Page 55 of Invincible
CHAPTER18
The dockinside the terminal was busy.There were four ships docked, cranes busy unloading their cargo.Semis hooked to the small, odd looking trailers streamed in and back out through the security gates.Each stopped long enough to have their paperwork checked before continuing on to their destination.
Dex, Tyler, and Knox stood outside the security fence, down from the gate, watching containers being loaded into the hold on the Mariposa Bonita.The ship had begun the process of loading several hours ago and still had a ways to go before it would be ready to set sail.It would be some time in the late afternoon before the hold was full and they would start stacking its containers along the flat deck.
Soon Tyler and Knox would try to walk onto that closely monitored ship to find the proverbial needle in the haystack.
Dex hated this.Everything in him screamed not to do this to Tyler especially.He had always scoffed at people who believed in love at first sight, but that had been before it happened to him.
“This is going to work,” Knox said.Dex supposed the man had read the worry etched on his face or maybe he had the same misgivings.
Even with the message Memphis passed on to him about not being to blame, he knew that Knox still blamed himself for Greer’s disappearance.After hearing about the murder committed in front of her, he had worried about Knox going off half-cocked.
“It has to.”Dex looked over Tyler’s head at the big man.Knox had the coveralls pulled up, concealing a handful of tools.The stress on his face belied the calm demeanor he was portraying with his body.
Over Knox’s stringent objection, Dex had denied him bringing a gun.He didn’t want to take a chance on Knox getting killed mistakenly by law enforcement if things went sideways.His instructions had been to get the women, get to the bow, send a signal up, and then hide until the ship was secured.No heroics.And, hopefully, no mistakes.
“Just remember the plan and keep your heads down,” Dex said, turning from the fence.They walked in silence back to Tyler’s welding truck.The plan was for them to enter the facility under the pretense of fixing a small stress fracture in the hull.They would park at the back of the lot and slip on the ship during the shift change.Everything had been calculated to the minute.
“Knox, you have everything?”Dex asked.
“I don’t have any more room in this thing if I don’t.We’re ready.”Dex nodded at him before turning his focus on Tyler.
“Keep behind Knox,” he said, taking her face between his hands.He really needed her to listen.“If anything goes wrong, hide until I can get you off.Okay?”She nodded at him with a look of determination.Suddenly, he couldn’t stand it anymore.Wrapping his hand behind her neck, he pulled her to him, crashing their lips together.
“Think I’ll go get in the truck,” Dex vaguely heard mumbled next to him.He didn’t care.All he cared about was making sure Tyler understood he needed her back in one piece.That they weren’t over by a long shot.As his tongue tasted every inch of her mouth, he made her a silent promise that he would do whatever it took to get her back off that ship.
“Wow,” she whispered when he finally pulled back.He laid his forehead against hers, taking in the smell of lavender that he had learned to love so much.
“Just...just stay safe,” he answered, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead before turning her loose.Opening up the driver’s door for her, he nodded once more to Knox before walking away.
He knew the man would do whatever he had to to protect Tyler.He had seen firsthand how he had saved both Memphis and Thayer more than once.Dex knew he would just have to have faith that their sibling bond would guarantee they both made it back this time too.
Tyler parked the oversized truck in the designated area farthest from the ship.She knew Dex wanted them to draw as little attention to themselves as possible from the office staff.This plan felt like such an impossibility, but since no one could come up with anything better, she would push forward as far as she could.
Since they both still had work permits, driving through the security gates hadn’t given them much of a problem.Now for the hard part.
Grabbing the work order, she climbed out of the truck.Knox had already grabbed the toolbox containing anything she would need for a simple fix for a real problem.She just hoped her faked work order passed inspection and didn’t cause any red flags.
“Ready?”Knox asked, standing next to her as she stared at the ship.
“Yeah, let’s do this,” she answered, sliding her metal storage clipboard with the fake paperwork under her arm.If she wasn’t ready with a giant, brooding, ponytailed, tattooed force of nature at her back, when would she be?Their father must have been a big man.She snorted out a small laugh at the stupidity of that thought right now.
“Are you okay?”Knox asked as they approached the ship.
“Yes, just nervous.”Walking up to the guard, she laid her sexiest smile on him.She’d take any advantage she could get.“Hey, I’m supposed to check a weld in the engine room.”
The man looked over his list, slowly shaking his head.
“I don’t see anything here.”
“Oh, geez.Oh no.I guess they didn’t send over the work order.Sometimes they get a little too worried about making it home forWheel of Fortunein the office.Am I right?Here, I have a copy,” she said, pulling the paperwork off of her clipboard.“All I know is they wanted me to make sure it’ll hold before they sail.Shouldn’t take long.”
The man grunted then, handing the paperwork back.He motioned for Knox to open the toolbox.After digging around in it, he checked their work permits before waving them onto the ship.
Taking a quick look at the ship schematic on his phone, Knox led them to a storage closet that mostly held extra emergency gear.They had agreed earlier that it was the safest option on the ship.
Opening the cabinet, Knox sat the box on the floor inside before climbing in.Sitting on the toolbox, he wrestled his legs inside until they were bent at the knees with his feet pushed against the far wall.
