I could tell there was no swaying him, which left me with limited choices.
Choice #1: I could try to find another electrician who could get the job done in time (possible, but the quality of their work might be lacking and would lead to bigger headaches down the road).
Choice #2: I could wait until the New Year to rewire, but that would mean pushing the design plans back. Considering the timeline and all the scheduling and labor that went into that process, it was the least desirable option.
Choice #3: I could stick with the current wiring and update once the club was up and running. Again, it wasn’t ideal, but nothing about my situation was.
“You said the situation isn’t dire, right? So we don’t have to rewire before the club opens,” I said.
“No, but…” Ronnie hesitated. “The insulation has worn off on a few wires, so there’s a safety issue.”
Double shit.
I rubbed a hand over my face, a headache setting in at the base of my skull. “How big is the safety issue?”
“It’s not an emergency, but it’s something to keep an eye on. Gotta make sure the wires are handled properly and don’t overheat, or you’re in for a nasty shock.”
I summoned a half smile at his pun.
“Have you been running into any electrical issues?” he asked. “Flickering lights, power outages, or the like?”
I shook my head.
“Then I think you’re okay for now. Again, I recommend rewiring as soon as possible, but I know you have a deadline. I’ll try to do as much as I can before I leave for the holidays.” Ronnie nodded at the wall. “So, what’ll it be?”
Part of running a business was making hard decisions, and I made mine before I could overthink it.
“We’ll rewire after the design is finished. Who knows? Maybe we’ll get it done before the opening,” I said with more optimism than I felt.
“Maybe.” Ronnie shrugged. “You’re the boss.”
With that behind me, I rejoined Vuk and Willow, who’d tucked her clipboard into her car-sized purse.
“I’m afraid we have to leave early,” she said. “Mr. Markovic has a personal emergency he must attend to.”
I flicked my eyes at Vuk, who didn’t appear particularly concerned about his alleged personal emergency. Perhaps he and Alex were related. They possessed roughly the same range of emotional expression.
“We’d like to finish this walkthrough another time,” Willow said. “Mr. Markovic is…indisposed for the rest of the year starting on Sunday, but we can come by Saturday morning. He has a few more questions regarding your plans for the club.”
Sloane and I were supposed to go ice-skating on Saturday, but I didn’t want to insult Vuk again by postponing. If I finished the walkthrough in the morning, that left the afternoon and night free for our date.
I smiled. “Saturday it is.”
Saturday morning dawned bright and clear.
Sloane had stayed over last night, and she was still in bed when I slipped out to meet Vuk. She rarely slept in, but I’d kept her busy all night so I didn’t wake her before leaving.
The city was already awake and busy when my cab dropped me off at the skyscraper housing the vault. A family of tourists in matching Christmas sweaters blocked the building entrance, and I had to endure their impromptu daytime caroling as I skirted around them.
At the same time, someone came around from the other side and bumped into me. A baseball cap shadowed half his face, but he looked vaguely familiar. Before I could investigate further, he disappeared around the corner, and my curiosity about his identity became an afterthought when I entered the vault to find Vuk and Willow waiting for me.
He wore the same black shirt and pants; she’d changed into a red dress that matched her hair.
“Add some green accessories and you’ll give the Rockefeller tree a run for its money,” I quipped.
Willow was not amused.
I’d paid the construction company a shit ton of money to work weekends; even then, they could only spare a skeleton crew this close to Christmas.
There were only three workers inside, which made this walkthrough much easier than the first one. Actually, it was more than easy.
It was smooth. Perfect.
Until it wasn’t.
I’d just finished answering Willow’s last question about the security measures when her head jerked to the left. Beside her, Vuk tensed, his nostrils flaring with the first iota of emotion I’d seen in him.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“Do you smell that?” Willow’s voice and body were drawn as tight as the strings of a violin.
I paused, my senses pushing aside the overwhelming construction-site scents of wood and metal to focus on the whiff of something harsher.
Smoke.
The realization hit right as the drills died and a panicked shout reverberated through the room.
