the marshes. And before we open, I was planning to create a step structure so rain damage would be less.”

He ran his hand through his long blond hair. “We really can’t afford to lose a day.”

She grimaced. “We could do what Grams and I have always done.”

“Which is?”

“You could help me string the zip-line. Then we’ll travel down on it and bring bundled lumber up to where we need it by a trolley. That way, we won’t be walking up and down the trails all day.

He smiled. “That sounds like a far superior solution. So why the grimace?”

“Grams never saw a need for a brake so if anyone doesn’t listen to my instructions, they could get injured.”

“But if they do listen and act accordingly?”

“Then they should be fine.”

“Then let’s go with the zip-line.”

Tess was rather glad Frank and the guys hadn’t come in while they discussed this because, in this case, she didn’t need or want their help. The fewer people on her trails, the better. All she needed was one competent person.

A warm hand pressed to her back. She looked up and relaxed when she saw Dan.

“Did I hear the word zip-line?”

“Yes. We’ll only be a couple of hours. We just have to string cables.”

“Well, let’s get it done before the others wake.”

Tess didn’t bother telling Dan he wasn’t needed. Dan was here to protect Steel. He couldn’t do that by watching him through binoculars.

Turned out Dan had strung zip-line before, so Tess greatly appreciated his assistance.

Once they’d strung the third line from the point where the three trails met to the mounds on the top of the hill, to her relief, Steel decided to remain at his site. He had done significant damage on the climb up, not to mention sliding three times.

Tess had tried to advise him to step on large grass humps, but he didn’t take instruction well when angry.

Thankfully, his annoyance was with his missing staff, but since they were back at the cabin, they didn’t realize he expected them to materialize before him, so his ill-temper landed on her.

“Where the hell is Frank?” he demanded as he glanced at his watch.

“Well, since I’ve yet to show them how to travel on our zip lines, I hope they are still in the house.” Before he could respond, and it didn’t look like she’d be getting an apology, she held up her hands. “I’ll get them now,” she promised. “But they’ll need to help me lay the lumber on the crossroads so they don’t tear the ground to shreds when moving the wood needed for the shed from one zip-line to the other. So try to be patient. I promise you’ll have the shed built today.”

Finally, his anger faded, and he pulled her to his chest. “God, I’m glad you’re on my team.”

“Me, too,” she said, smiling up at him, thrilled sane Steel had returned.

***

When Tess entered the house, Frank and the boys were just coming from their room.

“Great timing. Are you guys ready to go?”

“We haven’t had breakfast,” Frank grumbled.

“Well, you have five minutes to grab something. We’ve a long, hard day in front of us.”

Frank shook his head. “We have a lost day in front of us.  If we try to move lumber on those trails or take that equipment back to the site, we’ll destroy the trails and the equipment.”

“I agree entirely. So we are going to be smart about this.” She eyed them. “Have you guys ever descended by zip-line?”

Sonny raised his hand. “Once on a trip in the Amazon. That was fun.”

“I’ve attached a zip-line from here to the bottom of this hill. We’ll zip down to preserve the cabin trail. Where it meets the other trails will be our base. The first thing we’ll need to do is lay sufficient lumber over the area to prevent damage to the ground.  I’ll take two of you down to the marsh. Our job will be to bundle and attach the lumber securely to the zip-line. I’ll show you how. Then Frank, you and one of your men will remain where the three trails meet and pull the lumber up using a trolley. Your first task is to build a wood base to protect the soil where the three trails join. Once you’ve got that done, then transfer the rest of the wood to the mound zip-line so Steel and Dan can pull it to the top.”

“Where’s Steel?” Frank asked, looking as if he wanted to disagree with her plan.

“He and Dan are at the mound. The journey up was hard. He didn’t want to come down just to tell you to follow my directions. He wants you to remember something he had told you about how this park was managed and what will happen if your failure to follow my instructions results in harm to these woods.”

She could feel anger radiating off Frank. So she tried a softer approach. “I know you guys are archeologists, so you need to trust me when I go to extreme lengths to protect my—the forest today. The ground is very fragile, and we could create erosion problems that will be nearly impossible to stop. The best way to stop erosion damage is not to allow it to start.”

“We’ll follow your orders explicitly,” Frank promised her. The others nodded and smiled.

Given how much grief Frank regularly gave Steel, Tess hadn’t expected such immediate cooperation. “All right then,” she smiled. “If everyone can grab a harness, we’ll get going.” Fortunately, Grams had ordered a box of ten harnesses because it was cheaper than buying two harnesses and spares every year. Grams had hated wasting money.

Once outside, she pointed to the cable attached ten feet up on the side of the house and ran down the hill. “This is a zip-line.” Tess eyed them over. “Sonny, since you have experience, we’ll start with you.”

Frank opened his mouth, but Tess cut off any objection. “Frank, I’ll want you to go last. That way you can help the others.”

“No problem,” he replied.

She knelt down and helped Sonny into his gear. “Everyone pay attention while I help Sonny put on and fit his harness, so you can do it on your own.”

The guys were grinning as if this were a game. “You could seriously hurt yourself and damage the trail if you fall out because your harness is too loose.”

Frank nodded. “Total agreement. We were laughing at the color Sonny turned when you tightened his gear.”

