PART 7:

“The work I did 3 weeks ago was nowhere near this section of the engine. This is the climate control wiring harness, different system entirely. So what caused it?” Nate shook his head slowly. “Could be a lot of things. Manufacturing defect, rodent damage, voltage spike from a bad charging system, but” He bent down again, this time using his flashlight to peer deep into the engine bay, contorting his body to see around the V12.

“Ms. Montgomery, when did you last drive the car?” “Yesterday morning, like I said.” “And it was fine? No warning lights, no strange smells, nothing unusual?” “Nothing. It was perfect.” Nate was quiet for a long moment, his flashlight beam moving across scorched plastic and melted rubber. Then he stood up and pulled out his phone, holding it over the engine bay and taking several photographs from different angles.

“What are you doing?” Claire asked. “Documenting.” He took another photo, this time focusing on something specific that Claire couldn’t identify. “Ms. Montgomery, I need to ask you something and I need you to answer honestly.” “All right.” “Has anyone else worked on this car since I fixed it? Claire thought back over the past 3 weeks.

No, just routine maintenance at my building. They check the tire pressure, add washer fluid, that kind of thing, but no actual mechanical work. Who does that maintenance? The building has a service contract with some company. I don’t know which one. She paused. Why? Instead of answering, Nate took one more photograph, then scrolled through the images he’d captured.

His face was unreadable, but Claire knew that look. She wore it in boardrooms when she’d spotted something wrong in a presentation, but wasn’t ready to say it out loud yet. “Tell me,” she said. “It might be nothing.” “Tell me anyway.” Nate turned his phone around, showing her one of the photos. It was a close-up of some wiring, melted and charred, but Claire couldn’t see what he was seeing.

“Look here.” He zoomed in on part of the image. “See these two wires? They’re from different systems. One is for the climate control, one is for the headlight circuit. They should never touch. They’re insulated. They’re routed separately. They’re in different harnesses.” “But they’re touching in the photo.” “They’re not just touching, Ms.

Montgomery. They’re stripped. Someone removed the insulation and twisted them together.” The words hung in the air like smoke. “Are you saying someone sabotaged my car?” Claire’s voice was very quiet. “I’m saying someone modified your car in a way that would definitely cause an electrical short, which would definitely cause a fire, which would definitely total the vehicle if it happened while you were driving on the highway.

” Nate put his phone away. “But I’m also saying I could be wrong. Maybe it’s just damage from the fire itself. Maybe the insulation melted off and they touched by accident. Maybe You don’t believe that.” “No,” Nate admitted. “Nate, I don’t.” Claire Montgomery had survived hostile takeovers and attempted boardroom coups.

She’d received death threats from environmental activists and hate mail from shareholders who thought a woman had no business running a manufacturing company. She’d been followed by private investigators hired by competitors and had her office swept for bugs twice a year. But she’d never had someone try to kill her with her own car.

“I need you to fix it,” she said. “Ms. Montgomery.” “I need you to fix it, and I need you to figure out who did this.” Nate stared at her. “I’m a mechanic, not a detective. You should call the police.” “And tell them what?” “That maybe someone tampered with my car? That you think some wires were stripped, but you’re not sure? They’ll write a report and file it away, and nothing will happen.

” Claire crossed her arms. “But you can fix it, and while you’re fixing it, you can figure out how someone did this without leaving obvious evidence. And once we know how, we can figure out who.” “That’s not Name your price, Mr. Rhodes.” “It’s not about price.” Nate’s voice was firm. “This is serious.

If someone really did sabotage your car, that’s attempted murder. You need professionals.” “You are a professional.” “Not that kind.” They stared at each other across the hood of her smoking Valkyrie, and Claire saw something in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. Concern. Not for himself, not for the car, but for her. Like she was a person who might actually be in danger rather than a walking checkbook who could buy her way out of anything.

It made her chest feel strange. “Please,” she said quietly, and the word felt foreign in her mouth. Claire Montgomery didn’t beg. She demanded, she ordered, she negotiated. But this man with his honest eyes and his careful hands was looking at her like she mattered, and it made her want to be someone who deserved that look. Nate sighed.

“I’ll tow it to the shop. I’ll fix it. I’ll document everything I find, and then you’re calling the police.” “Agreed.” “And you’re getting better security for your parking garage.” “Already making the call.” Claire pulled out her phone. “And Ms. Montgomery.” Nate waited until she looked at him. “Until we figure this out, you might want to consider other transportation.

I can fix the car, but I can’t protect you from whoever did this.” “I can protect myself, Mr. Rhodes.” “Can you?” It wasn’t a challenge, just a genuine question. “Because the kind of person who sabotages a car like this isn’t going to stop just because it didn’t work the first time.” Claire thought about her penthouse with its security system, and her office with its panic buttons, and her life with its carefully constructed walls designed to keep everyone at a distance where they couldn’t hurt her.

She thought about enemies. She had plenty. And whether any of them hated her enough to commit murder. The answer was probably yes. “I’ll be careful,” she said finally. Nate nodded, but he didn’t look convinced. He pulled out his phone and made a call. “Jack, it’s Nate. I need you to send a flatbed to” He looked at Claire, and she gave him the address again.

👉 [Tap here for the Next Part ] 👈