The Burning Point (15 page)

Three minutes under her deadline, she headed out the door with the wheeled suitcase following her like a well-trained dog. Inwardly, she bubbled with excitement. It was finally time for a baptism of fire at Phoenix Demolition.

∗ ∗ ∗

As the jet took off, Donovan said, "Time to find out how much you actually know about explosive demolition."

Kate came instantly alert. "Ask away."

"I'll start with something simple. What are the main construction types we deal with?"

"Reinforced concrete and structural steel," she said promptly.

"How do you prevent a structure from walking?"

"Walking? Right, that's what Sam called it when a building fell out full-length like a tree. By removing as many of the inner stiffeners, like elevator shafts and stairwells, as possible. That way, the building can be dropped straight down into its own footprint."

Speaking of footprints, her left shoe was touching his right foot. He moved his leg away. Even using his frequent flyer miles for business didn't give enough space to keep a safe distance between them. Telling himself to concentrate on his quiz, he asked, "How do we control exactly how it falls?"

"By the timing of the charges." She started gesturing with her hands, Italian-style. "Using different delays can kick the structure any way we want, if it's done right. Plus, having sequenced explosions spreads out the impact and reduces the chance of damaging nearby structures." One sweeping hand brushed his forearm. His skin tingled in response.

He made the questions harder, which had the benefit of keeping his mind more on the subject and less on her. By the time the jet was over West Virginia, he'd established that Kate understood the principles and the physics perfectly. Of course she didn't know the intricacies of engineering and implementation, but as an architect she already understood vectors and forces and transfer of loads. She was an ideal candidate to become a project manager.

He reminded himself that the explosives they used were mostly very stable and safe. Another part of his mind immediately pointed out that accidents happened, and buildings being prepped for demolition could be hazardous.
Very
hazardous.

Telling the multiple voices to shut up, he reached under the seat in front of him for his briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "Time to go from the general to the particular. This is the preliminary explosive plan for this project. It should be basically sound, but there's always fine tuning required before the shoot."

She studied the drawings, which were simple elevations and plan views showing the shape of the building, structural supports, and where proposed placements for explosive charges. "So we're going to take down the Nevada Palace."

"You've been there?"

"Not inside, but I've driven by." She smoothed a hand over the folds of the drawing that draped over her lap.

She'd always had lovely hands, not dainty and helpless, but well-shaped and competent. He remembered watching those long fingers rubbing steel wool across a table she was refinishing. Chopping red peppers for a salad. Sliding down his body...

A wave of heat washed over him. He looked away, grateful that her attention was on the plans in front of her. "I've worked with Bill Berrigan, the developer, on other jobs, but this will be my first visit to this site because it was Sam's project. The hotel was built by a paranoid tycoon, and Sam mentioned that it's full of surprises. I'd hoped to visit earlier to check the place out, but I was too busy."

She was still frowning over the drawings. "So it isn't just my imagination that this is a very odd structure."

"I've thought the same thing. The final explosives plan may require more adjustments than usual." He considered telling her what else might happen in conjunction with this shot, then decided to wait until he knew for sure. Instead he began to explain the background and general approach to the project. Kate picked everything up so quickly that there was time for a nap before lunch.

But he couldn't sleep. Not with his ex-wife inches away--and untouchable.

∗ ∗ ∗

Crossing the country two days in a row was a good way to become disoriented. Kate landed in Las Vegas with a devout hope that she wouldn't have to get on another airplane for at least a week.

Her sense of unreality increased when they entered the gigantic, high-ceilinged hall that contained the luggage carousels. Hundreds of people were milling about, which wasn't surprising in a busy airport. But she was startled to hear the magnificent chorus from the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony blaring over the loudspeakers. The effect was surreal, to say the least. And there was neon. Lots of neon, even though it was mid-day. "Viva Las Vegas."

"I've always thought of this city as Disneyland for adults."

Her gaze went to a towering aluminum palm tree. One of many. "There's no danger of Las Vegas expiring from an excess of good taste."

"All of those years in California, and you're still an Eastern snob at heart."

She smiled with lethal precision. "Did you ever get one of those Elvis on velvet paintings that you yearned for?"

"Careful, or I'll actually buy one and hang it in the breakfast nook."

She returned his smile before she realized the danger. Humor was one of the most seductive things about a man. Dangerous, because it was hard to be angry with a man who made you laugh.

Donovan had sworn not to touch her, but she suspected that he wouldn't mind charming her into touching him. The hell of it was, he might succeed. Less than twenty-four hours together, and already they were bantering. It was hard to remember the past when enjoying the present.

She pulled her suitcase from the carousel. "I can't believe that we're actually working together. My father was about as subtle as a freight train."

Donovan retrieved his own bag, then led the way through the crowd toward the exit. "Sam might have been a freight train, but in any showdowns between him and the steel magnolia, who always won?"

"Mother always did, in the most ladylike way imaginable."

"And you're a bud off the old magnolia. Neither man nor beast nor raging freight train will push you into anything you don't want. I learned that very early."

"Would it be better if I'd been a door mat and let you walk all over me?"

"No. Of course not." He hesitated before continuing. "But sometimes I've wondered if there might have been a middle path between total submission and total abandonment. Maybe if we'd worked on it. If we'd asked for help...."

"No!" She didn't like the way this conversation was going. "That wasn't an option."

She had to believe that, because the possibility that their marriage might have been saved was too painful to contemplate.

