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boxes into the back of the pickup truck?”
    She mouthed “Sorry” to Kwesi behind MacKay’s back as MacKay bent to lift one of her boxes. Kwesi directed a glare toward MacKay, then shrugged. He turned away and started loading his boxes into his van.
    “And what do your boxes contain, doctor?” MacKay asked as he placed another box in the bed of the pickup.
    “High-tech equipment for the lab, plus some regular supplies.”
    His brows rose. “Cutting it mighty close, aren’t you?”
    “The equipment had to be ordered from other countries. Bringing it in, waiting for it to clear customs…” She shrugged and picked up one of the lighter boxes. She’d made it clear to both Kwesi and Mr. Natchaba that the shipments for the clinic had to come in through official channels, even though the men had pointed out that they could get the equipment to her faster if they used alternative routes.
    Looking the other way on Kwesi’s luxury goods smuggling made her complicit to their activities, but not in direct violation of the law. She could justify that because the smuggling helped the local economy. But she would not break the law overtly to bring in her lab equipment just because it would be more convenient for her.
    MacKay’s eyes narrowed as he watched Kwesi drive away. “You have the manifest?”
    “Yes.” She found the paperwork the pilot had given her and handed it over to MacKay. He scrutinized it for a long while before handing it back.
    They finished loading the truck in uneasy silence.
    On the way back to the clinic, Helen tried to ignore the increased tension emanating from MacKay, but nerves still tangoed in her belly. Kwesi and MacKay had come too close to violence back there. Given that MacKay was armed, she had no doubt that Kwesi would have come out the worse for it.
    God, she wished she knew if MacKay’s comment about searching for suspicious cargo had been a coincidence or not.
    She hoped so. Because she’d never be able to return to her beloved trauma surgery work if word got out that she was linked to smuggling.
    STANDING IN THE hallway of the clinic nearly an hour later, Lachlan was proud that this time he’d barely even flinched when the distinctive smells of the clinic had hit him upon entering. If he’d begun to get over his fear of medical facilities, then perhaps this mission hadn’t been a complete waste of time.
    Lachlan had felt a jolt of recognition and anticipation when Kwesi had pulled up in front of the clinic this morning. Kwesi had been the other man in the photograph with Dr. Kirk and the boxes of weapons. Lachlan had hoped that by accompanying Dr. Kirk to the airfield, he’d catch Kwesi engaged in illegal activities.
    At the very least, he’d hoped to catch Kwesi lying. Or to force him into letting something slip. Instead, all Lachlan had been able to determine was that Kwesi didn’t like Lachlan, acted aggressively when he felt threatened, and had a business relationship with Dr. Kirk.
    Unfortunately, there’d been no sign of the weapons. Lachlan still didn’t trust Kwesi, but it was possible the man was innocent. The pilot, a white man, had been careful to keep his face turned away from Lachlan, raising his suspicions. Tony had been watching the airfield the entire time and would have already sent photos of the man to WAR’s research team. Once they had an ID for the pilot, then perhaps they’d have a better idea what was really going on. Because Lachlan now believed it unlikely that he or Tony would find any weapons before they were extracted.
    “Watch out!”
    Lachlan flattened himself against the wall of the clinic’s hallway as a worker walked past carrying another box of laboratory equipment. Once the man had entered the lab, Lachlan glanced back toward the waiting room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Dr. Kirk. He’d been trying to speak with her ever since they’d returned from the airfield, but after she’d parked the vehicle, she’d hopped out and immediately