Page 31 of The Duke's Surprise Heir

“Yeah,” Gilly replied with a shrug. “But if the weight is off, then the plane won’t be balanced. It’s not a huge deal, but the plane won’t fly as easily.” He leaned back in his chair. “Weren’t you bragging about how that side of the equation was your job?”

Henry rubbed his forehead. “I’ve already fixed the weights and sizes on the computer end of the shipment,” he snapped. “It’s up to you to make sure that the crates get onto the plane. The client will deliver the shipment in less than an hour. He’ll come through the back gate. Just make sure that the crates are on the plane in time and don’t get inspected.”

Gilly tilted his head slightly. “Sure, boss. Whatever you say. I’ll wait until the rest of the crew leave for the night. The forklift can get the boxes moved around without a problem.” He leaned back in his chair. “This doesn’t seem like something worth coming down here to talk to me about. Usually, you just shoot me a message.” He rubbed his jawline. “What’s so special about this shipment?”

Henry looked away, praying that the idiot didn’t see the anticipation on his face. “Nothing special about this one other than the urgency. We’ve never had a same day shipment before.”

“Good point,” Gilly replied, then shrugged again. “I’ll take care of it, like I always do.”

Henry watched the man for another long moment. He was getting a bad feeling. Gilly wasn’t being as careful as he should.

“Can you figure out the weight issues? I’ve adjusted the fuel needed for the flight.”

Gilly snorted. “Sure! I just said I would. Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, okay?”

Again, Henry calculated the commission he’d earn on this shipment. It was huge. This shipment meant he could get on a flight and vanish from this hellhole. He’d never have to see Loretta again, never have to deal with the obnoxious Gilly, and he could finally leave the problems that were waiting on him back at his office forever.

“Fine. Just…” he lifted his hand in the air, but Henry wasn’t sure what he’d been about to say. His mind had already returned to the blond woman in a tiny red bikini that would be smiling at him from the next beach chair. “Whatever.”

Henry left Gilly’s office. The manager laughed as if Henry had said something funny, which only irritated him further.

Ignoring Gilly, Henry walked out of the warehouse, looking around. The boxes that were prepped for shipping didn’t seem as organized as normal. Was that because they were already set up for loading? Or was Gilly slacking off?

A problem for another day, Henry told himself.

Gilly walked out of his office and watched as the pompous prick left the warehouse.

“He thinks he’s better than us, doesn’t he?” Mike, the forklift operator muttered as he came to stand next to Gilly.

Gilly made a sound that might have been agreement. “I guess he doesn’t like to sweat.” He looked at Mike. “Might mess up that nice dress shirt.”

Both men laughed and Gilly slapped Mike on the shoulder. “Let’s get this stuff loaded. I’m ready for a beer.”

“I’m with ya!” Mike replied, then moved towards the forklift. “Hey, did you hear that Adelaide is going to be at the Thirsty Tavern tonight?”

Gilly paused, his interest perking up. “That redhead that was at your place last month?”

“Yeah!” Mike laughed. “She’s hot! And Jerry thinks he has a chance.”

Gilly shook his head. “No way. That little gem is mine!”

Mike reached up and pulled himself into the seat of the forklift. “Not if I get there first!” Then he pressed the button that would start up the forklift.

Two hours later, the cargo was loaded and the crew was clocking out for the night.

“You coming?” Mike called out.

Gilly turned, flipping the clipboard around. “I’ll catch up with you,” he said, itching to get to the bar so that he could chat up the gorgeous redhead. But he also knew that he had to switch out those boxes of…he looked down at the clipboard. The boxes of paper products were about the same size as the wooden crates that were currently hidden in the back of the warehouse. He’d met the big guys who had delivered them, assured everyone that the crates would be on the flight to Germany tonight, then forgotten about them in the chaos of stuff that still had to get done. But the text from Henry fifteen minutes ago reminded him.

Now, he just needed to switch everything around, then he could get out of here.

It took less than twenty minutes to take the massive boxes of paper products off the plane and replace them with the crates. He made sure to balance out the load, then rushed into his office. He put in the fuel order, adding another fifty gallons. According to Henry, that amount of fuel would more than cover the additional weight. There would be fuel left over, but what did he care? Linx Airlines could handle the waste.

Logging off of his computer, he grabbed his car keys, and hurried out of the warehouse. A pretty little redhead was waiting for him!

Chapter 11

“What am I missing?” Macie whispered into the quiet office. Immediately, an image popped into her head. It wasn’t a data report or special code she could write that could help her find the bastards who were shipping illegal weapons. It was an image of Edward cradling Kyle in his arms, gazing down at their son with awe.

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