The situation outside wasn’t to his satisfaction, however. When the light of the new day reached into the canyons of Lodo, he’d expected to see his dig site running at full tilt. At the moment, there were no trucks loading ore. Several piles had been placed next to the rock, ready to go, but the dump trucks were gone.
He picked up the phone and dialed his dig supervisor.
“Hello? Cassens, here.”
“Cassens? This is Tikkanen. I’m looking at your operation from up here. Where the hell are my trucks?”
The man cleared his throat. “We’ve been trying to get them back all night. Some of them were commandeered on the outskirts of the city. It scared off most of our drivers. Uh, but not all of them. Small groups have made it through. They have armed men riding with them.”
Petteri wasn’t surprised by the news. He’d asked his men to perform miracles in a city about to crush them. The guns had come out on the streets, giving his people some extra breathing room. But the noose was tightening around him. The mayor had even sent her hit squad after him. Maybe she wanted to put a stop to his men shooting up the town from their dump trucks.
He chuckled at how everything spun round and round in their little battlespace.
“Sir? Is there anything I can do for you?”
“Yes,” he said curtly. “Tell your dump truck drivers to get one more load if they can. Let them know they can split half of what they carry with anyone willing to protect it through enemy territory.”
“Wow,” Cassens let out.
“Indeed. Now listen. For everyone else, I want them heading to the dig site south of Yellowstone.” He glanced at the paperwork on his desk. It showed the nearest train route, which was about fifty miles south of the fallen piece. “We’re going to bring in hopper cars and consume every ounce of ore before anyone else gets to it.”
“We’re giving up on this one?” Cassens lamented.
“No, of course not,” he exaggerated. Fear would spread like a disease among those remaining on the streets if they knew his true intentions. “We’re going to do the same thing here in Denver. The train tracks are a few blocks over. We’re going to set up a short relay with the dump trucks left in our possession. I need you to give me the time to set it up.”
“Ah, very good, sir. I’ll make sure my guys know about it.”
He hung up the phone, wondering if he really could pull it off. It had been an idle boast designed to drag things out with his men, but the train line wasn’t far from the rock on the street. If he could pull it off, it could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The threats presented by the city were numerous, but the new day presented new opportunities for building his company’s wealth.
Petteri got his secretary on the phone. “Get me the heads of the three largest rail companies. I’ve got an offer they won’t want to pass up.” He’d already had TKM swoop up all the contract freight cars for a thousand miles, but he needed more than those machines. He needed the manpower.
“I’m not done with Denver just yet,” he said to the window.
CHAPTER 19
Rawlins, WY
Tyressa was a strong-willed woman who seemed to carry sway over her wounded husband. She ordered him into her brother’s truck, along with her son, who fought hard to stay with Grace and the train. In the end, the matriarch won all the arguments and the two men drove away while under her watchful eyes.
The Crow caravan planned to travel ahead on the interstate, while she, Asher, and Misha continued to shadow the train engine. The decision to keep possession of the engine was part of their plan to draw Nerio into a trap. It was also pivotal to bringing back ore for the Crow nation. Robert assured them they could pick up new hopper cars in the towns ahead, and he’d been right. They’d made it to the little town of Rawlins, Wyoming, where a train yard contained hundreds of them.
Grace had parked near a Walmart while waiting for the engine to arrive. The coating of dust from the black snow and rain covered many of the cars and most of the buildings. They hadn’t seen it as much in Cheyenne and Denver; those cities were too far east of the fires and debris thrown into the skies above Yellowstone. It signaled they were getting closer the source. “Want anything from the Supercenter?” she joked with Asher.
“Does Supercenter sell rounds for my big-ass gun?” Misha asked from the back seat.
She and Asher shared a confused look.
“I have no idea,” she finally said.
“They sell guns, I know that,” Asher added.
“We should stop and get some more,” the Russian countered.
Asher laughed. “How many guns do you need?”
“In Russia, I would say all of them. All guns. Here, in America, I also want all of them. Can never have too many guns.”
It was Grace’s turn to chuckle. “You’d fit right in on my street back home in Kentucky.” She also turned serious. “But no, we can’t go shopping. We have to watch Robert bring the engine through town. That’s our job right now.”
Misha almost sounded pouty. “Fine.”
After a period of silence, Asher spoke up. “How about Logan’s mom? Talk about a scary mother. She’s like the First Lady of the Crow Nation. It’s got to be a trip.”
“I liked her,” Grace said. “I can see why she and Shawn found each other. They’re both cut from the same cloth.”
Misha became interested. “What
