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Rodland glanced back at the rear camera monitor. “Dammit.”
“What?” Caleb said.
“It looks like we have eight more troops climbing aboard the train from another truck. And I’ll bet there could be another couple of trucks on the road behind this one.”
Caleb stepped closer to the monitor and watched Bohdan’s men climb aboard from their truck. “This isn’t going to get easier.”
Rodland looked back at the laptop. “I might be able to do something about the trucks coming up behind them.”
“Do what?”
The train shook as it switched off the main line and crossed the river Thurso.
“Well done,” Caleb said.
Jane suddenly appeared at the side door. “Yes, well done.”
“What are you doing here?” Caleb stepped toward her. “I thought I asked you to—”
“Bohdan’s right-hand man Chiswick paid me a visit and changed my mind.” She slung her carbine on her shoulder as she entered the engineer’s compartment. “I suddenly didn’t have a back door any longer and there were other soldiers climbing on the Reiver car.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry, I took care of Chiswick. But I thought I’d be safer up here.”
“I can’t argue with that,” he said bitterly. “So much for trying to keep you secure.”
Rodland studied the map on the laptop screen. “I have an idea. But I’m about to do something that may get us all into a great deal of trouble.”
“I doubt if it can get any worse than it is for us right now,” Caleb said.
“Don’t say that. Itisworse,” Jane said. She pointed at the rear camera monitor where a dozen men were running toward them across the train car roofs. Two of them had already drawn their guns and were firing in their direction. “I believe those were the mercenaries Chiswick brought aboard the Reiver car. If you can do anything to get rid of them, to hell with the trouble.”
Rodland increased the speed. “Hang on, I need to get going for this maneuver to work.”
“Whatmaneuver?” Caleb asked.
“There’s a drawbridge on the trestle up ahead. I just opened it.”
“And…?” Jane said.
“And I’m about to uncouple the last three cars of this train.”
“And…?” Caleb said.
“Don’t talk to me. I need to time this just right…” Rodland concentrated and then punched a key. There was a jarring ripple as the last three cars uncoupled from their train. Bohdan’s men tried desperately to steady themselves on the train car roofs. A few seconds later, Rodland activated a switch command for the track behind him.
The three cars with Bohdan’s men coasted through the switch and toward the open drawbridge.
Jane’s jaw dropped. “No way.”
In the next instant, the three cars hurtled over the drawbridge. The men screamed as their train tumbled to the river hundreds of feet below!
Jane and Caleb watched in stunned silence. The train cars with the men had simply vanished in the darkness.
“How far down was that?” Jane said.
“At least a couple hundred feet,” Caleb said.
