“That’s not far from here.”
“According to shipping records, the ship is docked there right now.”
If the records were reliable, Madrid thought.
“Is this something you’re going to need backup on?” Jake asked.
“As soon as I find the right vessel, I’ll call.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Knowing Jake Vanderpol would do just about anything for his fellow agents, Madrid grinned. “Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, and hit the end button.
Jess was already gathering the photos and first aid kit. “Where?” she asked.
“Port of Eureka. Humboldt Bay.”
“I know where it is.” Her brows went together. “It’s an hour from here. By the time we get there it’ll be dark.”
“Best time of the day for what we have to do.”
“If you don’t mind the rats.”
Madrid picked up the gun, shoved it into his waistband. “Honey, the rats are the least of our worries.”
LIGHTNING FLICKERED to the west as Madrid drove slowly past the massive chain-link gates that opened to the shipyard. Intermittent rain spattered against the dirty asphalt. The wind had picked up, sending the surrounding trees into a frantic dance. Jess couldn’t think of a worse night for an illegal foray into a shipyard.
A guardhouse stood left of the gate. The bright lights inside revealed two uniformed and armed port police officers.
“I guess that rules out making entry the old-fashioned way,” Madrid growled as he sped past.
“So how do we get in?” Jess asked.
“We make our own gate.”
“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“Getting in is the easy part.” He looked away from his driving and made eye contact. “Getting out in one piece is going to iffy.”
She liked the sound of that even less.
They had stopped at a discount store and purchased several items before making the drive to Eureka. Bolt cutters. Gloves. Flashlight. Forty feet of rope. A small marine anchor. Disposable camera. A canvas duffel in which to carry everything. Though they were relatively well equipped for the task at hand, Jess thought it was going to take nothing less than a miracle to pull it off.
Madrid parked the car on a muddy road used by a logging company on the north side of the shipyard. The boughs of tall evergreens cloaked them in darkness. On the forest floor, wisps of fog rose like ghostly fingers.
“You up to a walk?”
She glanced over at Madrid. His eyes were sharp and direct in the semidarkness. “I’m up to it,” she said a little breathlessly.
“Let’s roll.”
Quickly he gathered the items they would need, put them in the duffel and they left the car at a jog. Thunder rumbled as they moved silently through the trees. The wet ground squished beneath Jess’s sneakers. The wind whispered through the trees. Ahead, Madrid moved with the utter silence of a predator on the prowl.
The forest opened to a grassy plain where a twelve-foot chain-link fence rose out of the ground like a sentinel. Three strands of barbed wire capped the top. Madrid and Jess stopped, and for an instant, the only sounds came from their labored breathing.
He turned to her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
She thought of Angela and Nicolas and nodded. “I don’t want to turn back.”
He grimaced. “Okay.”
Opening the duffel, Madrid removed the bolt cutters and went to work on the fence. After a dozen snips he’d made a hole big enough for them to pass through. Jess started to duck through it, but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. He was so close she could feel the heat coming off his body. For several interminable seconds his dark eyes searched hers.
Jess knew what would happen next, but she was helpless to stop it. It was like standing in the middle of a superhighway, waiting to be mowed down by a speeding eighteen-wheeler.
But when he lowered his mouth to hers, she could think of nothing except the feel of his lips against hers. The kiss was raw and primal and powerful enough to curl her toes and make the world around her spin like a top. Adrenaline and desire clashed, like steel dragged across rock at a high rate of speed, shooting sparks high into the air.
Jess knew it was crazy, considering where they were and what they were about to do, but she kissed him back. She reveled in the feel of his mouth against hers. The tight grip of his hands on her shoulders. The tremor she felt run through his body. She wanted to reach for him, pull him closer, but as quickly as his mouth had assailed hers, he pulled back.
Jess blinked, shocked as much by the kiss as her response to it. “What was that for?”
“Luck.”
“If that was a quick peck for luck I’m almost afraid what will happen when we’re not in a hurry.”
For an instant he looked as shocked as she felt. Then his mouth slowly curved. “It’ll be good.”