He pulled the Jeep over about twenty yards past the turnoff and unloaded the bikes. Glory watched the road while he let air out of one of her tires. When he was ready to go, she reached out and ran her hand down his arm. “Be careful.”
The parting line from Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca escaped him, so he just nodded and peddled away, promising himself a big kiss from Glory if this little spy mission turned out well.
Two things became immediately apparent as Tal made his way down the track. He was right about the building being fairly close to the road, but wrong about the slow pace of islanders on Sunday. Somebody had been very busy here. That was evident in the number of freshly broken and torn plants lining the road. He carefully rode in the wheel marks so a bicycle tread would be obliterated by another vehicle.
The building appeared around a shallow curve. It was a squat, one-story cinder block affair with a narrow garage door and one for people access. There were no vehicles parked nearby.
Tal got off by the door and rehearsed his excuse under his breath. He knocked on the door and no one responded as it swung silently inward. Looking around, he quickly wheeled the bike into the foliage on one side of the building. Maybe they were finished with the place and maybe they were just at lunch. They also had a damn good reason for sticking him with a trespass charge. He walked in. Oh well, In for a penny, his Aunt Grace used to say.
The inside was devoid of people and so hot it sucked the air out of his lungs. He let his eyes adjust to the dim light allowed by the fiberglass panels set high on the walls. The place was almost empty, except for some crates stacked in one corner. He walked over to them and felt the sweat pour down his back at what he saw. They were full of fake Kingston products. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he also saw pairs of bolt holes in the concrete floors. Some heavy machinery had been taken away and by the smeared drops of fresh machine oil, the removal had been recent.
Had they started emptying the building because he was on the island? He shook his head and in doing so, a tiny flash of color caught his eye. Sticking out from under the corner of a bottom crate was a piece of pink paper. If it were a bill of lading or other evidence, it would go a long way in convincing the authorities and help track those involved.
He glanced at his cellphone. It had been six minutes. Four minutes left to unstack the crates and get at the paper. He took a couple of pictures of the crates, products and inside of the building. If he hurried, he could get back and stop Glory from driving away.
Icy sweat poured down his chest as Tal lifted another crate. How could anyone work in this scorching heat? For an instant, his gaze snapped back to the empty bolt holes. Surely these people hadn’t tried to bottle the fruit sauces in this airless building? His stomach sickened. That would guarantee spoilage.
Somewhere outside, a horn started beeping. It took ten seconds to figure out the message in Morse code. Three longs, three shorts and three longs. SOS. Glory was warning him.
At that same moment, he heard a truck coming up the track. Only two more cases to go. He was not leaving without that paper, because he knew in his heart that by the time he came back with island constabulary, this would be an empty building.
Tal heard the brakes squeal and someone get down from the truck cab swearing, but they didn’t come in. He shifted the last two crates far enough to grab the paper and stuff it into his pocket. If the driver walked in now, he could still use the excuse that he was looking for a bathroom.
No one came through the door and the beeping continued. Tal ran across the floor and risked a peek outside. There was an empty truck, the driver’s door open. He saw a big man disappearing down the road. Headed straight for Glory.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Too risky to go back the way he’d come, but the image in his mind’s eye froze on Glory standing alone on the road, drawing attention away from him. Since the turnoff bisected a curve, he chose to cut through the heavy tropical foliage to the road and approach from behind the Jeep. Tal shook his head once. His sweat would summon every insect for a hundred yards and the grasses would inflict tiny cuts, offering more feeding grounds.
The easiest method would be to hoist the bicycle over his head and trudge as fast as possible, but he couldn’t take the chance of being seen if the chrome glinted in the sunshine. He slipped around the corner of the building, grabbed the handlebars and started pushing.
A few yards in, Tal realized the honking had stopped. He renewed his efforts, even though the undergrowth conspired against him. Luckily, the route to the main road was shorter from this angle. He broke through and spent another half minute pulling ripped greenery from the spokes and fenders.
Sweat trickled into his eyes as he rounded the curve. These people were engaged in a very illegal enterprise. What would they do in order to cover themselves? He’d been stupid to risk Glory’s safety.
Tal’s breath calmed as he approached the Jeep.
Glory was all right. She leaned against the vehicle, arms crossed, in full pout. The truck driver glowered at her.
She turned on Tal as soon as he came within earshot. “Where have you been? This worthless bicycle got a flat and I was about two minutes away from putting it in the Jeep and driving back to the hotel without you.”
He tried to look chagrined. “I’m sorry, sweetie.”
Glory was not letting him off so easy. When the man looked at him, she crossed her eyes, letting him know she was enjoying making him squirm. Just a little.
“What was it this time?” she asked. “I honked and honked.” She threw a disgusted glance at the other man. “This person made me stop.”
Up close, the driver was huge. He switched his glare to Tal. “Bad enough I gotta work today. Me head’s as big as a barrel from last night and I don’t need no more noise.”
“My fault entirely,” Tal said, swiping his forearm across his forehead. “I told her to honk if she ran into trouble. She was right in front of me, but I got sidetracked.”
