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Energized now, Avery leaned forward. “Weird how?”
He shrugged his thin shoulders, shooting his brother a look.
“What kinds of goods are we talking?” Mason asked.
Paul shuffled nervously. “There’s a lot of different stuff. I try not to look too closely, you know? All I can tell you is the rigs I’ve worked on so far have been carrying pallets of pharmaceuticals. Totally full loads.”
Now she had two independent reports confirming the med angle. “They’re counterfeit. Or stolen.”
Mason scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Sounds like you’ve been investigating for a while.”
“A couple of weeks. I’m just starting to make real progress.” Because she might have another inside guy now.
She met Paul’s gaze in the mirror. “Have you talked about this with anybody at work, maybe in the breakroom or over a beer?”
Paul jerked back, eyes wide. “No way. I like breathing.”
She believed him. He seemed genuinely scared.
A little shiver of triumph warmed her. She’d been right about Rain Bay Trucking. And she understood why Mason had taken such drastic measures to protect his brother. Given what she knew of the company’s sketchy background, Paul was in real danger.
Mason turned to her with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry about all this. Just tell us where you want to be dropped off. I’ll make sure Paul stays hidden until you wrap up your case.”
“No.”
He cocked his head. “No, you don’t want to be dropped off?”
“No, your brother’s not disappearing. Not yet.”
The stunning SEAL rolled his shoulders back. “Yeah, he is. Paul’s out. Effective immediately.”
She bit her lip, searching for a way to make him see her dilemma. “Paul has to go back. I need someone on the inside. I don’t have time to find another informant. He’s the only one who can do this.”
Mason stared her down. “Not gonna happen. I’m happy to help. My team, too. This is exactly the kind of thing we do. But not my brother. He doesn’t have the skill set.”
“Hey––” Paul protested.
“That’s non-negotiable.” Mason cut him off.
Yeah? Well so was her mission.
Paul threw her a look in the mirror. His eyes gleamed. He was totally interested. If Mason wasn’t there, he’d agree in a hot second. So how to convince his over-protective brother?
“If he runs, he’ll never be safe,” she argued. “You know that, right?”
Mason pressed his lips together, unwilling to concede.
Not a problem. She was just as stubborn. Maybe more so.
“The people fronting the money for this kind of operation aren’t fooling around,” she added, focusing on Paul. “They’ve killed before and they’ll do it again. If you disappear, you’ll never be able to stop running.”
Paul’s body tensed. “You mean like join witness protection or something?”
“Pretty much.”
Mason clapped a hand on the back of his neck and squeezed.
Good. Maybe she was giving him a headache. He deserved it for messing up her plans.
