Chapter 31

CHAPTER 31

LOGAN

T he weather was intense. I lifted my eyes to the sky, watching as clouds started gathering overhead, and I wondered if I should've recommended that we head back inside. The wind was howling through the rig, making it damn near impossible to hear as I tried to communicate with the contractor, who was already seemingly regretting his decision to come out onto the platform.

That storm Mira had been worried about was building fast, the ocean quickly becoming a violent, churning pit of death. The contractor and his crew held on to the guardrails, carefully placing one foot in front of the other as they tried to take a look around, but with having to keep a keen eye on where they were going and receiving faces full of sea spray as the waves crashed into the rig, I doubted they were actually seeing anything.

This is an exercise in futility if there's ever been one.

Mira led our party onto the platform, shouting above the wind as she pointed out the different areas of operation. After Slate had told me on my first visit that the production platform wasn't the place for me, I'd steered clear, but I wasn't learning much now.

Between the wind and the saltwater that kept hitting me in the face, my skin was starting to sting. My clothes were damp, and if the dark gray clouds speeding our way were anything to go by, it was only about to get worse.

Mira powered through, also gripping the rails to avoid losing her footing, but she still appeared confident and in control. The men we passed gave her friendly smiles and waves when they saw her, but their expressions soon turned to disdain and morbid curiosity when they saw me and the contracting company's people with her.

I was sure they were wondering again if I was about to sell. I'd have to set their minds at ease later, though. For now, I was trying to stay alive. A tunnel of air pressed against my abdomen, threatening to crush the air right out of my lungs as we turned a corner.

I gritted my teeth, slumping my shoulders and hunching over forward in an attempt to keep moving without having to fight so much to do it. A wall of water rose up out of nowhere, smacking into my side and leaving me drenched and dripping on the platform.

"That's it," I grumbled before I spoke up, hoping he'd be able to hear me. "Okay, people. We gave it our best shot, but I'm going back to the other platform where it's warm and dry. We can continue this another time."

Relief flickered in Mira's eyes as she nodded. "That's definitely a good idea." She shielded her face with her hand as she looked up again. "Except that I don't think we should attempt to cross the bridge right now."

A gust of wind tore through me, making even my bones feel soaked and frozen. "What do you mean? We have to get back there."

Her brow furrowed with worry when she looked back at me and shook her head. "We should stay where we are and find a place to hunker down here where we can ride out the storm."

Shit. I took another quick look around.

This was my first time here, and while the accommodation platform had failed to impress at first, it seemed like a five-star hotel in comparison to this.

Opportunities for sufficient shelter here were few and far between. The scent of oil hung heavy in the air, and the creaks were far louder and sounded a lot more ominous. There also wasn't a coffee station in sight, but at this point, I was willing to let that go.

"Yeah. Okay." I nodded as I looked back at Mira. "If you think it's safer that way, let's do it."

Andrew, the contractor, immediately stepped forward and crossed his arms. "We can do it another day, but if we're going to have wasted this time, I'd rather go back to the food. I didn't eat anything earlier. I'm starving, and it's getting too cold out here."

I got that he was impatient and hungry, but I'd offered him food earlier. If he hadn't taken it then, that was on him. "Trust me, I also want to get somewhere where it's warm and dry, preferably with food and coffee, but if Mira thinks this is for the best, then it's for the best."

"There's a perfectly good cafeteria just across the bridge." Andrew jutted his finger toward it, his jaw growing hard as he faced off with me. "Plus all the food we left behind this morning. We also don't know how long the storm is going to last. We should ride it out in comfort on the other platform."

Mira's eyebrows shot up. "We'd all prefer to do that, sir, but safety is our first priority, and with all due respect, none of the food on that platform is worth the risk of crossing the bridge in this weather. Trust me. It's sub-par at best."

She had to holler over the howl of the wind to be heard, the hair that had come out of her bun since we'd stepped outside whipping around her face as she pointed at the tumultuous seas below. "Do you really want to risk going overboard and having to survive in that?"

