Stone cold, p.13
Stone Cold, page 13
“You talk big with a gun in your hand…”
“Well, I’m not putting it down. I’ve got you all figured out.”
“Really? And that’s what, exactly?”
“A back-shooting coward.” Stone paused. “The kind of man who has a woman beaten up just so you can get her to pack up and quit, then move in on her claim.”
“And where’s your proof?”
“Let me worry about that,” Stone replied.
“Boss?” One of the men approached tentatively and said, “They’re in a pretty bad way. We’d better get moving…”
“We move when I say we move,” Tanner replied sharply, his eyes still on Stone. “You know, Jake? This is the guy who did that number on them. How about you and Dave do a little number on him?”
Stone stared at the man and said, “I’ve got no beef with you. Go and take good care of your buddies…”
The man looked at the gun in Stone’s hand and shook his head. “It will keep, Duke. They need pain relief and Chris has a bone poking through…”
“Get out of here, Tanner,” said Stone. “Like your boy said, it will keep…”
“This won’t be the last of it,” Tanner replied, his tone more of a growl than before.
Stone nodded. “You can bet on that…”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“It’s bullshit!”
“It is what it is.”
“We’ll see…”
Stone shrugged. “Get your kit, your truck, and hit the road.”
“You’ll be sorry…” Marvin took off his orange hardhat and flung it at Stone’s feet. It bounced and Stone knocked it aside before it reached his own face, but he let it go as he watched the site foreman stride to his truck, kicking a clod of earth in rage on his way.
Stone had slept in Katy’s cabin at the claim. It was a basic one room affair, but he had got a few hours’ sleep and she had good instant coffee and some store cupboard ingredients enabling him to scramble some eggs which he had eaten with toast and his third cup of coffee. He had intercepted Marvin when he had driven in at seven-thirty AM.
“Anybody else got a problem with this letter?” Stone addressed the other seven men gathered around him. “I’m hiring and firing until the mix is right…”
There were grunts and shrugs, the men looking at each other. It was not the start to the day they’d had in mind. One of the men stepped forwards. He was about thirty and as rugged looking as the rest of them. “When is Katy getting back?”
Stone knew this man to be named Don. He was the site maintenance guy, and he was also Katy McBride’s cousin. Stone was not sure if the man was a full cousin, or once removed, but the man was family, and he was keen to keep him on side. Katy had given Stone control of the running of the mine until she was well enough to take over. It had been a shock to most of the men, but Marvin had known already, and Stone had cursed Howard at the motel. He’d thought Katy would have had an ally there, but the man was sat on the fence with the best of them. Stone couldn’t exactly blame him, he was only supposed to be passing through, after all. “A couple of days,” Stone replied. “But she won’t be ready to work for a while longer.”
“She’s OK, though?” Don ventured, watching Marvin drive across the rough ground at high speed, his tires throwing up gravel and mud in its wake. The other men all watched, too. Don looked back at Stone and said, “She’ll be alright, won’t she?”
Stone nodded. “She will be soon. She’s bruised and grazed and has some broken ribs.” He paused. “In the meantime, I’m in charge.”
“With respect, mister…” a bearded giant asked. Katy had described him in her letter. A man called Jed from Oregon. A good worker, but a closed book. Again, everybody in Alaska seemed to be running from something. “But who the hell are you?”
“A friend,” Stone said. “Someone who can see what is happening here and will see a stop to it.”
“Yeah, I heard you started a fight with Duke Tanner’s men. Some of us aren’t so easily beaten.”
Stone held the man’s stare and said, “Jed, if you’re not happy with the situation, then feel free to walk…” Stone eyed the other men in turn, then said, “I don’t start trouble, but I’ll end it. I’ll kill it dead. I don’t do anything in the daytime that keeps me awake at night, so if you fuck with me, I’ll take you down and it won’t worry me if you’re fired, if you crawl away from here or if you have to be carried. Or buried. I’m looking after Katy McBride’s interests until she is fit and well enough to return.”
Jed spat a tobacco-stained glob on the floor and said, “Is it true she was beaten up?”
Don said, “No, I heard she fell…”
The other men all frowned and murmured. Stone recognized the need to get these men, these essential workers, on side. “She was attacked, yes. I’ve seen evidence at Duke Tanner’s claim that two men firstly ran her off the road a few weeks back. I saw the truck at the mine, under a tarp. There was paint visually matching Katy’s truck all over the fenders.” He paused, allowing the men to take it in. “When I was visiting her in the hospital down at Carlsson Sound, one of the guys I suspected of performing that hit and run saw me and ran. A cop was shot in his escape. The police department at Carlsson Sound have been notified and I’m expecting action to be taken today.”
“And this guy you saw, you think he put Katy in hospital?” Don asked subduedly.
“I do.”
“Jesus…”
Stone nodded. “But right now, we have a problem. I’ll lay it out plainly. The funds are about to run out. There’s enough for a few more days of fuel to run the vehicles and the conveyer belt thing…”
“Trommel,” said Jed.