Tess glanced up at Sonny. His face remained fire-truck red. She was only gripping his leg strap…but then noticed the bulge in his crotch. “Oh. sorry about that, Sonny.” She stood up and frowned at the other guys. “Leave him alone and focus on my instructions. Otherwise, you’ll tumble down my trail, and if you damage it, I will not be a happy camper. Am I clear?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Frank replied and knocked Luke on the head to cure his laughter. It didn’t work. In fact, it made him fall to his knees, laughing so hard that tears flowed down his cheeks. And it was contagious. Soon they were all laughing, including Tess. She patted Sonny on his back so he wouldn’t feel like they were laughing at him. They weren’t. They were laughing at Mother Nature.

Once they quieted down, Tess took a deep breath and calmed. “Okay, before anyone hooks up, this zip-line lacks the safety features of a professional zip-line. For one, it doesn’t have a brake. When you reach the bottom of the hill, the line will dip low enough that your feet should be able to touch the ground. Bring yourself slowly to a walking halt. Do not drag your feet and ruin my trail. I will be there to help you.”

She eyed them. They were serious now, probably due to the lack of safety features in her zip-line.

She held up the metal hooking device attached to a two-foot strap of strong nylon. “This is your carabiner. Once you are secured in your harness and ready to go down, you attach it through the two metal holes on the bottom of the trolley. Do not lean back. Stay in a seated position and hold onto the drop strap attached to your harness. I speak from experience. When I was sixteen and prone to foolishness, I discovered if you lean back and lose your grip, your head will become your makeshift brake when you hit the bottom, and its insufficient weight to stop you, so you’ll smash into a tree.” She frowned at the chuckling men. “And instead of medical help, all you’ll get is a scolding from me.”

Luke grinned. “So who scolded you?”

“My grams. And believe me, I never did it again. We’re not children, and we’re not on vacation. We are professionals doing our job. Stay in a seated position, or I will give you the worst jobs for the rest of your time here.”

“Me and my men will do you proud,” Frank assured her.

“All right then.” She liked his certainty. “I’ll go down first and help slow you down at the end. So all you have to do is sit up straight and hold onto to your drop strap…and walk to a stop, but I’ll be there to remind you of that.”

She then numbered them off by size. Frank, the heaviest being last. That was the real reason she put him last, but she didn’t want to admit she didn’t think she could stop him from hitting the tree. “Do not send the next guy down until you see this signal.” She held her hands up in a circle over her head.

She then showed them once again how to hook the strap to the harness. “Frank, make sure they do it right,” she insisted.

Frank fingered her harness as he examined the connection, grazing her inner thigh, causing her to blush. She wanted to push away his hand, but instead just gave him a steely glare. He quickly stepped back. “Got it.”

“Good, see you down the hill. And remember, this is not a game.”

She picked up her legs and let gravity do its thing. Once down, she slowed her speed, unwilling to hurt the trail, which meant she gently applied foot pressure on the ground, but not enough to cause damage. When she reached the tree, she lifted her legs and used them as shock absorbers against the tree trunk. Once she’d pushed herself back from the tree, she landed on her feet and stood, unlatching herself from the zip-line. Upon giving them the signal OK, she groaned. She’d failed to tell them they would have to retrieve the trolley. Now she’d have to walk all the way up, causing damage to her trail.

Before she’d taken a step, the trolley moved upward. Someone had figured out they needed it back. She smiled, thankful they could think on their own.

Sonny soon came down, sitting straight as a chair. As he approached her, she held out her hand. “Grab my hand and start walking.”

He gripped her arm and set down his feet, but he was trying to mule-stop rather than gently slow down.

“Walk, Sonny, you’ve got time.”

He started walking and she managed to stop him four feet from the tree. He unlatched. “Sorry about my muling on your trail.”

“You did fine.”

“Can I help?” he asked.

“Yes, stand where the zip-line goes off the path. When they get to that point, try to grab the back of their harness and slow them down. If you haven’t stopped them by four feet of the tree, yell at them to raise their feet up to meet the tree.”

“Yeah, that’s what you did.”

“Right, but hopefully, we’ll be able to stop Luke before that.”

Luke refused to grab her hand and never tried to walk, so Sonny’s warning to hit the tree with his feet was all that kept him from incurring a serious accident. Still, upon impact, he flipped upside down, and his backside and head smacked against the tree.

With Sonny’s help, she unlatched him and carried him to the side.

“I’m okay,” he yelled, anger clear in his voice.

“Glad to hear it,” she snapped and returned to her spot where she gave the signal they were ready. “Sonny, if Jack does the same stupid thing that Luke did, just grab his harness and mule it. While he won’t enjoy his exit, he’ll be safer.”

“Jack will do it right,” Sonny assured her.

“I hope so, ’cause I’ll need help on Frank. His weight is going to make him come down much harder and we’re already down one man for stupidity.”

As Sonny predicted, Jack grabbed her hand and walked to a stop six feet before the tree. When he unhitched, he walked over to Luke who had managed to sit up. “How ya feeling?”

“I’m fine,” he growled.

“Not when Frank gets down here,” he replied and turned back to Tess. “Frank sends his apologies for Luke’s stupidity. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Yes.” She explained the problem and emergency actions if they couldn’t stop Frank sufficiently. Once they understood, she signaled Frank.

He came down fast. Since his weight bowed the wire more he touched down earlier on the trail and was able to control his descent by first running, then walking to a halt.

The moment they pulled him to a stop, he released himself and stormed over to Luke. “I gave Tess my word you guys would do just what she asked. So you have now made me a goddamn liar. How do you think I like that?”