by Cole, Cassie
“Ja, me too.”
It may have been an excuse for my daydreaming, but I was nervous about our job. This wasn’t just a normal slew of drill site visits.
Because visiting Blackrock Energy sites wasn’t our primary goal.
The accident had happened almost exactly a month ago. The night I’d visited that bar, still too shaken to sleep. Jason, Kai and I were working a different site that day, but got the call as soon as the explosion happened. All safety auditors doubled as first responders in situations like that, in case there was anything drill-related we could do before the fire or medical arrived. By the time we got to the site of the accident it was a disaster scene: the gas was still burning, the runaway fumes too strong to extinguish until they brought in engineers to cap the line. The heat was so bad the emergency crews couldn’t get close enough to recover the bodies. Six charred, unmoving mounds strewn across the ground.
With the heat of the fire scalding my face from 100 yards away, it felt like I was in hell.
The rest of the site had already been evacuated, according to the fire chief. Four employees that were on their way to the nearest hospital in Dickinson. That had been a relief at the time, though now we knew it for what it really was: an attempt by Blackrock Energy to cover their tracks. Getting all the witnesses out of dodge before people like us could interview them. Keeping any information about safety precautions—or lack thereof—from getting out.
Part of me still woke up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, my heart racing so fast I thought it would beat its way out of my chest. I knew it was a minor form of PTSD, but it was manageable. I didn’t have it nearly as bad as Kai.
Tracking down the list of names had been tough. Blackrock hired sub-contractors for a lot of that work to obfuscate things in another layer of bureaucracy, but they still kept all the records at their HQ. But Jason and Tex had discovered the records had been modified to show that only six workers were on the site that day. The six workers who were dead. There were no records of the other four who were sent to the hospital.
Tex was a whiz with paperwork, though. The job site records may have had no trace of them, but the security badge records were still untouched. Four names, addresses, and headshots. Three men and one woman who we could track down and talk to.
Blackrock had done a good job of making sure they were spread out after the accident. They all worked for competing drilling companies now. Three of them were still in the western part of the state, and the fourth was up in Saskatchewan.
The only problem was we couldn’t go straight to them.
Blackrock Energy knew we were auditing them, and they knew we would begin drill site inspections any day. It wasn’t paranoia to claim that they were probably watching us to see when we would leave Bismarck, to try and guess when and where we would show up. Site visits were supposed to be unannounced, but any advanced knowledge—even just a few minutes—could help a drill site prepare for our arrival. Quickly hide any conspicuous safety violations.
Since we were almost certainly being watched, we had to pretend like we were doing our normal job… And then try to meet with the four witnesses on our own.
With all of this going on, it was easier to daydream about Lexa.
We reached our first drill site around 5:00, right when the shifts would be changing. It was a rectangular lot with two primary drill towers, which were surrounded by enormous water tanks. That water was pumped down into the rock shelf to replace the oil pumped out; otherwise the entire terrain would collapse. Of course all these changes still caused instability and earthquakes and other spill-related concerns, but it was a cheap way to grab as much oil or natural gas as possible before moving on.
I parked my jeep on the side of the road 100 yards out, then grabbed my binoculars and hopped out. So close to shift change, I wanted to keep a safe distance to watch how they handled the shift. All vehicles were supposed to be parked and turned off in the garage before swapping out shifts, but drivers got lazy and parked them wherever they were, often times leaving them in engaged positions with equipment. Half of all workplace accidents occurred when vehicles were left unattended, even for just a few seconds.
Before I could raise my binoculars, my phone buzzed.
Lexa: What happened to tonight?
Oh shit! We’d left in such a hurry I’d forgotten about my date night with Lexa.
Me: I am so, so, SO sorry! We had to leave ASAP
Lexa: You said you weren’t leaving for another day.
Me: I know, our plans suddenly changed. I didn’t want to miss our date either. Promise me you’re not mad?”
I glanced at Kai, who was staring out at the drill site with his arms crossed over his chest. I waited as the text message bubble appeared, then lingered an agonizingly long time.
Lexa: I’m not mad. Just disappointed you had to leave. How am I supposed to wait a week for you to get back?
Me: The anticipation for our date will make it that much better!
Lexa: I wasn’t talking about the date :-)
I grinned as I realized what she meant. The date hadn’t been the part I was excited about, either.
I realized this was an opportunity to mention it to her. To see what she thought about it. Saying it via text message was easier than broaching the subject in person.
My fingers moved slowly, and I read and re-read the text twice before sending.
Me: Tex can help you out while I’m gone.
Lexa: HAH, very funny. You think you’re funny.
Me: I’m 100% serious. Talk to Tex. It’ll make more sense then.
Well then. The cat was out of the bag. I might as well tell the others, now.
“Hey Kai,” I said. “Hold up a sec.”
21
Kai
I stared at the drill site and was unable to banish my deep sense of foreboding. I had not been back to a site since the accident. A chill tingled along my arms that had nothing to do with the weather.
