Grace was afraid of where it went, but Misha seemed to take it in stride.
While still lying on his stomach under the back axle of the Suburban, he waved her over. “I think they found us on the tracks to establish our route. Now they are going to fly around us. Next, they will set up an ambush. Probably when the terrain allows them to stay hidden.”
She surveyed the grass fields on both sides of the tracks. “So, it will be a while?”
He made a face suggesting he wasn’t sure.
“Well, what do we do about it? We can’t exactly take an alternate route.” Robert had explained there was only one set of tracks cutting across the southern half of Wyoming. It wouldn’t get them all the way to the dig site, but it would get them within fifty miles.
“I have been thinking of how to help you. Does your wrecked truck still operate? I can see sunlight from under it.” He pointed up and down, to a hole that went into the floorboard of the Chevy, as well as the big divot in the wooden car beneath.
Grace couldn’t say for sure. The woman in the helicopter had put several rounds into the rear bed, opening up six-inch holes in the roof and at least one hole on the bottom, but she had no idea what damage the bullets had done to the insides. She’d started the engine to be sure it was intact, but there was no way to move it while it was tethered to the flatbed. There wasn’t time to slide out the ramps and drive it around.
“It should work, yes.”
Misha rolled sideways, out from under the vehicle. “Then I can use it to scout ahead. She will not expect us to do such a thing. I would not expect it, if it were me in helicopter.”
He hopped up off the deck, rubbing his hands together as if anxious to get the truck operational. She might have to defer to his expertise, but she wasn’t going to let him go off alone. Not in a vehicle under her supervision.
“How about we both go? That way if one of us gets into trouble, the other one can help. Safety in numbers, you know?” She was glad the clanging of the rail cars and the drone of the diesel train engine made it harder for those inside her truck to hear them speak. Shawn would probably tell her she was nuts for even suggesting a partnership.
“I’m going, too.” Asher stepped into the discussion. “There’s no way I’ll let Grace out of my sight. No offense,” he added, looking directly at Misha.
“None taken, my friend. The more, the happier, no?” He scooted the Lahti from its position, leaving her and Asher a moment to themselves.
“Are we really going with him?” he asked, suddenly not so sure of himself.
“I think so, yes. Aside from keeping an eye on him,” she tilted her head toward Misha, now shoving the big rifle in through the back door of the truck. “We can help your sister and the Crow men by drawing the female assassin to our truck, rather than the train. With a little luck, the train can sneak through while we deal with the helicopter.”
“It sounds like an impossible plan.”
She couldn’t agree more. “It’s the only plan we have. Misha was right. If we sit on the train and wait to go into a trap, we’ll all be at the woman’s mercy. I don’t think she’ll be so easily fought off again, even with our special gun. Our only hope is to do the unexpected.”
Asher turned thoughtful. “But Misha made one logical error. He said he wouldn’t have thought of it if he were in the helicopter. However, he did think of it. This was his idea. Doesn’t it mean the woman might have thought of it, too?”
It was a gamble from start to finish.
Grace put her best face on it. “I’m putting your words to the test. We need to stick together, whatever happens. Hopefully, nothing will.”
“Fat chance!” he blurted, laughing.
She laughed a little, too.
Glasgow, MO
After getting back to the boat and filling the tank with all five gallons, he hit the throttle as hard as he dared. They had to cover the next ten miles as fast as possible. Haley seemed subdued after giving up her pets, and even Butch laid off the jokes while she stared off into the brown water of the Missouri River. However, they all came alive when they reached the bridge at the town of Glasgow.
The small town was situated on the eastern shore of the river, though, like Arrow Rock, tall trees made it difficult to see the shops and homes. A line of ten or twelve grain silos rose above the far side of the bridge. The other side of the river had facilities for barges, and six of the flat boats were moored over there. The place struck Ezra as more industrial than touristy.
“She steered us right.” Ezra pointed to the shoreline at the south edge of town. He slowed to idle speed and went for a boat ramp and a small marina with a gas pump. The big sign above the door of the wooden shack said Stallman’s, as Josephine had promised. However, as soon as they pulled up alongside the dock, a police car sitting at the nearby parking lot flipped on his lights.
“Oh, crap. You think he’s here for us?” Butch was half out of the
