Grace followed his lead. Her Suburban had been lifted with a giant crane and loaded onto a flatbed car attached to a single-train engine. A boxcar was also linked between it and the engine, creating a two-car train. The diesel motor was already running.
Robert the repair guy waved them over. “We’re ready to roll out!”
She grabbed Asher’s hand, as much to feel his as to steady hers. “We have a saying back in Yellowstone. Never poke the bear.” Grace squeezed him. “I think we just poked the bear, big time. Petteri Tikkanen knows who and where we are. He thinks we killed his deputy. It’s only a matter of time before he sends more Mishas to take us out.”
Shawn struggled along with his son at his side. “We have the same saying. Even people living in the cities know enough not to poke the bear. If you can get me back to Crow Agency, I can make sure you aren’t alone in fighting them off.”
She was immensely grateful for the offer, but a thought occurred to her. “My dad thinks he’s going to meet me in Denver. I told him we would be at Asher’s house. That’s where we—well, he and I have to go.” She bumped Asher’s hip.
A police officer hopped off the flat bed rail car as they arrived. “We never found your son. Is this him?”
Grace had instructed Weller and his two fellow officers to meet Logan in the rail yard, but it came as no surprise the meeting never happened.
Shawn pulled Logan under his arm. “This weapon hoarder is my son, yes. I’m sorry we told you to meet him. I should have known he’d follow me.”
“Hey, I recognize you,” Weller said to Logan. “I thought it was odd to see a kid walking around, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. You walked right past us near the bridge overpass. You were never far behind your dad, were you?”
Logan chuckled and pointed to her and Asher. “We were talking about this a minute ago. I’m exactly like the rest of these people. We all like to see what happens when we poke the bear.”
They all climbed onto the flatbed and rode it out of the building a few minutes later. The repair crew had brought some family members and put them in the box car; she saw them leaning out when they left the yard.
Ahead, the rail line would carry them somewhere into Denver. Somewhere out there, Dad was taking a nice boat ride to meet her. To celebrate the moment of victory, she wrapped her arm around Asher’s waist. Grace figured they’d have to climb off before it went too far north, but for the time being, she was in a place she hardly recognized.
“We’re safe.”
St. Charles, MO
Ezra wanted to take the offered guns from the trunk of the police car, but he stood over them, considering whether he could. Butch’s attention was consumed by what Haley was saying to her dying ex-boyfriend, though Ezra suspected if he asked, Butch would say he was watching for one of the dead TKM shooters to rise up again.
“I think you’re clear to take them,” a man said from behind.
He turned to see the first person they met when they came into St. Charles. It was the guy with the button-down shirt and cargo shorts. He even had on his red baseball hat. Looking at him closely, he realized it was the same man who’d been standing and shooting from behind the tree.
“You?” he said, a little put out. “Thanks for the help, but aren’t you the one who turned us in? We lost these rifles because of you.”
“The two of you walked out of the woods armed to the teeth. My job is to act as a sheep dog for our families camped here in our city park. If I would have known you were the type of men who protect young ladies, police officers, and runaway puppies, I never would have called the cops in the first place. I’m sorry.”
“Why are we clear to take them?” he went on, feeling marginally better about how things had gone down.
“I guess it doesn’t hurt to tell you. I’m actually an undercover officer. Word went out on the radio. St. Charles is no longer working with TKM’s security division. Homeland Security says we have to, but after what we saw at Bass Pro today, we can’t have these guys anywhere near our town. Under their advice, the first day after the meteorite struck Illinois, we put out guidance to local stores to stop them from selling firearms. It turned out they only wanted to take the weapons for themselves. They’re nothing but bad news. Given recent events, I’m sure the police force is going to need some additional manpower. Maybe you and your friend want to stick around?”
It would have been a welcome job if he didn’t have a thousand miles to go on his journey to Grace. He turned to Butch. “You interested in staying here and doing some police work?”
Butch acted like he didn’t hear him.
“Hey, anyone in there?”
The big guy finally looked his way. “What? Sorry, E-Z. My head is still trying to wrap itself around what happened here. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
He laughed. “No one has, I’m sure. I can’t believe how loud you were when you wanted to stop Liam. It looked like the running dog hit an invisible brick wall.”
Butch chuckled, too. “Yeah, I guess I couldn’t have lived with myself if I’d let her dog get shot.”
Ezra turned reflective. “You like her, don’t you?”
Butch answered his earlier question. “A police officer? I guess that would be all right, at least for a while. Are you going to stay here then?”
“No, I can’t stop. I was asking if you wanted to hop off Susan’s Grace in this town. You could become a Saint Charles-ite.” Ezra shifted uneasily. “Saint Charlatan?” He looked at the undercover officer. “What do you call yourselves?”
“I always call us Saint Charles-ians. Not sure there’s a legal term.”
Ezra nodded to the man, then looked back to his buddy. Butch was still glued to Haley up near the front of the cruiser. “You could stay and watch over her.”
Butch then looked into the trunk. “Those are the rifles we used out on the river. I’d much rather have one with a scope, you know? I could have hit that sniper before he got off a second shot. We’ll need them when we get back out on the water.”
“So…you don’t want to be a cop?” he asked, sensing Butch wasn’t quite in the same conversation.
“Not today, no.”