Could I do this? I was not sure. That realization, here on the side of the road, scared me. The others knew me as the laughing foreigner who was always ready with breakfast and a smile. A caricature of Deutsch manliness, a part I normally enjoyed. Men my size were not allowed to have emotions, especially debilitating ones. I was afraid I would need to tell Cas I could not do this.
Thank goodness he was delaying as well.
“Kai, hold up a sec.”
I quickly turned like nothing was wrong. “Hmm?”
He took a deep breath. “I’ve got some stuff I need to tell you.”
I listened as he did just that.
“Casimiro,” I said with cheer. “You have been holding out on us!”
“It’s not like that. I was afraid it would jeopardize the mission, and I didn’t want you guys worrying about it…”
“Is that why she slipped you a note the first day?” I pointed at him. “Like lovebirds passing notes in school!”
He rubbed his hair, clearly uncomfortable.
I’d done my best to leave Lexa alone. It was the professional thing to do, especially for the four of us on our clandestine mission. I’d respected Lexa’s space, never making any suggestive comments, no matter how innocent they may be. The most I had done was make her breakfast and feed her bacon.
That was not even close to sensual. Who did not like bacon?
Yet I must admit I was slightly annoyed by the revelation. But it was only due to the circumstances, and not anything Cas had done specifically. “This is not a significant betrayal of trust. You have done nothing which requires apology.”
“Well, here’s the thing,” he said. “We sort of, maybe, kinda slept together last night.”
I smacked my head. “I heard you in the hall early this morning, right before I woke to make breakfast. I thought you were coming back from the toilet!”
“I texted Lexa,” Cas said, holding up his phone. “Told her to talk to Tex.”
It took me a moment to realize what he mea
nt. “Ja? You are serious?”
“We’ve been looking for another girl like Candice,” he said. “I like Lexa. I really do. And I don’t want to screw it up by only being there half the time.”
Ahh, Candice. A perfectly soft body underneath my fingertips, smelling fresh flowers after a summer rain. Thinking of her filled me with nostalgia, and sadness.
It filled me with excitement, too.
“Will Lexa be amenable to such a situation?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll see if she goes for it.”
I nodded. “I hope she does.”
“Me too, buddy.”
With thoughts of Lexa in my head, walking up to the drill site with my clipboard in hand was a little bit easier.
22
Lexa
I stared at the pixels on my phone screen.
What the heck did that mean?
Cas: I’m 100% serious. Talk to Tex. It’ll make more sense then.
Me: I’d rather hear it from you. Are you really suggesting what I think?
Cas: I’m gunna be away from my phone for the rest of the night. If you don’t want to talk to Tex, I’ll tell you more later.
That wasn’t good enough; I wanted to know now. I quickly switched to my phone app and chose his number, but it went straight to voicemail. He must have turned his phone off.
I felt like someone was pulling one over on me. Tex could take care of me while he was gone? Like… In bed?
I glanced over at Tex. He was sitting on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table, rolling his beer between both hands. He looked like he’d had a hell of a day, but the sleepiness in his eyes was sexy just then. It made him look dark and seductive.
He caught me staring, and smiled. “Whatchya thinkin’, Lexa?”
“I’m thinking about what to make for dinner,” I said. “I’ve got ground beef in the fridge… How about enchiladas?”
“Sounds fucken delicious,” Jason said.
While I got to work, my two house mates—it felt weird just having two for the next week or so—joined me in the kitchen. “Why’d you have a bad day?” I asked while opening another beer.
“Who said I had a bad day?” Tex said.
“Your face says it. I’ve seen that face before. That’s the today was a crappy day face. So spill it.”
“It wasn’t a bad day,” Jason answered. “Just hectic.”
“We actually made some progress,” Tex said. “Found good info for Cas and Kai.”
“Oh? Info for what?”
He shrugged like he’d said too much. “You know. Just stuff to help them with the site visits.”
“Is that why they left in such a hurry?”
“I wouldn’t say they left in a hurry.” Jason gestured with his beer bottle. “The site visits were always planned, ya know?”
“Cas said…” I trailed off. I didn’t want to have to explain when Cas had told me their original site visit plans. “I guess I assumed it would take longer.”
“You’re acting like you know something,” Jason said with a frown.
“I don’t.”
“Is Blackrock monitoring our communications?” he demanded.
“Jason…” Tex said.
“What?” I asked. “That’s awfully paranoid…”
“He’s just joking,” Tex said, but it was clear Jason wasn’t. He put his beer down on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. The black v-neck shirt he was wearing fit tightly over his torso.
“How was your day?” he asked casually. “Still editing courier documents?”
“I am, and it’s going very well,” I said. “Mr. Bryson even mentioned how good of a job I was doing.”
“That’s great,” Jason said.
“I just wish I had more of them to edit. I finish before noon, and then I’ve got the entire afternoon to sit on my hands and—”
“You ever see anything unusual?” Jason interrupted.
“Unusual?” I asked.
“Hey, buddy…”
Jason ignored his coworker. “Documents where anything immoral or illegal is suggested. Orders to shred work records on site, or suggestions related to safety regulations.”
