Livewire

Chapter 16

The midday sun glinted off Trudie's sunglasses, catching Kyle in the eye when she turned to smile at him. She was leaning against the ramparts of the old fort, with a slight arch to her back. It was impossible not to look at her in that sundress. She pulled her sunglasses to the end of her nose and winked at him.

"I know this is research or recon or whatever. But it's nice to spend time doing something together."

"Just because it's work, doesn't mean it can't be fun right?"

She giggled and rolled her eyes.

The sudden deep boom of a foghorn cut through the air. A huge container ship was entering the port. A tugboat at the front pulled it forward, with one on either side to guide it.

He stepped up next to her on the rampart. "Perfect timing."

They leaned against the wall and watched while the ship was pulled into the port and manoeuvred into position against one of the large quays that jutted out from the harbour. The ship towered over them when it glided by at a snail's pace in the open channel leading into the port. It was a very slow operation, guiding such a large and ungainly vessel with pinpoint accuracy.

"We've been here for an hour now," said Kyle, "And there's been no small boat traffic into the port. If we took a boat in, it could look suspicious."

"What are you saying?"

He sighed. "I don't think the sea is an option for us. These waters are monitored. The only thing likely to slip in is a canoe. We ain't getting five hundred bottles in a canoe."

She nodded. "Ok so what are the other options."

"Whatever they are, they're few and far between. And I'm running out of time." He ran his hand through his hair and huffed. "Back to the drawing board. Come on, let's go." They walked back down off the grey stone walls of the fort, between the barrack buildings and across the courtyard to the gate.

The day was hot. A heat haze hung over the tarmac outside. He started up the bike and Trudie put her arms around his waist.

"I wanna take a small detour on the way back." He heard her muffled reply from over his shoulder. With a smooth motion he flicked up the kickstand and pulled away. The road swept over the back of the spit of land which nestled the port then joined the freeway. Rather than pull off at the junction by the lake, he kept heading north for a few miles, turning off at the next junction just before the freeway crossed a river. The road followed the river upstream, then he turned off and crossed over some railway tracks.

The road followed the railway almost all the way back into town, through open country, only passing through a couple of small villages on the way. When the road diverted from the tracks, he left and headed back up to the lake. Emilio was still in the boat shed when they arrived, swigging his beer.

He waved. "Hey hombre. You find what you need then?

"Yes and no. I got a good view of the port, but it's not viable.

"Maybe we should focus on option one," said Trudie.

"Emilio's probably right. We won't be able to pick up the container and drive out. There's too many hurdles involved. The port is secure, but once it's outside the port, in theory it's easy pickings."

Emilio nodded. "So steal the truck once it's left the port then?"

He grimaced and scratched his head. "I don't think we can do that without leaving any witnesses. That's a loose end I can't have. This needs to be done without hurting anyone, without alerting the police and without loose ends. Maybe Joe was set up, but that was his downfall. The police got involved."

Emilio chuckled. "I guess you can't go holding up the train either then. Like some wild west movie."

Kyle went back over to the map at the workbench, squinting as he examined it.

Trudie came up behind and pressed in close, sliding her arm through his. "You'll think of something. You're smart and careful."

"I might have an idea. It's risky but it might be the only way we can do this and make as little noise as possible–"

The clang of metal drew their attention. Andrés was at the door. Kyle could see the faint outline of a pistol tucked into his waistband, hidden under his shirt.

He walked in and eyed them all individually. "César called. He has your people. Go up to the warehouse this evening." He glowered at them from beneath his deep set brow.

Kyle broke the silence. "Gracias. We will."

Andrés nodded once and left. No one said a word for a moment after. They exchanged glances.

The realisation swept over him and doubt crept into his mind. He breathed in deep trying to keep his nerves settled. "Emilio, I'll need your truck for the drive if that's ok?"

"What do you mean? I'm coming–"

"No. You've done enough already as it is. Keep your hands clean. Mama Elvira would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

Emilio opened his mouth to argue then snapped it shut. He knew he could not argue this with Kyle.

Trudie looked at him with wide eyes. "What about me?"

He laughed, "I couldn't keep you away if I wanted to."