Page 76 of Noah's Reckoning
“No worries. I have to say when I heard we had stolen you away from Dyson I was pretty pleased. We’re real glad to have you on the team.”
“Thanks.” I tried to sound enthusiastic. “I’m excited about this new project.”
The Sea Rig 8 was an exploratory operation. Far bigger than what Dyson had in the North Sea. The job of this rig was to search for viable wells, tap them, cap them and move on while the production rig would follow it. My job was to make sure that happened with no impact to the environment.
Capping wells was not a simple prospect, and nothing was going to be tapped until I was assured that the process was foolproof. EEI targeted me specifically because of my watchdog attitude. I was here to hold the entire company accountable and I would.
I tried to imagine how I could trust the engineers on this crew like I’d trusted Noah.
I swallowed the lump in my throat knowing that I would have to try.
The chopper landed on one of the large pads the rig had space for. Sea Rig 8 dwarfed the Dyson rig and I thought maybe that was a good thing. A contrast so different I would be forced to focus on this operation, this place, which would keep me from questioning my decision to leave.
Had he even gotten the letter? Had he read it and thoughtgood riddance? Or worse, had some new renter found the letter and wondered about the pathetic woman, no, coward who had left it.
Did it matter? It had been two months since I’d spoken to Noah. I hadn’t blocked his number. I couldn’t make myself do it. But after that one angry voice message, there had been nothing.
Not a call, not a text.
No, if he at all regretted me leaving, he would have told me. He would have tried to reach out. He would have done something to let me know he felt anything for me!
I unbuckled myself from the seat and popped open the door. I was in heavy, winter gear, but the blast of cold, wet air that hit me as soon as I stepped onto the rig was a shock.
I hadn’t felt this kind of cold since—
Since I’d shoved Noah’s bare foot under my coat.
Two more weeks, I told myself. Two more weeks and I would never think of him again.
Liar
Cody came around and waved me over to the steps that would take us down to the control room.
“Cold enough for you?” he asked when I was in range.
“I’ve felt worse,” I told him.
“Yeah, you Alaska folks should know the drill. Can’t believe we were lucky enough to snag both of you. Dyson must be kicking their own ass right about now.”
“What do you mean?” I asked as we took one flight, then another flight of steps to the main level where control was located.
“You didn’t hear? No, you probably wouldn’t have back in corporate. Development of Sea 8 was backed up. The executives were worried we didn’t have the right talent on the job. Then out of nowhere we had a dream land in our lap. He came to us, can you believe it?”
“Who are you talking about?”
Cody opened the door the control room and stepped inside before he answered me. I followed him and heard my answer before I saw him.
“What the hell kind of operation is that?”
“Now, Ark, calm down.”
“Calm down? The muckety-mucks told me to make them something that would find oil. This oversize, floating tin can couldn’t find a meteor if it got hit by it!”
I froze. This wasn’t happening. I wasn’t here, about as far away from Alaska as a person could be, watching as Ark reamed out a man, who I imagined was the Rig Chief.
“Can you believe it?” Cody said to me over his shoulder. “Noah Aikens. And he came to us.”
“That’s why you’re here,” the older man told Ark. “To help us fix it.”
