Free At Any Cost by Allie K. Adams Page A

"We'll take the dedicated in-gate lane to the dock nearest the rail yard and meet our contact in the far south corner."
    JT kept a close eye on Dan as he turned down
Alaskan Way
toward the piers. She looked behind them, but couldn't see the police block. "It looks like we're far enough down to not be affected by the shootout."
    He looked at her.
    "You know what I mean. There are things we need to look for."
    "Let me guess," Dan jumped in with his condescending tone. "He'll be in the only building with an open bay door. Oh, and let's not forget. The single light above the deserted building will be out. That's your signal." He shot her a sideways glance. "Am I close?"
    Okaaay . Now he was starting to freak her out. How did he know all that? All the way down to the light?
    It didn't matter. He was just trying to rile her up. "It's up here on the left." She leaned forward in the passenger seat of the beat up motor home. Not exactly an inconspicuous ride, but it at least got her here on time.
    Stevens and Brooks stayed back at the warehouse. Dan told them he and JT were going on a food run and would be back within the hour. They didn't even question him. He was that good of a liar. Straight faced, it was unnerving. JT almost believed they actually were going on a food run. She didn't want to think about whether Dan being a convincing liar was a good thing or not. "Stay in the shadows. I'm supposed to come alone."
    "Alone. In a deserted building. On the shortest pier. In the dark. You've got to be kidding me."
    JT knew what he meant and decided to ignore him. Yes, it did sound like the perfect setup. But she was meeting HQ. They were on the same side.
    Right?
    Dan scanned the area before grunting and shaking his head, pulling into a lot across the street. He scanned her body, a slight curl of appreciation on his lip. JT felt herself flush. His gaze rested on her breasts, and her nipples hardened in response. His lazy curl grew into a full grin.
    "Happy to see me?"
    She crossed her arms in front of her. "No. It's cold."
    "Right. Cold." Dan grabbed a .45 and shoved it in his belt. When she looked at the gun, and then looked at him, he replied, "I'm not willing to take the risk. Sometimes going on trust alone can get you killed."
    JT ignored yet another comment about trust. "Let's go." Jumping out of the RV, she waited for Dan to jump down next to her. When he didn't, she glanced back inside.
    He was gone.
    Damn it ! They weren't even there ten seconds and he'd already deviated from their plan. When she found him, she'd tear into him.
    A bird chirp caught her attention. At night? She glanced over to see Dan standing against the building on the other side of the street. He looked around before motioning for her to cross.
    Are you kidding?
    Easy, Turner. Time to go to work, to prove why you were handpicked for this assignment . Disc in pocket, she crossed the dark street into the parking lot of Terminal 46. The moonlight reflected off the road, thanks to a fresh coat of rain. With the clouds quickly dissipating, the moon shone bright in the starry sky.
    JT shivered, and she felt it clean through the canyon in her shoulder. Dan had done a bang up job of patching her up, and the pain had lessened to a bearable throb. Like he told her more than once, she'd live.
    She was counting on that.
    Her skin pricked with goose bumps. Even in May, the nights in western
Washington
could dip into the forties. And the t-shirt/shorts combo she sported didn't do much to protect her against the elements. Her bare feet stung as they slapped against the wet pavement.
    The building looked deserted, just as her contact said it would. The cars whipped above her on the Alaskan Way Viaduct. A ferry blasted its horn in the distance, filling the air with sounds she grew up with.
    JT drew in a deep breath, taking in the smell of the salty sea air. The moisture in the air tickled her face, reminding her of coming to work with her mom, collecting money at the ferry