“Not really,” I said. “They’re mostly just cover letters explaining what purchasing orders are included.”
“Mostly?” Jason said, seizing on that part of my statement. “So there are some documents talking about immoral acts?”
“No!” I said. “I mean, I don’t really know. I only skim them for clarity, or to make them as concise as possible. I don’t memorize everything they say.”
“Come on Lexa, think.”
I stopped stirring ground beef and whirled. “What’s with the interrogation all of a sudden? It’s awfully suspicious. Maybe that’s why Mr. Bryson is so worried about you guys.”
Now both of them flinched. Even Tex. “Wait, what? Why is he worried?”
“What did you say to him?” Jason demanded, face full of anger.
“Nothing! I’m telling you that he’s suspicious. It’s gunna sound like a big conspiracy theory, but he’s convinced you guys are all out to get him. That your main goal is to take him and Blackrock down.”
I said it with an incredulous laugh, because it was a ridiculous thing to say out loud and I wanted them to know I didn’t believe it either. But neither of them denied it. In fact, they suddenly became more reserved.
“If Milton Bryson is an evil man,” Jason said softly, “then he deserves to get taken down.”
My jaw almost came unhinged. “Are you serious right now? Mr. Bryson, evil? This is a joke, right?”
“You think he’s a good man?” Jason laughed. “No wonder you wouldn’t help find those missing reports quicker.”
“I asked Andrea! It’s not my fault she was out of the office.”
“Hey, let’s all settle down now,” Tex said.
“I’m settled down,” Jason said, leaving the kitchen. “So settled down I’m going somewhere else to eat.”
“Dude…”
Before we could say anything else, he was down the stairs and out the front door.
“What the heck just happened?” I asked.
Tex finished the rest of his beer and let out a long, exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry. Jason’s a little over-eager, especially after somethin’ we found today. He’s not really directin’ it at you.”
“It sure seems like he is. What’s really going on? And don’t tell me it’s nothin’.” I said the last part with an exaggerated redneck accent that immediately made me feel guilty.
He looked at me for a long moment. Making a decision in his mind. I wondered what was so important that Jason had stormed out of here after practically yelling at me.
Finally Tex nodded. “What you said was true.”
I waited for him to say more. “Which part?”
“We’re safety auditors for a third party company. We get hired to come in and evaluate drilling companies like Blackrock. All of that was true. But we have a history with Blackrock Energy specifically. We witnessed the result of a terrible accident at one of their sites, which ended with six workers being killed. We knew some of the dead.”
“Oh my God.”
He had to pause after that part before continuing. “Bryson’s suspicions are completely true. We’re here to do more than just audit Blackrock. We’re here to uncover all their dirty secrets and reveal them to the world.”
It all seemed so secretive. Too crazy to believe. “So who put you up to this? OSHA or something?”
“Nobody asked us to do it,” he said. “We chose to come after Blackrock. We’d heard rumors of their negligence before. How they cut corners at every step, incentivizing their workers to skip as much safety policy as possible. They bribe other auditors and give kickbacks to local politicians to look the other way. It’s gone on for years.
“When this contract came up, Cas jumped on it. It was all his idea but it didn’t take much to convince the rest of us. Takin
g this contract would give us a chance to dig deeper than most auditors care to, allowing us to find the evidence of their negligence. To prove that it was directed from the top: by Milton Bryson himself.”
“And once you have it, you’ll be protected from breaking your non-disclosure agreements under whistleblower laws,” I said.
He blinked. “Yeah, actually. You know about this sort of thing?”
“No, but Mr. Bryson said that’s what you were doing. It’s why he’s suspicious.” I sighed. “And because of the note I slipped Cas.”
“The phone message he wouldn’t tell us about? Wait. That was from you?”
“Yeah…” I turned around and filled the tortillas with the beef and peppers in order to give myself a second to think of an excuse. I couldn’t come up with anything good. Might as well come clean while we were all sharing secrets. “I hooked up with Cas at a bar about a month ago. A quickie in the back storage room.”
Tex’s eyes widened. “Wait, was that the third week in February?”
“Yep.”
“That must have been the day of the accident. Cas left our hotel ‘cause he couldn’t sleep. Came back a couple hours later and slept like a baby.”
“Yeah, that was my doing,” I muttered. “Why were you guys in Bismarck if the accident was out west?”
“Well,” Tex began, drawing the word out into several syllables. “We were witnesses to the aftermath, right? Showed up while the drill line was still on fire and helped prepare it for capping. Once the site manager showed up, he told us to head back to Bismarck so we could give our report to the folks at Blackrock’s headquarters. It was all third-party contractors involved in the accident, but Blackrock’s CEO still wanted a report on his desk before the smoke cleared. But by the time we got here, none of us were in the mood to give Blackrock the protection they needed. Because that’s the thing about everything that happened: they wanted the info so they could mount a proper legal defense. They wouldn’t use our report to make their drill sites safer.”