Chapter 8

“What do you mean,Paul’s in danger?” Mason narrowed his eyes at Avery, making him look even more threatening.

Not that she was concerned at this point.

She studied Mason, then Paul, then Mason again, taking in their similarities and differences. Now that she knew they were related, she could see the resemblance. While Paul’s hair curled in the mist in thick, dark waves, Mason’s longer locks were far lighter. In the dim light, they looked more brown than blond, but she suspected the sun would quickly create golden streaks. Different coloring, for sure, but both had the same, intense green eyes.

Paul was a shade taller, but easily twenty pounds lighter, in every sense of that word.

Mason carried himself like a warrior—shoulders back, spine straight, a coiled intensity in his movements. A protector’s energy radiated from him. Paul lacked that gravitas. She knew his type well. Sweet, but not overly motivated or responsible. Easily swayed.

Not Mason. Once he set his mind on a goal, moving him would take a mountain of dynamite, and more luck than she could ever hope for.

Paul started driving again. She calculated her chances of escape. Slim to none. Mason wouldn’t hurt her, but he’d easily outrun her. And his brother would likely assist. No way she could outpace two fit males.

She might as well make the best of this situation. This could still be her opportunity to turn Paul and gain an inside ally. As long as Mason didn’t whisk his brother away first.

She had to talk fast and win them both over.

She gestured at Paul. “I want to hear the details, then I’ll explain.” She tipped her head at Mason. “Special Agent Avery Ellis, by the way.”

The tiny concession earned her an outsized grin.

“Agent Ellis.” Mason acknowledged her introduction, then tapped his brother on the shoulder. “Go on. Tell us the full story.”

Paul explained how he’d gotten hired by Rain Bay Trucking as a mechanic. The pay and state-of-the-art facility impressed him.

“Then, last week, they sent me to another warehouse I didn’t even know existed,” Paul continued. “The bosses there gave me a promotion right away. Bigger raise, better hours. Only catch was I couldn’t talk about work to anyone. I mean like seriously, no one.”

“Why’d you call me?” Mason asked.

“The first warehouse is on the level,” Paul said. “As far as I can tell, it’s a regular shipping facility, but at the other warehouse they’re bringing in stolen goods.”

Avery jumped in quickly. “You see any paperwork proving that?”

“No,” Paul admitted. “It’s just a feeling. Everything’s on complete lockdown. We’re not allowed to open the cargo holds of the trucks without a supervisor present, or a security guard. Weirdest thing I’ve ever seen. The wrenches, like me, that work the incoming trucks never work on outgoing vans. And the forklift guys who unload the cargo don’t talk to anybody. I mean literally. I’ve never seen anyone in the breakroom but the guys who work alongside me. And even with them it’s … weird.” He shook his head.

Energized now, Avery leaned forward. “Weird how?”

He shrugged his thin shoulders, shooting his brother a look.

“What kinds of goods are we talking?” Mason asked.

Paul shuffled nervously. “There’s a lot of different stuff. I try not to look too closely, you know? All I can tell you is the rigs I’ve worked on so far have been carrying pallets of pharmaceuticals. Totally full loads.”

Now she had two independent reports confirming the med angle. “They’re counterfeit. Or stolen.”

Mason scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Sounds like you’ve been investigating for a while.”

“A couple of weeks. I’m just starting to make real progress.” Because she might have another inside guy now.

She met Paul’s gaze in the mirror. “Have you talked about this with anybody at work, maybe in the breakroom or over a beer?”

Paul jerked back, eyes wide. “No way. I like breathing.”

She believed him. He seemed genuinely scared.

A little shiver of triumph warmed her. She’d been right about Rain Bay Trucking. And she understood why Mason had taken such drastic measures to protect his brother. Given what she knew of the company’s sketchy background, Paul was in real danger.

Mason turned to her with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about all this. Just tell us where you want to be dropped off. I’ll make sure Paul stays hidden until you wrap up your case.”

“No.”

He cocked his head. “No, you don’t want to be dropped off?”

“No, your brother’s not disappearing. Not yet.”

The stunning SEAL rolled his shoulders back. “Yeah, he is. Paul’s out. Effective immediately.”

She bit her lip, searching for a way to make him see her dilemma. “Paul has to go back. I need someone on the inside. I don’t have time to find another informant. He’s the only one who can do this.”

Mason stared her down. “Not gonna happen. I’m happy to help. My team, too. This is exactly the kind of thing we do. But not my brother. He doesn’t have the skill set.”

“Hey––” Paul protested.

