Page 50 of Liaising Kai

“She’s very dangerous, so let us handle her.”

He nodded. “What ship is suspected of smuggling?”

“The Summer Sky, IMO number 3865707.”

He looked down at the tablet he carried and tapped the screen a couple of times. “It’s just about to dock.” He looked toward the terminal. “We have four berths, and that ship is going to be in berth number one.”

“If you could speak with the DEA tactical commander, he wants to set up snipers around the terminal.”

He nodded, then said, “Absolutely.” He walked to the commander, and they started talking.

She looked over at her agents. Derrick, Austin, Amber, and Lucy were all kitted up and ready for deployment, as were Davis and Jason. She was a few yards away from him, thinking she liked that dust of stubble on his face. He drew her eye, not only because of his good looks, but the way he handled himself, with an easy grace that fascinated her.

She couldn’t forget how she had told him last night that she needed time alone, especially when her heart screamed against being separated from him. But true to form, Davis hadn’t missed a beat, and she had to admit that she was a little disappointed that he hadn’t put up more of a fight.

Still, Davis was as sexy as ever, and her blood ran a little hotter at the memory of his nakedness this morning. He never seemed to lose that self-assured edge that made her feel incredibly safe and protected—and, yeah, loved. It was his trust and confidence she wanted, a life with him. Are you going to be able to get it? a voice asked, sounding so tentative. She didn’t know, but she was going to give everything she had to finding out.

The DEA team leader looked over at her. “We’re ready to move if you are,” he said, breaking her away from Davis and her thoughts.

This was the moment they would bring to justice the woman who had murdered Mayta Mosquera, setting everything in motion. The thought of justice gave her great satisfaction. Freddy had also been the person who carried out the bombing of the OCDETF Task Force and would face charges for that, including Nate and Carter’s deaths.

She nodded as they all started toward the terminal. Hal got them through security. “Fan out but keep out of sight. We’ll call it over the radio when it’s time to move in.”

Kai emerged on the other side of the dock terminal, noticing there were three ships already berthed and cargo was being offloaded. The morning dew sparkled on metal surfaces. Trucks and forklifts were in constant motion all around her, and the smell of oil and fuel blended in the air with the scent of coffee. Workers didn’t pay them any attention as they hurried toward the terminal. The area was lined with different company logos and cargoes.

She looked at Davis, and he smiled at her. “See you on the other side.” He took off with Jason and Derrick. They were going to handle the trucks to keep them from leaving the terminal.

“Stay safe,” she whispered.

She looked toward the first berth and saw a huge ship maneuvering into position to line up with the dock—the Summer Sky. The crewmen caught lines from the deck, lashing the ship securely to the cylindrical metal cleats for a secure mooring.

As she moved across the open area, she found some cover from where they could watch the unloading without spooking Freddy. She wanted that cargo as much as she wanted the fugitive. Once it was unloaded and trucked out of here, Freddy would pull a disappearing act. Kai was sure she had her own escape route figured out now that she’d played her hand and sent her gang members to take out Kai and Amber at her home. She would already be on guard, but Kai guessed she had no choice in going forward with offloading the drugs. Her boss wouldn’t be too happy if the shipment fell into their hands.

She and her boss were in for a rude awakening.

Kai moved to the front of the huge cargo container to get a better look at the people surrounding the area. Austin was busy taking pictures for evidence.

The crew was focused on getting the cargo truck into place for the large container to be loaded onto the bed with two more trucks lining up for the next two crates. A crane on the Summer Sky’s deck started moving as soon as the huge ship was tied down.

At this distance, Kai could see a woman talking into a radio. She had dark hair beneath the white hard hat she wore and was dressed in a navy-blue suit and slacks with low boots on her feet. She had delicate features and no way did she look like a cold-blooded killer, but she was and Kai was going to do everything in her power to see the woman got what she deserved.

Freddy stood at a safe distance away from the unloading of the first container, watching as the crane lifted the rust-colored object from the deck of the Summer Sky. She took a step toward it as it was gently lowered to the truck’s empty bed, and once the crane released, it was secured by her people. She let out a breath she wasn’t aware she held, then lifted the radio to her lips. “Head out. You know the destination. Start the unloading process and I’ll be there shortly.”

The driver waved from the open window. “Got it,” he said. “See you soon.”

She trusted each of these men and had handpicked them herself. They jumped at her orders, not because they respected her, but because they were afraid of her. She was okay with that.

She hadn’t expected the Navy cops to figure out she was involved. She had no idea how they had done it. She’d been very careful, but with modern technology, and determined people, it had happened.

Her home had been invaded and her people taken. Her palms grew moist at the thought that this shipment was compromised, but she had no choice. She had to see it through. If she had balked, Angel would have had her executed. This way she would either be taken into custody, which would give her options, or she’d get away with the whole thing and make her exit to Ecuador, or even Colombia to assist Angel with whatever position the organization had available for an enterprising gal.

She had a private jet already fueled and ready to fly her out of the country the moment this production was over.

“Truck heading your way,” came through Davis’s earpiece even as he heard the grinding of the gears of the vehicle. It was lumbering at a good pace on the dock as it rumbled toward them. He stood out in the open with Jason on one side and Derrick on the other. Part of the DEA SRT fanned out behind him.

The driver slowed down when he saw them. Davis held up his badge. “Federal agents. Pull the truck over and turn off the engine. Step out with your hands up.”

For a few moments, the truck driver kept moving, then an automatic weapon emerged from the window and sprayed the area as everyone ran for cover. Davis sprinted toward the truck, pulling off a couple of shots straight into the churning engine.

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