Glory huffed. “By a bug, no doubt. I never should have married a nerd.”
He turned an imploring look on her. “I said I was sorry. It was a patch of cacao trees. Chocolate’s made from it. You like chocolate, sweetie.”
She stuck out her lower lip. “This is our honeymoon. You’re supposed to be paying attention to me.”
The driver rolled his bloodshot eyes. “Whatever. Just lay off the horn, girlie.”
Tal leaned his bike against the Jeep. “You’ve been very tolerant. I promise. No more noise.” He walked over and put his arms around Glory. “I’ll keep her busy.”
The big man flapped his hand in dismissal and walked down the track.
Glory trembled and Tal didn’t care why as he lowered his mouth to hers. My celebratory kiss, he told himself.
She relaxed and sighed, accepting his body against hers, returning his kiss without reserve.
• •
Glory knew the deception was necessary to convince the truck driver, but she wished she could control her reaction to Tal’s kisses. Her heart slammed against her ribs and she her lungs couldn’t get enough of the thick, fragrant air.
She pulled back. “Is he gone?”
Tal studied her with a different light in his eyes. They would never be in the same place again.
“He didn’t look back,” Tal said. “And if I wasn’t so busy figuring out what to do next, I’d wring your neck.”
“You are an ingrate,” she shot back, seeing concern for her behind his words. “I should have let that lummox find you messing around in there.”
Tal stepped back and propped his hip against the Jeep. “Did you notice the Irish brogue? No coincidence, I’m thinking.”
She nodded. “Would it help to have the license plate number?”
“We’ll note it. Not that we’d be able to prove anything with an empty truck and building.”
Disappointment made her stomach drop. “Empty?”
“Looks like he’s making a last run. There’s ab
out a dozen cases of fake product, but they’ll be taken to another location before we could get anyone out here. The machinery’s already gone, too.”
“What took you so long, then?”
Tal slipped a faded piece of paper from his pocket. “This was under the stack of cases.” He unfolded it and Glory read with him. It was a customer copy of a shipping bill for a piece of manufacturing equipment. The SHIP TO: address was a warehouse at V. C. Bird International airport, where they’d landed two days ago. The surprise was the BILL TO: information. The A. J. Lashar Company with a P.O. Box in Bellevue, across Lake Washington from Seattle.
Glory stabbed a finger at the paper. “I know that rental box location. I used to work down the street from there.”
Tal carefully folded the paper and put it back in his pocket. “Something to check out when I get home.”
She tipped her head toward the track. “Do you think they moved the operation because of information they got from stateside?”
“Based on O’Mara’s greeting yesterday, I’d say yes.”
“Do you think we can find where they’ve taken everything?”
Tal’s gaze followed hers. “He’ll be back on the road, soon. It’s way too hot for him to stay in there long. That’s how we’re going to find the new location.”
“How?”
He stepped close and ran his hands down her arms. “I appreciate what you did just now, and I realize you didn’t break your promise, but we were lucky. If we get close again, you have to stay put. Not just for your safety, but for mine. I’d be a basket case worrying about you.”
She was ready to promise anything to get him to stop touching her. Either that, or drag him to the nearest place with privacy and scratch her itch. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time. “I’ll stay out of the way. I promise. Hadn’t we better get ready for him to come out?”
Tal nodded. “I’ll stow the bikes. Which direction did he come from?”
“South. Won’t it be kind of obvious we’re following him?”
“We aren’t going to follow,” Tal said. “We’re going to lead. If we drive slow, like tourists, he’ll see us continue when he turns off. Hopefully the new location is somewhere off this road. Otherwise,” he patted the pocket with his cellphone and the scrap of paper, “this is all we have.”
For a spur-of-the-moment plan, it sounded pretty good, Glory thought.
A shadow passed over them and the breeze picked up. Dark clouds had rolled in from the sea. “Looks like we’re in for a rainstorm,” she said.
Tal squinted at the tops of the trees. “Good. We could use a distraction.”
He loaded the bikes as soon as he saw the truck’s nose appear at the head of the track. “Open the map and pretend to point out directions,” he said, glancing in the rear view mirror.
They traveled at a leisurely pace, and didn’t have to wait long. The truck turned off less than two miles south of the previous location. Tal stopped and leaned over, looking at the map. When the truck didn’t pull back out, he touched Glory’s forearm. “I’ll be back in about ten minutes. Same plan as before.”
Determination squared her shoulders, her gaze steady. “I’m not staying here.”
Tal set his jaw. “You agreed we were lucky back there. You also promised.”
Glory spoke as reasonably as she could. “Hear me out. I said I’d stay out of the way, and I will. For two reasons. If the same guy comes back out before you do and sees me, I don’t think he’ll buy another set of excuses.” She lowered her gaze. “You also aren’t the only one who’d be a basket case.”
He blinked and gave her a look that made her duck her head.
“All right,” he said, taking her hand and pulling her from the Jeep. “We’ll do it together.”
