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Paul held up his hands before quickly grabbing the wheel again. “I didn’t do anything. I just took a new job, that’s all. Everything was fine until …” He trailed off, shoulders hunching.
Mason didn’t bother to hide his skepticism.
“No really,” Paul insisted. “All I did was take a great new job, the one I called you about like a month ago. Truck mechanic for a big company, Rain Bay. They run their own fleet, plus they handle logistics for a bunch of other trucking companies. Turns out, I was so good at it I got promoted last week.”
Mason was even more skeptical now. “That’s only a month into the position.”
“Three weeks, technically.” Pride replaced Paul’s troubled look for a second before fading quickly. “Anyway, that’s when things got weird.”
“Weird how?” Mason pressed.
Paul slowed the vehicle, turning down yet another empty side street. “I got moved up to the A team. They work in a whole separate warehouse. Everything there’s some huge secret. It took me a week to figure out why.” He paused, looking at the woman in the mirror.
She smiled faintly, her vibe steady and reassuring. “It’s okay. I think I know what you’re going to say.”
Paul tensed. “If I talk, I’m dead.” He slowed the car again, turning to meet Mason’s gaze beseechingly. “I’m telling you, all I did was take a stupid job. I just took a job, man. A legit job for once. I didn’t start any trouble, I swear.” His voice wavered. “But I’m deep in it now. The company’s moving illegal merch. They’re not gonna let me leave. You gotta believe me.”
Mason studied his brother’s anxious face. He seemed genuinely afraid. Was it possible he was telling the truth this time? That for once, Paul wasn’t the cause of his own chaos?
The woman interrupted his thoughts. “He’s right. That’s why I was tailing him. Your brother’s in danger.”
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.