“That’s non-negotiable.” Mason cut him off.

Yeah? Well so was her mission.

Paul threw her a look in the mirror. His eyes gleamed. He was totally interested. If Mason wasn’t there, he’d agree in a hot second. So how to convince his over-protective brother?

“If he runs, he’ll never be safe,” she argued. “You know that, right?”

Mason pressed his lips together, unwilling to concede.

Not a problem. She was just as stubborn. Maybe more so.

“The people fronting the money for this kind of operation aren’t fooling around,” she added, focusing on Paul. “They’ve killed before and they’ll do it again. If you disappear, you’ll never be able to stop running.”

Paul’s body tensed. “You mean like join witness protection or something?”

“Pretty much.”

Mason clapped a hand on the back of his neck and squeezed.

Good. Maybe she was giving him a headache. He deserved it for messing up her plans.

“No,” Mason argued. “It won’t be like witness protection.”

“It’ll be worse.” Avery gestured at Paul. “He’s not helping the government. He’ll have zero official support.”

Mason growled softly. “He won’t need any.”

“Whatever you say,” she agreed placidly.

“I’ve got resources,” Mason announced. “My team and I’ll have no trouble keeping him safe.”

Frustration constricted her throat. There was confidence and then there was megalomania. She’d been on this case for a couple of weeks, and even she didn’t know who pulled the strings. “You have no idea what you’re up against here,” she insisted.

Mason shook his head. “Give me five minutes. My team’ll have––”

Avery cut in. “That mechanic Paul replaced? He’s dead. And he’s not the first one. Rain Bay silences liabilities.”

Mason’s jaw tightened. “Exactly why Paul’s not going back there.”

Ignoring the determined SEAL, she focused on his brother. “It’s exactly why you need to. I need hard evidence to take to my superiors. The Bureau will reopen the case and you can jet. Just another day or two. Help me put these people out of business and you’ll get your life back.”

Now Mason’s mouth dropped open. “Get his life back? You’re crazy if you think I’m letting him go back there.” He crossed his arms. “He’s done, effective immediately. The threat level is way too high.”

Paul interrupted stubbornly. “I’ll do it.”

Mason scowled, voice hardening. “No. You won’t.”

“Yeah, actually I will.” Paul focused on her. “He’s my brother, not my daddy. I’m in.”

The rugged SEAL looked like he’d just swallowed a stone. He raised his arms, anchoring his large hands against the front and back seats, as if tempted to shove them apart. Then he pinned her with a steely look. “The only way this goes down is if I’m involved. Where Paul goes, I go. Which makes me your new partner, Agent Ellis.”

Avery hesitated. Both the Ortiz men were unknown quantities. Especially Mason. But one glance at his resolute expression and she knew he wasn’t backing down.

He glared at her, jaw tight. “Your choice.”

Paul slapped the steering wheel. “Yeah man, let’s kick some butt and take some names.”

Avery turned away, staring out at the rain-slick street. Not a contingency she’d expected. She wasn’t big on partners, especially one she had no idea if she could trust. Ortiz might rat her out to her boss before she could get the go-ahead. Or take matters into his own hands.

He didn’t look like a hothead, more the opposite, actually. But who knew? People did strange things under pressure.

Just how desperate was she to make a case against Rain Bay?

Very. Even more so confirming that they were smuggling meds. Were the drugs even real? If so, they weren’t getting to their intended recipients. If they were fake, people who needed medications were ingesting who knew what.

Devastating outcomes either way.

She studied the older Ortiz from under lowered lashes. The man did have a presence. If he was legit, having an overqualified partner might not be the worst thing.

It wasn’t like she had much choice. Without Paul on the inside, her investigation was pretty much dead in the water anyway.

She lifted a silent prayer to her Savior and took a leap of faith. “Fine. But I have a couple conditions of my own.”

Mason looked slightly stunned by her audacity.

“Number one. We do this by the book,” she insisted. “Whatever evidence we come across has to be gathered legally. I can’t risk the case being thrown out on a technicality. Are we clear?”

“Crystal.” He rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms. “The second?”

“No team. I shouldn’t even let you tag along, let alone your team.”

He seemed to chew on that for a minute. “Paul, grab her gun for me.” He nodded toward the glove compartment. Once he had the Glock back in hand, he spun the service weapon around and held it out toward Avery, grip first. “No team. You’ve got a deal, Agent.”

The metal was warm from his touch, igniting unexpected feelings within her. Working with Mason Ortiz would be a challenge in more ways than one.