Crude by Mike Bond

Author:Mike Bond
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781949751338
Publisher: Big City Publishing

“I REMEMBER when Ross was fifteen.” Nash O’Malley peered at Lily through the Skype screen. “He’d jump into the pit with the rest of us. Tough as heck even then. Saved a man’s life, that first summer, in Mandan.”

“Wow, how’d that happen?”

“Guy got his arm caught in the casing head. Was spinning around, woulda been yanked down the hole. Crushed alive. Ross leaped in and got him free. Just as he was about to go down.”

Lily tried to imagine this. “The guy was okay?”

“Got his arm chewed up, that’s all.” A smile crinkled Nash’s cragged sun-worn face. “Nineteen years ago, maybe. I would’ve been fifty-six, and now I’m seventy-five.”

“Though his parents owned the company, he started at the bottom?”

“It was a small company back then. Ross worked summers and vacations ever since junior high, as a laborer, then I think he was a refinery pipe-fitter, and learned to be a boiler mechanic, and while he was in high school he helped program the Sweetwater refinery’s software, then he left to go to college in Montana.”

“Why Montana?”

“To play football. Didn’t want to play at the University of North Dakota – can you imagine?” Nash moved out of the camera, came back. “Sorry, just checking my dog. She was looking like she wanted to chase the cat.”

“The cat okay?”

“Heck yes. Every time the dog goes after her she rips a new hole in his face. He just doesn’t seem to get it.”

Lily smiled despite herself. “What kind of dog?”

“Red setter. Dumb as the rock he was born under.”

“Well, thank you for discussing Rawhide with me. I’m sure you’ve seen some amazing changes – what was the company revenue back then?”

“Heck knows.” Nash shrugged. “Three-four million, maybe.”

“And now thirty billion. And seventy billion in total assets . . .”

“A fine kid, Ross. Really smart. Tough as steel pipe. Friendly and kind, never acted like it was his family’s company. Trusted us, liked us. And we liked and trusted him. Still do.”

“What do you think about what’s happening now?”

“These war bastards, trying to ruin him, destroy the company.”

“I’d heard the problems were mostly from poor maintenance –”

“With Ross? Never. He’s a fanatic. Even I used to tell him, after he took over the company, you’re overspending.” Nash raised his hands in deprecation. “Fell on deaf ears.”

“So why are they trying to destroy him?”

“Follow the money.” Thumbs tucked into the suspenders of his worn blue coveralls, Nash glanced down. “There’s a lot of money in killing people. But Ross is a tough one.” He faced up at her and smiled. “Don’t count him out.”

Maybe, she thought. Maybe not.

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