The uniformed officers came over and confirmed what the undercover guy had claimed. The town of St. Charles would no longer confiscate firearms, nor would it cooperate with anyone who tried.
He unslung his rifle and handed it to an officer. “We won’t need these. We took them from Bass Pro when the TKM men shot at other citizens. Since we didn’t pay for them, I’d like to return mine.”
The officer smiled. “Are you sure you guys don’t want to join the force? We’d even let you keep these.”
“Sorry,” Ezra said as Butch handed over his free rifle and picked up Ezra’s AR. “We’ve got prior commitments.”
They passed Haley, noting how she hung her head on the door frame of the car. The man inside had succumbed to his injuries. Butch appeared ready to put his arm on her back, but she spoke without looking at them. “I’ll catch up to you at your boat. Don’t leave without letting me say goodbye.”
An hour later, at Susan’s Grace, they’d unloaded all their new equipment from the backpacks, including the epoxy for sealing the easy-to-reach bullet holes in the pontoons. A few were left with duct tape coverings only because they were underwater. If he ever managed to get the boat on dry land again, he’d be ready with the easy fix. The other critical item was the canopy tent, which went over the seating and driving area. For the first time since his boat had tipped over, he could protect himself from the sun’s rays.
The river itself had calmed down in the time they’d been away. It wasn’t chock-full of trash and debris anymore, though pieces of junk still floated here and there.
It was dinnertime before Haley showed up at the shoreline.
“I almost missed you guys,” she said, walking closer. She’d changed back into a stretchy pants and top combo that appeared more workout-friendly. Liam w
as on a new leash, and Victoria was inside a crate she carried. She also wore the little red backpack over one shoulder.
“You look like you’re going on a trip,” Ezra said nonchalantly.
“Thanks for giving me some time. Yesterday, I would have said I’d be happy to never see Xander again. That was my state of mind the past few weeks since our insane breakup. But actually seeing him covered with blood…was difficult.”
“You don’t have to—” Ezra started to say.
She cut in. “I brought you some dinner. It’s the last of my fruit, plus some nuts and super-lean bison burgers. I was hoping you’d take me with you, wherever you’re going.”
“You don’t have to come with us. We’re going to Denver, in fact, to meet my daughter. It’s way too far to take you…”
She patted Liam. “Denver? Yeah, maybe it’s far, but me and the fur babies can make it. Besides, TKM knows I was involved in the shootout. They’ll probably send someone to my house as soon as the police force lets its guard down.”
He looked at Butch, expecting him to already have a space cleared out for the health fanatic. However, the young man only looked over to the woman with a pained expression. As the seconds ticked off, Ezra figured out what was spinning his wheels.
“Haley, you seem like one tough young lady, but it’s going to be extremely dangerous, especially for your little friends. We weren’t joking before. We really were nearly killed by pirates two days ago.”
“We also crashed through a dam,” Butch added, clearly torn between pulling her in or pushing her away.
Haley set the cat crate down. “I know I don’t look like much, but when I’m not protecting these two, I consider myself a capable woman. You teach me how to shoot my shiny new rifle, and I’ll pull my weight in everything else, including pet care. Liam barks when he sees a threat, so that’s a bonus. Plus, it can’t hurt to have three people defending your boat, as opposed to two. What do you do when one of you has to use the bathroom? Or sleep?”
Butch pulled off his hat and wiped his forehead. “I guess I wouldn’t mind if we had one more.”
Haley didn’t wait for Ezra’s approval. She grabbed the crate and did a running jump onto the flat front deck of the pontoon boat. Victoria was placed gently next to the open seat, and she dropped a backpack close by. When she saw both of them looking at it, she answered the question in their eyes. “The pack has food, kitty litter and a travel box. Cats are notoriously bad travel companions. I wasn’t going to mention it until I was on the boat.” She launched into an it’s-all-right smile.
“Welcome aboard,” he said, still unsure if it was a good idea. He was going to turn the bobber key and start the motor, but he found himself curious about what the girl had said earlier in the day. “I have to know. Why did you call him milk jug when we first met?”
The chairs were on swivels, which were appropriate when fishing, or when talking to other passengers. She turned hers sideways, toward him and Butch. She only looked at the cowboy. “It was something stupid I never should have spoken out loud. Basically, I said it because when I first saw you walk across my backyard, I thought you were a tall, cool glass of milk. I guess there was part of me that wanted the whole container. The whole jug of milk.” She smiled sheepishly at Butch. Her teeth appeared brilliant white against her tanned face. “But I didn’t want to explain myself back then ’cause I didn’t want you to think I was buttering you up just to take me to the store.”
She paused for a second. “Plus, if I’m being honest, I was hoping to lead you along, so my ex-boyfriend would get jealous and want to get back together.”
“Seriously?” Butch asked, his lower jaw almost crashing into his lap.
Haley’s laugh was high-pitched and wild, like he’d walked obliviously into her trap. She finally pulled her eyes away from Butch and turned to Ezra. “Oh man, this is too easy. I’m going to have fun with him, aren’t I?”
He laughed good-naturedly at Butch’s expense, who was also smiling. “Yeah, Jebediah Jesse Butcher is a great guy. I couldn’t survive without him. At the same time, we could always use some more laughter on this tub. Welcome to Susan’s Grace.”
IMPACT Book 5
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