All Chapters of THE HEIRESS IN OVERALLS: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Chapter 71: The Boardroom ExecutionThe glass and steel building of the Atlantic Maritime Exchange in downtown Manhattan did not smell like the Niagara yard. There was no smell of diesel oil or wet river gravel. It smelled of wood and clean air. It also had the scary smell of old money that was getting ready to defend itself.Avery stood in the green room on the forty-second floor. She looked down at herself in the marble trim. For the time in fifteen years she was not wearing her old jeans and jacket. She wore a blue suit that was tailored just for her. Her leather work boots were still on her feet. You could not see them because of her pants. This was a reminder of who she was.The air here is too thin, Avery said. Her voice was not warm and friendly like it usually was. It was hard and flat like when something was broken and could not be fixed. She did not look at the computer screen on the table. They think we are playing by their rules just because we came to New York. They think

Chapter 73: The Sovereign SeizureThe fountain pen scraped against the paper with a harsh sound that did not belong in the quiet boardroom. The oldest director signed the paper with a signature. This showed that the legacy maritime board had lost all its power. He pushed the paper back across the table. His hand dropped to his side. It was like the paper had taken all his strength."It's done, " the old man said quietly. His eyes were empty as he looked at his laptop screen. "The St. Lawrence titles, the docking rights, the auxiliary transit leases. Everything is gone. There is nothing left for you to take from the Sterling treasury."Avery did not move. She stood still. Her leather boots kept her grounded on the high-rise floor. Her blue suit looked sharp under the lights. She looked at the screen on the wall. The global logistics maps were changing. The Thorne-Sterling grid was taking over the shipping lanes."I did not come here to take what was left in your treasury, " Avery said.

Chapter 75: The Deep-Water LineThe heavy iron hull of the carrier cleared the final concrete gate of the Massena lock with a low vibrating groan that echoed deep into the riverbed. The massive vessel settled into the shipping channel, its internal engines roaring back to life as it picked up speed toward the open waters of the St. Lawrence Seaway.Avery stepped back from the catwalk railing. She was checking the live engine load diagnostics on her tablet. The damp river wind was blowing her hair. She was totally focused on the mechanical reality of the fleet."The engines are doing great now, " Avery said. Her voice was quiet but sharp. She had finally perfected a design. "The thermal variance on the primary propeller shafts has leveled out to zero." She tapped the screen locking the telemetry sequence into the database. "The old board was using fuel filters. They were systematically warping the fuel injectors every six months. Now that Leo’s high-precision filtration arrays are onli

Chapter 77: The Midnight AuditThe air at the Montreal terminal was sharp and cool at midnight. It did not have the heat of the tarmac anymore. The air had the scent of static and incoming rain from the northern ridge.Avery sat in the driver's seat of a rig parked at the edge of the inspection bay. Her laptop was on the steering wheel. The light in the cab cast a glow over her denim overalls and the grease on her hands. Avery was looking at the GPS on her laptop. She was tracking the ships, trains and trucks moving across the border map."The fuel logs from the Montreal rail just came in, " Avery said. She did not look at the passenger door. A big shadow blocked out the yard lights. "The other companies are using our line Silas. They are not using the Exchange network. We have most of the transport now."Silas did not get in the cab. He leaned against the door frame. He was a man with broad shoulders. He made the big truck feel small. He had taken off his tie. Opened his shirt. His s

Chapter 79: The Freightline BlockadeThe rain that had poured through the rail junction followed them all the way to the secondary staging lanes. It turned the earth beside the concrete aprons into a thick dark sea of mud. Avery stood at the edge of the secondary loading platform. She narrowed her eyes as she watched a line of trucks idling under the floodlights. Their exhaust pipes were belching white vapor into the cold night air.The trucks weren't moving. For the time since the Thorne-Sterling trust took over the Montreal loop the automated gates were flashing a deep amber color."The digital papers are processing fine, " Avery said. Her voice was cold and angry. She pulled up the terminal's plans on her waterproof slate. Her denim overalls were splattered with rain. Her leather work boots dug firmly into the concrete platform. ". The physical locking mechanisms at the exit gates have been disabled. Someone cut the data cables near the state line. It's an override."Silas emerged