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They leveled out after going no more than fifty feet and then continued forward on ain The driver and passenger clihts of the second truck crept closer, penetrating the tarp as they came

As Joe listened to the sound of the engine and the sound of the shouting voices, he detected an echo He noticed the s on the desert road and the fact that the truck’s engine had been shut off for the first time

I’m in a warehouse

Thatwater Maybe even a Coke machine in a break room somewhere A smile crept over his face

When the lights of the next truck inched up tight and then shut off, Joe was certain of it He only had to wait until all the trucks were parked and shut down for the night and then he could probably slip out unnoticed

The srew thick as the other trucks ht space Finally the last engine shut off He heard

“Coot to be Miller time by now”

Voices echoed through the dark for a whil

e longer, but they were slowly growingout, and the silence that followed told Joe he was probably alone

Choosing to be extra cautious, Joe waited in the silence After a few uards, they were probably posted where they could keep people fro into the warehouse, not out

Joe made his way past the other barrels and toward the rear of the flatbed

Kurt really should have coht In a fewup NUMA From there a description of the Be-200s could be relayed to theplanes and Special Forces could be called in Leilani Tanner would stand arescued by them than she did with just Kurt and the stolen 9uard

But this way Joe would be responsible for saving both of thelad for the chance and he looked forward to the satisfaction of having Kurt foot the bill at Citronelle and ad that he had rescued him

He reached the tailgate of the flatbed He pulled the tarp up a fraction and peered out It was pitch-black in the warehouse All he could see was the nose of the other truck pressed right up against the rear bumper of his

Nice parking job