“Yes.”
“Jesus, and you’re in charge?” Jed said, but through the beard there was the hint of a smile.
“Don has been made site foreman,” Stone replied. “I’m just here to get it squared up.”
“Really? I’m in charge?” Don replied, trying to hide his glee.
Stone nodded. “You are. And you’ve got your work cut out. Because the fuel is running low, and we have just a few days to find what Katy’s father found in those test drills.”
“Marvin said we’re on it this time,” Don replied. “The east cut will be the one.”
Stone shook his head. “Duke Tanner is making it difficult for Katy because he knows she is running out of time. She says that before you concentrated on the east cut, you were going to start on the land bordering the two claims. I want you to divert your attention to that area of trees. Get the ground cleared, the overburden taken away and expose the ground underneath. Then we’ll run some ground through the trommel…” He looked at Jed as he emphasized the piece of equipment and acknowledged his earlier mistake. “Don, get everybody where they need to be and make a start.”
The men all gathered around Don as he gave them their instructions and Stone made his way back to his truck. Marvin had left in a hurry and Stone wanted to see where he had gone, and he would not have bet against it being straight to Duke Tanner’s claim.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Stone watched from the ridge. He could see Tanner and Marvin talking beside Marvin’s truck. He checked his watch. The police from Carlsson Sound should have been here long before now. If they had already been, then Stone couldn’t see how Duke Tanner would not have been hauled in for questioning. Especially as the driver of one of the hidden trucks had shot one of their own. Police tended to band together, and he was sure that if the connection had been made, then the mine would have been as good as shut down while a team of CSI were put onto it. Of course, Stone knew that the likelihood of the trucks still being there was slim, it could only have meant one thing. Maude had not sent the email to the police. Could Howard have warned her against it? He could have sworn the two were on the level, but ever since Stone had injured the man in the parking lot, the balance had changed. He was sure that Howard had pinned his colors to Duke Tanner, but what about Maude? Surely the way Katy McBride had been treated would have united a sense of female solidarity? Stone needed to know for sure, but right now he had a long drive ahead of him, because Katy had just called the site phone and asked if he would come fetch her from the hospital. She was checking herself out and couldn’t think about staying with so much riding on the mine. Of course, Stone wanted to stay and see what transpired with Duke Tanner, but even if there was the vague chance of the police getting here later than anticipated, Stone wanted to keep a low profile. A few hours on the road would also give him the chance to reset and re-evaluate. In Stone’s experience, every conflict needed a pause and a chance to strategize.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Washington DC
He was tall and heavy, but it was muscle and bone and a corn-fed upbringing in the Midwest. Barely a shred of fat. He could remember playing high school football, but the memory is like that of a dream and the longer he tries to recall it, the more it fades until eventually he is staring at the bare wall and can recount nothing at all. He likes football, though. But he supports no particular team. He has no affinity with anywhere, no draw to people or accents or a pin on the map.
He is lifting weights and he is naked. His body is scarred and each of those scars tells a story, but again, he can barely recount them and when he tries, they fade like every dream he has ever had. The apartment is bare. Just a double bed to accommodate his massive frame, a chair, and a bookcase, although he can’t ever remember having bought a book. The kitchen is both well-stocked and well-equipped. He takes nutrition seriously and there are plans and menus and recipes on the wall in laminated sheets, but he did not put them there. He is deadlifting three-hundred pounds in reps of ten and sets of fifteen. It is a colossal workout, and the final part of his routine. He has already bench-pressed two-fifty in reps of ten and sets of twenty and spent an hour on working his core with weighted sit-ups and squats. He has planned a spinach and carrot smoothie, a five-egg omelet, and a pound of shredded roast turkey breast when he finishes, and he can feel the fat burning and muscle building and it spurs him on to finish the set. He is hungry, but first he must warm down with some stretching and take an icy shower to repair the muscles. He does this every day for ninety minutes and each day works a different part of his body. His routines change every two weeks, and they arrive by email from a no reply address. He has no contact with anyone, except for one man, and the physical meets have been less and less over the years. But he once again has his orders and all he is now waiting for is for the woman he has been told about to make contact and confirm a location. And then he will go to work.
Chapter Thirty
“So, what is this place?”
“My friend’s cabin,” Katy replied. “She was left it a few years back, it belonged to her aunt.”
Stone could see that the cabin was old, or at least weathered, but it had been well looked after and judging from the newer looking boards and wooden roof tiles, maintenance had not been skimped on. There was a covered porch going all the way around, or at least the two sides he could see, and the side wall was stacked with logs from the deck to the eaves. Beyond the cabin a small lake glistened in the sun, and the far side looked to be thick forest all the way to around halfway up a jutting mountain that was still capped with snow. It was idyllic and looked like the sort of image Microsoft used as a screen saver.
“Will you be alright out here?”
“I figured you’d be here with me,” she said a little meekly. “Or at least I was hoping.”
