Free Toward the Brink (Book 3) by Craig A. McDonough

judgment, that’s all.”
    “Since Chuck joined us, he’s managed to help us out a few times. His knowledge and skill has been beneficial to us,” David informed him.
    “You mean he’s only been with you a short—”
    “What’s with all the questions about Chuck? Is there something you specifically want to know?” Mulhaven’s cop instincts came to the fore.
    “Just curious.” Chess tried to shrug it off. “When you listen to one person, you want to make sure that person knows their stuff, y’know?”
    Mulhaven began to piece things together. Chess’s attitude, the president whispering into Chuck’s ear, the two of them going outside for a private talk. Then Chess not only comes on the bus search, he is made the designated driver.
    Chuck wanted him out of the way for a while .
    Mulhaven pulled the note Kath had given him from his jacket pocket. It was as good a way as any to keep Chess’s questions at bay.
    “Okay, take a right at the next intersection.”
    “Roger that.” Chess stopped with the questions. He wasn’t getting the results he wanted anyway.
    He was finding out, minute by minute, that this was a close knit group. If he wanted to lead this group, as some assumed, then he would have more than just the Tall Man to contend with.
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    W hile Mulhaven and his team went in search of a bus, the Tall Man and Bob enacted their plan of appealing to the hearts and minds of the remainder of Chess’s group, plus the two machine-gunners from Marine One. It wouldn’t be hard. Bob, Tom, and James Goodwin took three of Chess’s group, while the Tall Man, Elliot, Kath, Cindy, and Allan took the other three. Each group took one of the machine-gunners. Bob’s group took the wind turbine blades apart while the Tall Man’s group disconnected the windmill from the generator and took that apart.
    “Y’know, I wish those damn two-ways still worked.”
    “Well, the quality wasn’t all that good, Chuck. You know that. Was there anyone you wanted to talk to?” Elliot couldn’t think of a reason for the walkie-talkies.
    “I just want to tell Mulhaven to grab another truck, maybe a dually. All this equipment will take quite a bit of room.”
    He looked over at Bob’s group. The windmill blades wouldn’t take that much room, and with all the manpower they had, they should be able to secure the metal tower and shaft to the top of the bus. But the generator and its accessories would have to travel inside one of the vehicles, and that wouldn’t leave much room.
    “I’ve got a pickup in the garage behind the house,” Kath announced. “I don’t know if it’s a dually or not, not sure I know—”
    “A dually is a pickup with two wheels on either side at the back, Aunt Kath.”
    “Oh, then I have a dually. A Dodge Ram 3500!” She laughed to herself that she had one and didn’t know.
    The Tall Man asked her to get the keys. This was where he would start to win over the soldiers from the transport plane.
    “And what do they call you, soldier?” he asked one man as Kath came back from the house.
    “Tristan. Tristan Landers, sir.” He looked to be the youngest of the group of soldiers that came in with the C-17—which was why he was singled out.
    “Chuck. Just call me Chuck,” the Tall Man reminded him. “I assume you can drive a pickup?”
    “Yes, s—” He pulled himself up. “Yes, Chuck, I certainly can.”
    “Great. Kath, give Tristan the keys. He’ll bring the truck over for us.”
    Kath just looked at the Tall Man for a moment. She wasn’t sure about his directions. After all, this man, this soldier, was practically a stranger. The Tall Man gave her a nod of reassurance, and she handed the keys to Tristan reluctantly.
    If I can’t trust Chuck by now, who can I?
    “What do you think is the best way to load all of this?” The Tall Man asked one of the other soldiers. He already knew the answer, but that wasn’t the point.
    “Well, with a Ram 3500 we could almost lay the generator in