Page 20 of Invincible
“I’m pretty sure I draw the line at busy shipping dock blow jobs.”
“Maybe they could have put that on a plaque.First blow job and the date.”Dex raised an eyebrow, looking over at her.
“I mean for the dock, not you.I’m sure you’ve had acres of them.”Tyler could feel herself grow red at her stammering.“Well, probably not acres.But, still, more than average—”
“Do you want me to put together a list for you?Would that help?”
Risking a quick glance at Dex, she found him grinning at her before breaking into a laugh.Jesus, why couldn’t she stop?Turning back to the windshield, she watched out of the corner of her eye as his face returned to the calculating one she had first met.
“Anyway, I guess that rules one shipping office out at least.It feels like we’re hunting for a needle in a huge fucking haystack.”Tyler knit her eyebrows together in a concerned scowl, realizing it was the first time she had ever heard the man curse.This affected him even more than she had originally thought.
“Dex,” she said, placing a hand on his thigh.“We still have time.We’ll find them.”She felt his thigh muscle tense when she squeezed it before putting her hand back on the wheel.
“No other choice,” he answered, his eyes solemn when he looked at her.
“We will,” she said with a determined nod.They sat in silence for a couple blocks before he turned a sly smile toward her.
“Definitely not acres,” he said.
“You’re not going to let that go now, are you?”
“What would be the fun in that?”She laughed as she pulled the truck up to the next job.
As much as she loved her job, always had, this could possibly be the best day she had ever spent at work.The FBI agent was proving to be more than just a stuffy suit and uptight attitude.She suspected there were many vast layers underneath just begging to be discovered and she would like to find them all.Some with her tongue.
The rest of the afternoon, they plowed through several smaller jobs as Tyler worked at drumming up something in the bigger container terminals.
They were back at the shop putting the gear away when she finally got a call, looking for her to do some work on one of their crane tracks.She explained the job to Dex as they finished unloading the truck.Tomorrow would be their first chance to get inside the yard at one of the largest container terminals in the country.
“Do you have a plan for how we’re going to get access to their computer system?I don’t think offering up live porn from you is always going to work,” Tyler asked as she picked up one of the scrap pieces of metal out of the bottom of her trailer, handing it to Dex to add to the stack.
She always had a good supply of metal in the back of one of the bays, ready for quick repairs.The heavier pieces were standing against the back wall with the small pieces in a metal bin she could dig through if needed.The slivers too small to use went into a communal recycling bin at the back of the property.
“Not yet, but I’m working on something.It feels like we’re working with one hand tied behind our backs.Hopefully something will present itself while we’re there.”
Taking another scrap from her hands, Dex threw the piece toward the bin.He didn’t notice it shift the almost empty bin, sending it into the larger pieces of heavy plate steel.Turning to catch the next scrap from Tyler, he only had an instant to respond to her scream.
“Dex!”Tyler yelled, diving toward him.Following the instincts drilled into him since the academy, he tried to duck out of the way without really knowing what was coming at him.
In the blink of an eye, he found Tyler leaning over him at the edge of the trailer with her arms stretched out.She was holding a large sheet of plate steel, keeping it from crashing onto his head.With a roar, he shoved his back against it, helping her push the thousand pounds of steel back into its place.
“Are you okay?”he asked.“Here, let me see.”His eyes were wide as he felt her shoulders, running his hands down her arms to her hands.Inspecting both hands, he cupped her face.“Did it hit you?”
“I’m fine,” she said.His eyes didn’t leave her face as he seemed to assess what she had said.“Really, I am.”He let his hands fall from her face, placing them on his waist as he looked at the ceiling, taking a deep breath.
“I’m pretty strong,” she added weekly.Desperately, she wished she hadn’t had to do that.It was almost a guarantee that he would find the first excuse to brush her off.Most men’s egos she had come across couldn’t handle her being stronger than they were.But what had her options been?Watch him get crushed by a half ton of steel in order to save face?
“Fuck, you scared me,” he said, looking back down at her.“You’re sure you didn’t get hurt?”When she shook her head, he let out a pent-up breath.“Okay.I don’t know about you but I need a shower and something to eat.You game?”She nodded in agreement, wishing he wasn’t just asking about food.
Carefully cleaning up her shop, they locked up everything before climbing into her old clunker of a car.It was all she had been able to afford after buying her welding truck.
“If you brought a change of clothes, you can shower at my place instead of driving back across town.There’s a good fish place within walking distance of there.”
“Now what kind of Boy Scout would I be if I didn’t come prepared?”He was smiling at her again.Maybe all hope wasn’t lost yet.
Confirming he had for sure brought a bag and wasn’t just teasing her again, she drove straight to her apartment, parking against the curb in front.
“It will be hours before Greer gets home,” she said over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs.“You can use the shower first, that will give me time to check any new requests for work on my computer.”
