20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Ryder

"I'm going to die of boredom today," Matt remarks, as we walk through the crates of shipments recently dropped off this evening.

I stifle a laugh as I continue to walk. Today has been nothing short of excruciating. We are trained killers, men who have fought and been wounded for our country. And now, we are walking laps by the ocean, watching ships unload cargo.

I know Lance said there is something illegal going on, but as far as I can see, nothing exciting has happened yet.

I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and a goofy grin appears on my face when I see Meghan's name on my face.

Meghan: Can I see you tonight? I almost called, but then I realized you were working.

Matt laughs beside me. "Someone has a crush," he says, sounding like a schoolboy.

"Shut up," I laugh, punching him playfully in the arm.

He rubs the spot and pouts. "Hey man, that's the arm I was shot in," he adds.

"Oh, shit, my bad," I say, now feeling bad.

Matt laughs and then takes a step away from me. "I'm just shitting you, man. I was shot in my left arm, not the right one."

I shake my head at him before moving back to my message. Meghan wants to see me tonight and right now, that's all I can think about.

Me: Sure. I get off at nine. Is that too late?

I hold my breath and wait. Damn, when did I become pussy whipped? Never had I been so enamored by a woman before. Sure, I had been with my fair share of women, but nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I knew she wouldn't be able to resist.

Meghan: Yes. You have my address. Just text when you get here.

Me: Ok, can't wait to see you.

I put my phone back and look up to see Matt's goofy grin. I try to keep walking, but he doesn't miss a step.

"Alright, come out and say whatever stupid shit you need to say," I taunt him.

Matt and I were more than friends, we were brothers and damn if we didn't fight like we were truly blood-related.

Holding his hands up in defense, Matt smiles. "Look, I wasn't going to say anything but since you brought it up, I think it's nice you are seeing someone," he says.

I stop at first, taken by surprise. "Seriously?" I ask.

"Sure. I mean, most of the guys are married and have kids and the house with a white picket fence. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the single life and hooking up with beautiful women, but sometimes, I think it would be nice to have a family and shit," he adds.

I smirk at this sentiment. His meaning was nice, but coming from Matt it just sounded funny.

"Her name is Meghan, she is one of the writers from MLA Publishing. I swear man, I took one look at her and it was all over for me. I want her bad. All of her," I admit.

"Who would have thought that we would survive being shot at in war only to have our biggest challenge be a woman," he laughs, shaking his head.

I go to offer a witty comeback to continue our banter, but something catches my eye. I hold up my arm like we used to in combat. It's a signal that alerts those around us that something is amiss and we need to be vigilant.

Seeing my gesture, Matt stops and stiffens next to me. His eyes follow my gaze over to where the men we saw the other night are now standing and arguing.

Crouching down, we begin to make our way over so that we can hear what is going on. We remain concealed by the large cargo crates and containers as we swiftly run through the maze of the port. When we get close enough to hear what is going on, we both fall to our stomachs and go silent.

"You said the crate would be here last night. My guys waited over an hour at the gate like you had told them to. Now, if something happened, my boss won't be happy," one of the guys says. He grabs the shorter man, the one who works here at the port, around the collar and pulls him close so that they are nose-to-nose. I recognize him as Nathan, one of the workers who unloads the shipments when they arrive.

"Look, when the crate arrived, it was empty. Contact your guys, I just unload the cargo," Nathan argues, trying to maneuver out of the man's grasp.

They have a stare off before the other man violently releases him, causing Nathan to stumble backward. Nathan rights himself and then points a finger at the man. "Look, until I get paid, none of this is my concern. If you want your precious cargo, then contact your own guys."

Another ship begins to move closer to the dock and both guys look up suddenly, their eyes alert as they realize their little argument needs to end.

I turn to Matt and he is looking at me. I can tell we are both thinking the same thing; there is a rat working for the port. I've seen this numerous times before. Once with an antique dealer and another with a drug cartel. If they are looking for a shipment from Mexico, it is more than likely drug-related.

I send a quick email to our boss from my phone, telling him every detail that Matt and I witnessed, along with my theories. He will need to investigate further. Matt and I are merely the ears and eyes of the operation right now. Undercover doesn't provide us many opportunities to get too involved. If we begin asking questions, we could tip off the guys that we know something is up. For now, it is best to just continue on with our shift, pretending like we didn't see anything. In cases like these, you never know who all is involved. Sometimes the higher up you go in the ranks of the company, the more deceit you will uncover.

Once my shift is over, I can't get out of there fast enough. As I head to Meghan's apartment, I leave behind the dangers and illegal activities that hold my attention while at work. Right now, all I want to think about is me and Meghan.