"Exactly."
Tanner wondered what else Kathleen might have uncovered that night if he hadn't let his libido send him crashing across the bar. Wasted thoughts now, anyway. "If he didn't check the testing results, were the parts faulty because of overlooked flaws? Or did Quinn take advantage of Randall Fitzgerald's slackness to cut corners?"
Crusty forked his fingers through his haphazard hair. "Whoever it is, they're getting antsy. Otherwise why risk tampering with a car? And the Mexican border is too close for comfort if he's running scared."
Time to test his friend's story. "Okay, Crusty. Which one of your generals would gripe the least about being pulled away from his turkey sandwich leftovers so we can get a search warrant?"
Kathleen's face lit with a smile that left Tanner longing to lock them both in the cockpit for the rest of the night. He wrenched his focus back to the problem at hand rather than the ones that awaited him later with Kathleen. "Any thoughts on this, Athena?"
Her smile hitched even higher, brighter. "Regulations say we don't need a search warrant if the building's on government property—like the testing warehouse."
Damned if he wasn't starting to like that reg book of hers. Too bad it didn't come with instructions on how to understand the woman who carried it.
Kathleen peered through the rental car windshield at the dimly lit warehouse. Tanner sat silently beside her, Crusty lounging in back.
They'd checked out Daniel Baker's story before bringing him along, and apparently their old pal was an intelligence expert on testing the latest aerial surveillance equipment. They all three had their marching orders for a meeting in General Crockett's office first thing in the morning.
Not that they intended to waste the evening when they could be gathering evidence to strengthen their case in front of the general. For now they needed to scour the warehouse for any clues that might point to faulty equipment or a lack of proper testing procedures—and pray no one was slipping over the border.
All perfectly logical, or so she told herself in an attempt to avoid the obvious. She was scared to be alone with Tanner, so she'd fallen into an old habit of losing herself in work to avoid dealing with relationships. Working through the night provided a tempting diversion. "What do we do now, fellas?"
Tanner draped his arm over the steering wheel, staring at the building as if deciding the best way to tackle it. His fingers drummed the dash.
Crusty leaned from the back, hooking his elbows on the seat between them. "What are the odds that the guard's going to let us inside without calling Quinn first?"
"Nonexistent." Tanner turned to Kathleen. "Are you positive about the search reg?"
She quirked a brow.
"Never mind." His fingers picked up speed on the dash. "So if we conduct our own search, we're covered legally."
"You and I are. It's not so clear-cut for Crusty, since he's not a part of the investigation."
"Okay, then." The drumming stopped. "That leaves Crusty to keep the guard occupied while you and I scope out the office."
You and I. He'd included her, no banishing her to the sidelines. His surprise offer brought a heady rush of pleasure that rivaled even the glide of his hands over her body.
Tanner twisted to face Crusty. "Are you comfortable with distracting the guard for us?"
"You're kidding, right?"
Given the gleam in Crusty's eyes, Kathleen suspected there might be more to his Black Program operations with the OSI than he had shared.
With an abrupt nod, Tanner faced front again. "Which leaves figuring out how to get inside that locked office."
Kathleen's eyes homed in on the third-story window. Quinn's. They'd met him inside for two interviews, and she could envision his desk, filing cabinet, computer. His personal records on the testing process would likely be there. It wouldn't take her more than five minutes to find what she needed if it lived in that office. The window was even vented open two inches.
A length of rope. A grappling hook. And she would be inside.
Tanner followed her line of sight to the window, then back to her. His face tightened. "No. Think of something else."
So much for his including her. "Why? It's the fastest, easiest way. It makes sense."
"You're only hours out of the E.R."
"And cleared."
"I'll do it."