Page 22 of Returning to Pine Ridge
“You’re not where you’re supposed to be, so you could be in an emergen—” He stops himself with a gasp. “You’re at his place, aren’t you?” His voice is suddenly filled with glee. “Oh my god, you finally took my excellent advice and hooked up with the hot oral historian. I knew it. I called it. I’m a genius.”
I look back at the bed just as Kai’s eyes flutter open. He sees me standing there, phone to my ear, and his expression shifts into a smile. A real smile. The kind that makes my heart do fluttery things in my chest.
I smile back, unable to help myself.
“It really was inevitable,” I tell Jordan, still looking at Kai.
Kai sits up slightly, the sheet falling away from his chest, and I have to force myself to focus on the phone call and not on the memory of last night.
“Did you call just to be nosy, or do you actually have a reason?” I ask.
“Of course I have a reason,” Jordan says. “Can you put me on speaker? And please tell me he is there because I need to tell you both this.”
I hesitate for just a moment, then press the speaker button. “You’re on speaker. Kai this is my best friend, Jordan.”
“Hey, Kai!” Jordan’s voice comes through loud and cheerful. “I’m Jordan, your new BFF. Thanks for taking such good care of my boy. I’m sure you’re doing an excellent job. Very thorough. Very?—”
“Jordan.” I can hear the smile in my own voice.
“Fine, fine. I’ll behave.” He doesn’t sound like he means it. “Before I get into it, for the new kids in class, I have a special set of skills?—”
Kai laughs, and I roll my eyes, mouthing “he’s a hacker” to Kai, who smiles his understanding.
“Carry on, Jordan.”
“So, I found something interesting about HelixGen Corp. They’re being financed by a bigger corporation. A massive one with multiple real estate holdings across several states.”
Kai sits up fully now, completely awake, his expression shifting from contentment to focus. “What kind of real estate holdings?” he asks.
“That’s the interesting part,” Jordan says. “The pattern is always the same. They come into small towns, buy up land cheap—usually from farmers who are struggling—and then they develop it. Strip malls, apartment complexes, that kind of thing. All of which get purchased by the parent corporation.”
“So HelixGen Corp is the entry point,” I say, understanding dawning. “They soften up the community, gain trust, then the real development starts.”
“Exactly. They’re the Trojan horse. They come in talking about preservation and investment, but really they’re scouting locations for the parent company. They’re looking at Pine Ridge because it’s close enough to Denver to become a satellite city. All they need to do is force the local farmers to sell their land for next to nothing, and then boom—development starts.”
This is bigger than I thought. This is worse than I thought.
“Can you send me the evidence?” I ask.
“Already did. Check your email. I’ve compiled everything—financial records, property acquisitions, the whole pattern.”
“Do you know who the parent corporation is?” Kai asks.
“That’s where it gets weird,” Jordan says. “Every document I came across has the name redacted. And even if it wasn’t, it’s probably a bunch of shell companies anyway. These people are professionals at hiding their tracks.”
After we end the call, Kai and I sit in silence for a moment as the weight of what we’ve learned settles over us.
Then Kai reaches over and pulls me back down under the bed sheets. He kisses me, soft and reassuring, and for a moment, the world outside doesn’t exist. It’s just us and the feeling of his lips on mine and the knowledge that we’re in this together.
“We need to tell the mayor,” I say when we finally break apart.
“We need to tell everyone,” Kai corrects. “But the mayor first.”
Before I can respond, he’s kissing me again—slower this time. His hand cups the back of my neck, holding me in place like he’s afraid I might disappear if he lets go.
I pull back slightly, breathless. “This isn’t part of the plan.”
“My plan comes first,” he says against my lips, and I can feel him smiling.
