Deadly Lode (Trace Brandon Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

interested in a partner? I have pretty deep pockets , Trace . I could help defray a lot of the exploration expenses , in return for an interest in the claims . ”
    “ I appreciate the offer Mr. McSweeny, but I think I can handle the initial exploration costs. ”
    “ Well, what about beyond that? No offense, but I ’ d be surprised if you have the financial wherewit hal to bring a mine into production . ”
    “ Probably not. But if the lode grades out , I ’ ll have several financing options. ”
    “ Reverse merge r with a public shell , eh? ”
    Damn this guy doesn ’ t miss a thing, I thought to myself. “ Well, it ’ s one option. ”
    “ The public market can be a damned rough place, Trace , i f you don ’ t know what you ’ re doing. ”
    “ I ’ ll keep that in mind, s ir . Fortunately, I have a damned good attorney to keep me out of harm ’ s way. ”
    “ Yeah, well , you ’ ll probably need him. Good talking to you , Trace. I ’ ll be seeing you. ”
    Not if I see you first, I thought , as I hung up.
     
     
    After his call to Trace, Cy r us made a second call to his right - hand man , Bill Thorn ton . Thorn ton , or Thorny as Cyrus called him, was built like a fireplug . Bald with a salt - and - pepper goatee, he stood f ive feet eight and weighed two hundred pounds . Thorny reminded people of a bulked - up Yul Br y nner. Like Cyrus, he ’ d worked and fought his way out of the mines. He was smart and tough as nails.
    “ Thorny, it ' s Cyrus. ”
    “ Hey , Cyrus, what can I do for you this fine morning? ”
    “ I want you to find out everything you can on some new claims staked in sections sixteen and twenty - one , T ownship thirty - six north , R ange twenty east . Look for the REP claims, number one through thirty. The l ocator is Reserve E&P, LLC. I want to know who did the staking and if they ’ re duly recorded in Okanogan County. ”
    “ Yes, s ir . S tandard routine? ”
    “ Y eah , standard routine. If they missed any steps in locating or filing these claims, they may have a new partner. Get back to me as soon as you can, Thorny. ”
    “ You got it , boss. ”
     
     
    After my conversation with Cyrus, I called Will to fill him in.
    “ Y ou ’ ll never guess who just called me. ”
    “ The Virus? ”
    “ Good guess. ”
    “ What ’ d th e jerk want? ”
    “ He said he saw our new claims posted on the BLM website and tried to pump me for information . Hell, he even offered to partner up. ”
    “ Holy crap, the guy is friggin ' un believable. ”
    “ I told him we didn ’ t need a partner at this stage , and he immediately guessed we were looking to do a reverse merger with a public shell company . ”
    “ He ’ s a bottom - feeder , Trace, but he ’ s nobody ’ s fool. Don ’ t underestimate the bastard. ”
    “ Don ’ t worry , I won ’ t. But he ’ ll have a tough time over-staking us. Ken documented and photographed ever y thing , every monument, every corner. I have hard copies and computer files, as does Ken. Cyrus is going to run into a dead end if he tries to mess with our claims. ”
    “ Agree d , but he may try another tack. ”
    “ Same thought crossed my mind, amigo. I n any case, I think you and I should head up to Winthrop on Wednesday. I want to hire a dozer crew to re pair the old mine road and put in three drill pads. I could use your help on the permit side with the Forest Service. ”
    “ Sounds good. I would love to get out of the office for a little road trip. ”
    “ We can get some work started , and we ’ ll be able to k eep an eye on the claims. Also, as a precaution, I am going to call Henry Orvis , the Okanogan C ounty s heriff , and give him a heads -up about possible trouble with t he Virus. ”
    “ Do you have a good relationship with the s heriff? ”
    “ Yeah, pretty good. H e ’ s a cousin , on my dad ’ s side . ”
    Will laughed . “ Pretty handy . G ot any other surprises up you r sleeve ? ”
    “ Maybe one or two . W e