Chapter 13

∗ ∗ ∗

As Donovan turned the rental car into the vast parking lot of the Nevada Palace, Kate shaded her eyes against the pale winter sun and studied their target. An octagonal structure covered with glittering glass, the casino hotel stood on Las Vegas Boulevard, the broad street more familiarly known as the Strip. The building had been considered high style when it went up in the late '50's.

Clustered around the Palace were cranes and lifts and other heavy equipment, along with giant construction dumpsters to hold debris. Turning away from the activity, Donovan pulled up by a mobile site office in one corner of the parking lot.

Inside, an attractive, middle-aged woman with black hair and an imperturbable expression worked at the front desk while a gruff male voice could be heard barking orders into a phone behind a partition. The woman glanced up when the door opened. "Nice to see you again, Donovan. Bull is in his office."

"I can hear him bellowing," Donovan said. "Kate, meet Carmen Velasquez, the power behind the throne of Berrigan Enterprises."

"I heard that, you unreliable Irishman," the gruff voice roared. A moment later, the speaker emerged from behind the partition, a smoking cigar in one hand. It was easy to see why Bill Berrigan had been nicknamed "Bull."

A brawny man in his fifties, Berrigan looked exactly like what he was--someone who'd worked his way up from laborer to contractor to multimillionaire developer. "Brought your girlfriend along so you could have some Vegas fun in your spare time?"

"Hardly," Donovan said. "Meet my professional associate, Kate Corsi."

Bull's bushy brows rose. "Sam's daughter? Pleased to meet you, honey. I was real sorry about what happened to your dad. He was a helluva guy."

"That he was. We all miss him."

The developer's face brightened. "Didn't Sam say you were an architect?"

"Could be," she admitted, pleased her father had mentioned her.

"Then you'll want to see what's going up in place of the Palace. C'mon, I've got the model in here."

Kate and Donovan followed him around the partition. In one corner of the crowded office was an elaborate architectural model. Berrigan proudly gestured toward it. "I'm going to build a theme hotel called the Harem. Pretty, isn't it?"

Kate studied the model, which showed an array of domes and palmed courtyards and graceful arches. It made her think of the Alhambra on steroids and would make an architectural purist cringe, but what the heck, sometimes good taste was boring. "This will be a wonderful fantasy destination."

"Exactly. A family resort, too. See that back courtyard? The camel rides will be there." After a moment of fond regard, he turned away from the model. "But first we gotta get rid of that ugly glass box." He dropped into his swivel chair, waving for them to take seats. "Two people don't seem like enough to do the job. Thought you were going to be here with bells on as soon as I hollered."

"I assumed that you might holler before the prep work was quite finished," Donovan said. "Was I wrong?"

Bull chuckled, unabashed. "Nope. There are a couple of days of work still to do on the lower floors, but you can get started on the upper levels now."

"After I've checked the place over and confirmed the schedule, I'll call in more men from Maryland."

Bull brandished his cigar. "Just got some good news. Hank Hawkins definitely wants to use this shot in his current movie, which will be good publicity for the Harem, as well as making us a few bucks. It won't affect your work, will it?"

Kate arched her brows at the reference to one of Hollywood's top action directors, but Donovan was unfazed. "Hardly at all. I talked to Hawkins several weeks ago. Basically, he just wants a night-time explosion with lots of flames. Adding a few hundred gallons of aviation fuel to the shot will give him that. And maybe some commercial grade fireworks, if he wants extra razzle dazzle."

Kate felt a pulse of excitement. It wasn't uncommon for PDI shots to be incorporated into movies--in fact, film rights were a substantial source of income for the company--but it was pure luck to have that happen on her first job. Fun!

Trying to sound business-like, she said, "Sounds great, but will the movie people delay the demolition? Donovan said this project is on a rush schedule."

"They're going to do location shooting in Vegas anyhow, so it will work out real nice. Hawkins swears he'll have his film crew and actors here tomorrow or the next day." Bull grinned. "Carmen is swooning at the prospect of seeing Kenzie Scott, but Raine Marlowe is the one I want to meet. What a babe."

"I do not swoon," Carmen called over the partition. "Not even for the sexiest man alive, which
People
magazine assures us that Kenzie is."

"Rainey is going to be here?" Kate said with delight.

"Yes," Donovan said. "I didn't want to tell you until the deal was confirmed."

"It will be great to see her again."

"You know Raine Marlowe?" Bull exclaimed.

"We went to school together. I haven't seen much of her in the last few years, but we keep in touch."

"Well, I'll be a son-of-a-bitch." Bull shook his head with amazement. "You hang out with
Raine Marlowe
."

Carmen's sleek dark head appeared around the partition, her eyes bright with interest. "Is Raine's hair really that red-blonde color, or does she dye it?"

"It's natural," Kate assured. "The first time I saw her, I thought she had the prettiest hair in the world."

"She and Kenzie make a beautiful couple," Carmen said dreamily. "It was so romantic, the way they met making
The Scarlet Pimpernel
. People say it was the greatest on and off-screen chemistry since Bogart met Bacall."

Not for the first time, Kate gave thanks for the fact that her own life wasn't treated as public property. She often wondered how Rainey, an essentially private person, could stand it. The price of success.

Bull regarded Carmen with disgust. "A movie junky. And here I thought you were a sensible woman."

Carmen gazed at him haughtily. "The hot air is building up in here. If you aren't careful, the state health department will close this trailer down."

She walked to the window and tugged a pull chain to activate a vent fan, then left, her voluptuous figure swaying provocatively.

"Sometimes I wonder why I keep that woman around," Bull muttered.