“I need to be at the mine,” he replied. “Sure, I don’t know a thing about it, but I think I’ve shaken them up and set them on the right course.”
“Don can handle it. They’ll be taking off the overburden for the next two days.” She opened the door and eased herself out carefully. “How about we get settled in, I’ll get us something to eat.”
“I can get that sorted; you can rest up.”
Katy smiled and closed the door after her. Stone noticed how stiffly she walked, how every movement caused her pain. He had expressed his concern at her not heeding medical advice and checking out of hospital, but she had been adamant that it would be for the best. Knowing that the men who had put her in there had come back only terrified her more, and Stone understood that she felt protected when she was with him, and that being at home was sometimes the best road to recovery. He picked up the two grocery bags and followed her across the dirt drive. Fallen pine needles had created a carpet over the dirt, and they crunched noisily under their feet. “I really appreciate this,” she said. “Over and above. Most people have a few dates before they get into this kind of shit. Movies, meals, skating, art galleries… We’re just here saving businesses, sorting out this gal’s problems,” she laughed. “You’re one in a million, and I don’t even know your last name.”
Stone smiled. “Well, if you ever get back into law, I’ll spot you that dollar and client confidentiality will be firmly established…”
“Oh, God. Is it really that bad?”
“It’s complicated.”
“I’m not so sure that I even want to know now.”
“Best way.” He paused as she unlocked the cabin door. “I’ll fix us something to eat…” He was cut short as she pulled him towards her and brushed her soft lips against his own. Stone struggled with the bags, then dropped them on the porch and kissed her back. He wrapped his arms around her, and she gasped, a wince of pain upon her face. Her lips were thick and swollen and he knew how tender her ribs must have felt. “I’m sorry, perhaps we should just…”
“No. I want you,” she said, but her eyes were teary, and she looked fearful.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she replied. She caught hold of his hand and led him slowly off towards the bedroom. The cabin was a single level affair, with just two rooms leading off the open-plan kitchen and living area. She stroked his chest, then shuddered. Again, Stone frowned, but she simply said, “Please be gentle with me…”
Stone got it. He knew there had never been a fall. The gang banger turning up to the hospital had confirmed that for him. Whether he was just finishing the job, or whether he was there to intimidate her further and silence her, he did not yet know. She had been beaten, and she was willing to push through the pain for some tenderness and care. Although Stone was more than willing to offer the tenderness she craved in the shape of a movie and a snuggle up on the couch in front of a log fire. But now, as she led him towards the bedroom door, her hand in his and the promise and expectation of sex growing ever closer, he found himself highly aroused and drunk on anticipation.
Katy set the pace, slow and sensuous. Stone was ready for more passion, but he knew that she was in pain and allowed her to take charge. In his experience, good love making required one person to take control and the other to follow. It did not matter who took the role, but when two people operated on a different agenda it made for awkwardness and frustration.
Stone kissed her body gently all over. The bruising was off-putting because he did not want to hurt her and wasn’t even sure they should be doing it. But Katy drove them forward and when he finally entered her, he was swallowed up in a wave of pleasure, but strangely, never truly felt she was involved. He wasn’t entirely sure if she had orgasmed, and knew it was a ridiculous thing to ask, and when he finished, she rolled off him and went to the bathroom, Stone catching a glint of tears in her eyes. He waited for her to return but gave up after fifteen minutes and decided to get them something to eat rather than wait for her to return and dissect what they had done, and what the problem had been between them, or more accurately, on her part. He pulled on his clothes and went out to the kitchen, where he saw her standing in the window, wrapped in a fleece blanket, and staring out at the lake.
“OK?” he asked.
She turned around, her eyes still moist and glossy. “Fine,” she said quietly. She walked up to him, reached up and kissed his cheek softly. “That was lovely,” she said and walked back into the bedroom.
Stone stared out at the lake, feeling dejected. They hadn’t clicked, and that was fine because you could not hope to have that special connection with everyone you slept with, but he liked her, and they had connected so well on their first night together at the motel. But she had been run off the road and attacked in the dark. Perhaps she had felt obligated, needed to feel secure and protected. Had he over thought their connection? He didn’t think so, but they had merely gone through the motions in the bedroom, or at least she had. Had they moved too soon? They were into the realms of relationship and the hours they had spent together since he had met her three weeks ago could be rounded up to a day at the most. He sensed she regretted moving so fast, and now he had gotten to know her and her family’s history at the mine, he felt that if he bailed out on her now, then he would do so knowing that she would lose everything. But what could he hope to bring to the party? He had quit an engineering degree to sign up and go to war. A rash act of vengeance after his fiancée died in the nine-eleven Twin Towers attack. He couldn’t even bring a wealth of skills with him that would get gold out of the ground, but he could bring muscle, and perhaps that was all she needed.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Why the hell are you not digging where I said you should?”
“We’re committed to the east cut. It makes no sense to strip new ground at this stage in the season.” Don protested. “Marvin had a lot of experience…”
