Day One
July 21, 1952
Monday Afternoon
River got the chains and ropes and supplies situated at the graveyard and headed back across the topography under a warm Colorado sun. As his car came into sight something was wrong. The passenger door was open and some scumbag was inside ripping him off.
He broke into a sprint, a silent sprint, not shouting, not giving a warning.
There was nothing worth stealing.
That wasn’t the issue.
The issue was respect.
Someone didn’t respect him enough to leave his stuff alone.
That was a mistake.
If someone wanted to screw with him, fine, but do it to his face.
At least be a man about it.
Don’t be a rat-faced sneak.
Rat-faced sneaks ended up dead.
Two choppers with narrow grips came into view at a standstill on the other side of the car. There were three figures total, a woman and two men, heavily tattooed, wearing leather vests and bandanas. The men looked strong even at a distance; the woman too, for that matter.
One would be no problem.
Two would be tricky but doable.
Three was pressing his luck.
If he was smart he’d just hang back and not give them the chance to screw up his life.
Let them go.
Concentrate on tonight.
It made sense but he couldn’t get his feet to stop. He couldn’t control the fire in his brain. He slowed a little so he wouldn’t be totally winded when he got there, but he kept going.
Someone was about to get hurt.
They spotted him charging.
One of the men grabbed a six-foot length of chain from the back of a bike and whipped it through the air.
The man in the car pulled a knife and stepped out.
He was already in a warrior position.
The woman had something in her hand, too small to make out. River sensed a box-cutter. She picked a rock off the ground with her other hand.
“Come on, asshole!”
River stopped ten steps away.
The men were stronger than he thought.
They were dangerous.
He’d seen eyes like that before.
The man whipped the chain on the ground. Dirt exploded. They were already spreading out trying to box him in.
He backed up.
“Come on, asshole,” the woman said. “Don’t chicken out now.”