Nate recognized them at once. The short, portly guy on the left was Sam Hastings. Somewhere in his late fifties, Sam had been working at the plant since it opened in ’85. The other and far thinner of the two was a chain-smoking, foul-mouthed, but lovable guy named Joe Santili. Joe was a joker who was always quick to share a smile and a tale of his many exploits, several of which had occurred at various dive bars in Rockford. If cigarettes didn’t catch up with him one day, Nate was sure beer and womanizing would.
Nate stopped the truck and started to get out.
“Stay in the truck, sir,” Joe said, gripping his weapon and leveling the barrel.
Nate did as they instructed and stuck an empty hand out the open window. “Take it easy, boys, it’s just me.”
Joe swung around, stepping onto the mound of snow beside the road. “Geez, Nate. You nearly got your head blown off.”
Nate stuck his head out now, confident they wouldn’t put a hole between his eyes. “I got a disturbing text from Evan this morning, but I haven’t been able to reach him since then. I’m trying to find out what the hell’s going on.”
“I’m sorry to say, but no one’s allowed in, even you, Nate,” Joe explained. “They got all hands on deck. Sam and I shoulda been done long ago, but they ain’t sending no one home. If anything, we got folks from the company showing up I ain’t never seen before.”
“What kinda folks, security personnel?”
Joe shook his head. “Big trucks hauling a bunch of generators and what not. But they ain’t the big ones like we use. These were small. Like the kind you find at the hardware store.”
That wasn’t good. Nate knew the larger generators Joe had mentioned were not only industrial-sized, but incredibly hard to come by. If one broke, it would take months, maybe even a year to source a replacement. Looking past the gate, Nate saw teams of people in heavy parkas moving bundles of electrical wire. Others were running back and forth. The scene was frantic and like nothing he’d ever witnessed in all of his time at the plant.
“They’re trying to patch the smaller gens into the system?” Nate asked.
“Yeah,” Joe replied, his breath coming out in a thick plume of white condensation. “That’s the plan.”
“Any word on whether they think they’ll be successful?”
Joe grinned. “I sure hope so, I got a Tinder date tonight. Heck of an app. Ever heard of it?”
Nate laughed. “Once or twice.”
“She’s an older lady, but you know what they say, right?”
“Maybe, but I’d prefer to hear what the engineers have to say.”
Joe winked. “Right, well, you know those types. Ain’t nothing they can’t do when they put their heads together. A handful of new faces arrived with the generators. Got something of a war room set up. People are worried and all, sure, but if I had to bet, I’d say they’ll fix this.” Joe must have caught the doubt in Nate’s eyes because he then said: “If you’re thinking of evacuating the family, I’d wait.” He motioned to the storm. “You’d be crazy to go anywhere. Especially in this.”
“Listen, can you give Evan a message for me?” Nate asked.
Joe nodded. “Sure thing, boss.” Nate wasn’t his boss, not anymore, but it seemed old habits were tough to break.
“Tell him to call me, either on my cell or on the landline, and not to give up until he gets through. Will you do that, Joe?”
“Sure thing, Nate.” All three men shook hands.
Nate got back in the pickup and leaned out the window one last time before turning around. “Stay safe.”
Chapter 10
Joe’s words were still ringing in Nate’s ears as he made his way back to the others.
You’d be crazy to go anywhere. Especially in this.
Although it was clear Joe’s lifestyle left something to be desired, it was hard to argue against the man’s logic. A part of Nate, the emotional, guns-blazing part, had wanted to scoop his wife and extended family up and whisk them away. To where though? The small farm Amy’s parents ran in Nebraska was one possibility. It was no secret his wife hated the city. That hatred had helped to fuel their relocation to Byron once the nuptials were over and done with. A farmer Nate was not, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t learn. And depending on how things shook out over the next few weeks and months, he might not have a choice. Unfortunately, planning more than a few days out was pure folly, especially given the hand they’d just been dealt. The first order of business would be to get everything back home and stored away. Then, with the boys’ help, Nate would work to secure the property. There was no telling who might take advantage of the suspension of law and order to run amok, even if that meant fighting the weather to do so.
Nate pulled into the driveway to find Amy and Emmitt filling the bed of their own pickup. Eco-friendly smart cars were fine, but glorified golf carts didn’t cut it, not out here. If you didn’t have a single pickup, it meant you probably had two of them.
Nate stopped the truck, swung out and folded back the bed cover. With her hat pulled down over her ears and her cheeks flushed from the cold, Amy waved and began heading over. Foot traffic from the house had created something of a path through the snow, easing her journey back to the truck.
“Any luck?” she asked upon arriving.
Nate shook his head. “Not really. Although the trip wasn’t a complete waste.” He told her what he had learned and the message he’d left for Evan.
“A safe nuclear reactor will be one less thing to worry about,” she opined, letting out what looked to him to be a large sigh of relief.
“Well, we aren’t out of the woods yet,” Nate said, tempering her elation. “But I have full confidence in Evan and his people. If anyone can prevent a mushroom cloud from forming over Byron, it’s them.”
Emmitt was back, this time with a box of spaghetti noodles, the bulk kind from Costco.
“He’s a hard worker,” Amy said with a grin. She was brimming with pride. “Doesn’t hurt that he’s cute as a button either.”
Nate laughed. “What about Prince Charming?”
Amy shook her head and lowered her voice. “He was trying to pack his Xbox and I had to set him straight. Can’t say I managed to stop him in his tracks the way you did this morning, but I tried.”
Shaking his head, Nate said: “Good to see he’s got his priorities straight.”
“As much as Hunter needs some tough love, it might do well to go a little easy on him. The kids don’t really understand what’s going on.”
“They aren’t the only ones,” Nate shot back.
“Well, there you go. For all we know, this’ll all get sorted shortly and we can return to our comfy lives of baseboard heating and binging on Netflix.”
Nate kissed her. Amy’s lips and even her nose were like icicles, but it was great all the same. After all these years of being together, the fire between them still hadn’t dimmed a bit.
They both went in to help finish up. Lauren was coming down the stairs as they entered.
“Does Evan own a firearm?” Nate asked. He thought he knew the answer, but hazarded the question nevertheless.
“Guns? He hates them,” Lauren shot back. “You of all people should know that.”
She might not have meant it as an attack, but Nate couldn’t help feeling the sting. Her not-so-veiled jab was about his missing younger sister, Marie. It was a terrible wound neither brother had ever fully dealt with.
Amy put a hand on Nate’s arm to calm him. Her concern, however, was unnecessary.