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“Wait.” Avery held up her hand. She gave Goshiro a hard look. “Are you saying you’ve been at these exchanges?”
The question hung in the air.
“No,” Goshiro protested. “Of course not. I gave him intel on law enforcement movements to help him set up his buys. That’s it. I swear. I’ve never trafficked contraband.”
Mason wanted to spit. “You just make it easy for other people to do it. That’s much better.”
Goshiro fisted a hand. “It’s not––”
Mason silently egged him on.Take a swing. One swing.
Avery jumped to her feet, Goshiro in her sights. “Mason’s team will handle this. I’ll turn over what we have to the brass. They’ll decide the next steps. And your fate.”
“But you’ll tell them I helped.”
“If you actually do, yes. I’ll make your contributions clear.”
The tension in Goshiro’s face eased. He took a step toward Avery, but Mason slammed a hand into his skinny chest before the guy could take another. “Back off.”
Goshiro raised his hands. “Sure. Absolutely.” He caught Avery’s gaze. “I won’t let you down. Not this time.”
He turned away, long legs eating up the distance back to the trail.
“Too little. Too late,” Avery muttered.
Mason reached for her hand, threading his fingers with hers and squeezing gently. Despite the coldness of her fingers, a gentle glow filled him.
He’d never been a huggy guy. Not like his teammates.
But something about Avery’s touch eased his mind. His soul.
“I know,” he said. “I know.”
40
Ryan’s callhad come less than twenty-four hours later. None too soon for Avery. The more time she spent around Mason and his uber-competent crew, the harder it was going to be to watch them leave.
At least the meet would keep her busy.
Avery crouched behind a stack of crates, the fishy scent of seaweed mixed with diesel fuel assaulting her nostrils. She peered through her binoculars, focusing in on the massive container ship harnessed to the dock below and trying to ignore the way the drizzle was slowly soaking through her jacket and making her skin feel clammy.
Rain again. Of course.
Beside her, Mason was doing the same, his face a mask of concentration. She couldn’t help but admire his pinpoint focus, the way his eyes narrowed like a hawk zeroing in on its prey.
She shook her head, trying to banish the thought. This was no time to be getting distracted by her partner’s rugged good looks.
The comlink in her ear crackled to life, and she had to resist the urge to flinch. It was still taking some getting used to, having a direct line to Mason’s team. But she had to admit, it was a handy little gadget.
“Just like old times, huh?” Mason’s voice came through the comlink, low and teasing. “You. Me. Drizzle. Watching for bad guys.”
Avery snorted, adjusting her position slightly. “Yeah, except this time we’ve got backup,” she said, tapping the comlink. “And a whole lot more tech.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
Just then, Paul’s voice came through the comlink, loud and excited. “Hey, do you think they have any snacks on that ship?” he asked, his voice eager. “I’m starving.”
Avery bit back a laugh. Leave it to Paul to be thinking about his stomach at a time like this.