Nothing but silence follows. I catch Blaine’s eye roll from across the debris-littered lorry bed. He looks good, decked out like a real Sabre agent. Warner even permitted Blaine to carry a weapon. We must be in serious shit if he’s breaking his own dumb rules.
The four of us are crouched at the rear behind two pallets laden with shipments. Kyle, our resident sniper, is with Archer on a rooftop outside the docks, while Axel assists them.
Oscar complained when Warner ordered him to remain behind with the intelligence team to maintain contact with HQ. The directors rarely engage in active ops these days, but they’ll be waiting for mission updates back in London.
The sound of Josh greeting someone from the driver’s cab floats to us. Warner tenses beside me, his semi-automatic pistol clasped tight in his hands while Hyland is crouched to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
When Blaine’s booted foot nudges mine, I look up at his silent, moving lips.Breathe.Yeah, helpful. Still, I make a show of sucking in a lungful as Josh’s fake documents are checked by port security. Blaine smirks at my antics.
It would have been so much easier to call the authorities, clear the port then storm it with nothing but brute force. Problem is, we have no idea who is on Luis’s payroll. It’s clear he’s greased palms to embed himself in local infrastructure like the other honeypots. We can’t trust them to lead us to him.
Just when panic has bloomed inside me, I feel the engine rumble to life. Josh distantly barks athank youto whoever has waved him inside the port. Meanwhile, I’m silently thanking Rayna. Her forgery skills are impeccable and fast.
My leg bumps into Warner’s prosthetic as we drive through enemy territory, prompting him to flash me a tight smile. He’s trying to hide it, but I can feel his body shaking beside mine, and he keeps tugging at his trimmed salt-and-pepper locks.
“Warner,” I murmur. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“I’m fine, Em.”
“You’re vibrating. Talk to me.”
“We can’t let him slip through our fingers.” He wears a fretful mask.
“I know.” I nudge my shoulder into his. “We won’t let that happen.”
“There’s a decent chance he isn’t here.”
“Someone knows where Tom’s being held. If Luis has people based here, we’ll make them talk. We’re getting closer.”
It feels alien to comfort him when I hardly believe a word I’m saying, but I hate seeing steady, dependable Warner more uncertain than ever.
“Stick close to me.” His hard stare pins me in place. “I’m not losing you too.”
“You’re not going to lose me.”
“Just be careful, love. They’re here for you. I’m not willing to save Tom by giving you to them.”
Regardless of our two bystanders and all the potential ramifications, I shift closer to press my mouth to his. Warner accepts the soft kiss after a second’s hesitation, replying in kind with a sensual plea straight from his soul.
When we break apart, I feel Blaine’s heated stare searing through my skin cells from across the lorry bed. A peek reveals the mystified expression on his face, caught somewhere betweenintrigue and annoyance. Pretty much sums up how I feel about him too.
Warner leans back with a wan smile and mutters, “Let them look.”
“You’ve changed your tune.”
“No. Just re-evaluating my priorities.”
“Took you long enough.”
“Better late than never?” He smiles faintly.
At the feel of the lorry parking, Blaine abruptly tears his gaze from us to stand up. We all follow suit, straightening Kevlar and smoothing cargos, checking that our weapons are all in place. The engine cuts out, marking our cue to prepare.
After an elongated pause, we hear two short raps on the sheet metal that separates us from the driver’s cab. Coast is clear. No one has leapt out to intercept Josh, believing him to be making a regular delivery.
Hyland takes the lead, grasping the rolling door and yanking it up after unlatching the industrial clasps. Warner covers him with his gun raised in caution in case our surroundings change, and I swallow a barb when Blaine moves to my side.
Three… two… one…