Andrew waved her off, barely sparing her a glance as he narrowed his eyes on mine. Annoyance flared to life inside me, quickly becoming a raging fire of disbelief and anger about the way in which he was treating her so dismissively.

Are there any fucking men in this industry who actually respect women? I mean, come on.

He lifted his chin up high and jerked it in the direction of the bridge. "My crew and I have done this hundreds of times. As long as we hold on and keep our shoulders down, we'll be fine. You two are welcome to stay here, but my crew and I are going. We'll be fine. See you on the other side."

The man gave me a tight nod before he tossed his hand up above his head and waved it in a circle, clearly rounding up his men. I watched them for a moment, not missing the doubt splayed across some of their faces as their eyebrows pinched or nostrils flared.

At the same time, I practically felt Mira's fear when Andrew went to leave. As soon as the contractor picked up his foot, I stepped into his path, crossing my arms and keeping my gaze level on his. "Stop, Andrew. Enough. Crossing that bridge right now is not an option. I understand that you're hungry and impatient, but we're not risking any accidents on my rig just because you don't feel like waiting an hour for a sandwich."

He shrugged me off, brown eyes flickering with annoyance. "With all due respect, Mr. Jones, you didn't even have to be here today. We don't need the owner present in order to do our assessment of a rig. We're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves, which is what we're about to do."

"Not if you want to work for me," I said, my voice low but firm with intention.

Andrew blinked hard, like he thought he might've misheard me, which was entirely possible given that we were standing in the middle of what—at this point—was starting to feel like a fucking tornado. I cleared my throat, taking a step closer to him as I leveled him with a glare.

"It's your call, but if you leave now and place your own lives and those of your men at risk, then that's it. You and I won't be doing any business together."

"Excuse me?" he ground out, his eyebrows twitching up as his head started shaking slowly. "You'd yank the contract because we'd like some coffee while it's raining?"

I scoffed. "No, sir. I'd yank the contract because right now you're exercising poor judgment and displaying abysmal leadership qualities. What you're about to do is unsafe, and that's not the kind of behavior I'm going to invite onto my rig."

Jaw hardening, he cocked his head. His mouth twisted as he bit back a laugh. "It's not unsafe, Logan. It might seem that way to you, but I'm a seasoned professional. I can handle a simple bridge crossing. Now, if?—"

"You're not hearing me and we're wasting time." Also, the wind was cutting right through my wet clothes and I was pretty sure I was so frozen that my balls were hanging by a thread. This time, I made sure he could see it in my eyes how serious I was. "Mark my words, Andrew. You do this, and you and I are done."

"Why? If there is any risk to be assumed, I'm willing to assume it." A visible shiver passed through him as the wind tore around us and he scowled at me as if it was all my fault. "We'll take our chances. You won't find a more competitive price for this job than ours, so I know you'll be back even if you don't know it yet."

"That's where you're wrong. If you put yourself in a dangerous situation and you need saving, that means I have to put other men's lives at risk to rescue you. Men who have not assumed that risk. I'd rather pay more than work with a contractor I can't trust."

"Sir." Mira stepped between us, putting her hands out and shooting a narrow-eyed stare at the contractor. "I know this rig better than anyone and that bridge is not safe right now. While you two have been arguing, the storm has kept building. Whatever window there might have been, it's closed now. We need to head for shelter. Now."

Once again, the man all but ignored her. He didn't even look at her as he lifted a hand and practically shooed her away.

"Listen to her," I growled. "She's the expert. At least on this rig, she knows more than you. We're doing what she says."

Andrew looked between us with irritation burning in his eyes. I didn't know what he was going to decide to do, but if he was willing to gamble with lives, I wasn't touching his company with a barge-pole. At some point between buying this fucking thing and now, after all the lectures I'd received about danger and safety, something somewhere had stuck .

This was not a place to play games, take chances, or act like an egotistical dickhead. Here, one listened to the people who knew what they were talking about, and if he wasn't able to do that, he was an accident waiting to happen.

I wouldn't be waiting with him.