As much as she hated to admit it, she needed Linc’s protection. Aside from that, she wanted to be with him. Both sides of the argument chased around in her head. In the end, she decided to enjoy the time they had together and worry about the consequences once all of this was over.
Carly leaned back in her seat, feeling the vibration of the helicopter blades beating the air over her head as the chopper flew east. They had almost reached Blackland Ranch when Linc’s phone signaled. She saw him reach into his pocket, pull it out, and read the text.
Speaking through the headphones, he told her the text was from Taggart. An FBI agent using the name Mark McKinley would be waiting for them at Drake Trucking, there to start his “new job.”
Linc’s pilot made a course adjustment, hovered, then set down in the grassy field across from the truck yard. Carly and Linc jumped out, made their way to the entrance, then across the asphalt inside the chain-link fence to the big metal building.
“Your new hire is here,” Rowena said as they walked through the front door. “Mark McKinley? I didn’t know you’d hired a new driver.”
Carly hated secrets. And yet she didn’t want to burden her friend with more of her problems. “Sorry, with so much going on, I must have forgotten to mention him.”
“He’s drinking a Coke in the truckers’ lounge. He said you knew he was coming. He figured you’d be here fairly soon.”
“I’ll go get him.” Linc strode off in that direction.
Seated behind her metal desk, Row looked up at Carly. “I can’t believe you didn’t mention this guy. I mean, the man is hot.”
Coming from Row, who had her choice of men and rarely got involved with any of them, that was a rare compliment. “You think so?”
“He looks more like a movie star than a trucker.” As if to prove the point, the door swung open and Mark McKinley walked in. Row was right. The undercover FBI agent was handsome, no more than late twenties, with slightly overlong black hair and intense brown eyes. The beard stubble along his jaw made him look like he should be riding Linc’s Harley instead of working for the FBI.
Rowena smiled at him, but his return smile was anything but friendly. The man was clearly all business. Or maybe he was married. Men rarely ignored a smile from Row.
When Linc followed him into the room, an alpha male as hot or hotter than Mark, there was so much testosterone in the air, Carly felt a little dizzy.
“Let’s go into my office,” she said.
Linc and McKinley followed her in and Linc closed the door.
“I assume you have a class B license,” Carly said.
“I’m fully licensed,” McKinley said. “I drove trucks for three months on a previous assignment before we had enough evidence to make an arrest.”
“Good to know,” Linc said.
“How’s this going to work?” Carly asked.
“Simple. I take a load out tonight, which makes working for you look official to the rest of the drivers and anyone who might be getting information. Tomorrow night I make the pickup and delivery. If El Jefe’s mengive me any trouble, I’ll tell them you’re paying me double not to ask questions. Hopefully that’ll be enough to satisfy them.”
“Sounds good,” Linc said.
“I called and got the truck lined up for tomorrow night’s run,” Carly said. “It’s a Peterbilt like the rest of our rigs, but it’s one of the newer models. I don’t want any engine trouble, no breakdowns, nothing like that.”
“Any reason he can’t take the same rig out on his run tonight?” Linc asked. “Make a trip somewhere and come back, get familiar with the equipment?”
“No reason at all,” Carly said.
“He could head down to Tex/Am Transport in Dallas. They’ve got cots in the truckers’ lounge. He could get some sleep, then drive back here, be ready for the run tomorrow night.”
“Works for me,” Mark said.
Linc pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll call ahead, let them know you’re coming.”
“Gordy should still be around,” Carly said. “I’ll ask him to give Mark the tour, get him familiar with the rig.”
She led Mark out to the lounge, found the older man drinking a bottle of water, filled him in on what she wanted Mark to do, and left the agent in her foreman’s very capable hands.
When she returned to the office, Linc was waiting. “You finished here?” he asked.