They stepped into the dense foliage and made their way, at as straight of an angle as possible, toward the road the truck had taken. Progress was slow and Glory figured they’d only gone about ten yards when they were completely swallowed up by jungle. She shivered and realized the temperature had dropped noticeably and the little bit of sky they could see was now entirely overcast and getting darker.
Tal stopped and rubbed her hand between his. “You okay so far?”
Glory started to nod when they heard a shout and laughter.
Tal brought her down to a squatting position and put a finger to his lips. He nodded toward the base of a very large palm and headed for it. Glory followed.
When they reached the tree, he stood and pulled her to her feet. Holding Glory behind him, Tal peered around the tree. After a short time, he withdrew and put his mouth next to her ear. “If they catch me, I’ll make enough noise so you know to take off. Could you find your way back to the main road from here?”
Her brain knew he was going to look for more evidence. That’s why they were in Antigua. However, her heart rebelled at the knowledge that he might be facing danger.
“Glory?”
Shaking slightly from cold and fear, she responded. “Yes, I could find it.”
Still speaking close to her ear, Tal continued. “The building’s in a clearing about fifteen yards straight ahead. If you have to go for help, stay down and move as quickly as you can. He pulled the Jeep’s keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. I’ll pretend we had an argument and you drove off without me.”
“Can they see this far?”
“It’s too dense. And here’s where your promise comes in. Don’t get any closer.”
Glory looked at her watch. He was getting ten minutes and not a second longer. “All right.”
Tal kissed her lightly on the temple, then disappeared into the sea of vegetation.
She spent the first several minutes trying to get her shaking under control, and at the same time, sending a mantra into the ether. He won’t get caught. He won’t get caught. He won’t get caught.
Gradually, Glory found the nerve to stand and glance around the tree. She’d have to be able to describe this to the police if necessary, right?
At first she saw nothing but green, Then, slowly maneuvering, she brought the small clearing into focus.
The truck was backed up to a squat, gray building with a metal door rolled up. The big Irishman stood beside it, finishing the dregs of a beer. He tossed the bottle into the jungle and headed to a spot on the edge of the encroaching vines north of her.
Glory lost sight of him, but a few moments later, heard him relieving himself.
She glanced at her watch. Five minutes gone. She brought her attention back to the building. No sign of Tal, but two more men exited and started smoking.
The long-sleeved shirt she’d put on that morning to protect her from the sun had also kept the insects from her arms and neck. But she had sweated away the SPF lotion and bug spray long ago. Her legs were being eaten alive and some resourceful insects had made their way down her collar. She wriggled, but couldn’t chance smacking at them.
The driver had moved into her field of vision again, when a bird shrieked nearby, setting off a cacophony of noise.
Her heartbeat elevated to a staccato when the man swiveled his head and peered at the exact spot where she was standing. Glory clutched her fist to her stomach and inhaled sharply through her nose, moving most of her body behind the tree without losing sight of the building.
The Irishman started in her direction, following the disturbance. If she turned and ran, the flash of color and even more noise would be a dead giveaway. And the big man had a stride a lot longer than hers.
A scream began to climb the back of her throat but ended in a whimper inside her head. Tal still had a few minutes left and he must have found something useful, because she hadn’t seen a trace of him.
STOP. Don’t be stupid. Try to think of something the driver might believe.
A loud drumming noise began and she thought at first it was brought on by fear. It became much louder and she looked up. The portion of sky she could see sent large raindrops in ever-increasing force. In a matter of sec
onds, the driver was getting soaked. He swore and turned to run for the cover of the building.
The canopy of trees and vegetation warded off the worst of it for Glory until the roar came from directly overhead. She hunched to crouch against the tree. A gentle hand cupped her upper arm and she nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled around.
“Tal!” She threw herself at him, mindless of her shout being overheard or the sky washing down.
He leaned in. “Miss me?”
Glory’s arms slipped around his neck and she nodded into his shoulder.
Tal tucked her wet hair behind her ear and kissed her. It wasn’t a gentle kiss, but a triumphant branding. He shifted her deeper into his arms and cradled her head while he set off more fires with his mouth.
His wide stance allowed her to squirm against his hips and she heard a hissed intake of breath. “Glory, honey, this is not a good place. God knows I’m agreeable, but we’re too exposed and in another few seconds that would be literal. We have to get out of here.”
She pulled his head back down to whisper a frank proposal against his mouth.
Tal grinned and set her in front of him. “I’ll take you up on that as soon as my heart starts beating again. In the meantime, let’s put some distance between them and us.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The storm died and steam rose off the road they took toward St. John’s. The adrenaline that had charged through him had waned, leaving sweat and muscles sore from tensing in its place. Nearing a populated area, Tal stopped. The air that had flowed as he drove was replaced by the smell of heavy, wet vegetation.
Glory glanced behind them. “Why are we stopping?”
Tal pulled his phone out of his shorts pocket. In a few seconds he was scanning pictures. He held out the phone. “I took a chance there’d be an open back door to encourage any stray breeze while they were working. There was. When they finished unloading and went out front for a smoke, I ducked in and took half a dozen pictures.”
Chasing Glory Page 17