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Marshall raised an eyebrow. “Joey? Is that an option?”
It was Miranda’s voice that came through the phone instead. “You’ve got a case of surveillance equipment in your cache. A couple of options, I think. Standard button cam would have the best range, but probably the easiest to detect. There is also an IRIS lens that could work.”
Jackson whistled low, and a rumble came from Anthony’s chest. Kaylie looked around the room, confused. “What? What’s an IRIS lens?”
“Integrated Retinal Imaging System,” came Jackson’s reply. “Basically… think bionic contact lens that lets us see what you see.”
“The range is short, and if you wear it too long, your eye could get irritated,” Miranda interjected.
Kaylie's eyes widened. The thought of wearing a camera on her eye seemed straight out of a sci-fi movie. She glanced at Anthony, who seemed equally wary of the idea.
“And if they catch you…” Anthony's voice trailed off, heavy with the unspoken threat. His eyes searched hers for any sign of hesitation.
She took a deep breath, the gravity of the situation settling in. “If it helps us save Lia, I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Miranda’s voice came back through the phone again. “You’ll need to teach her how to turn it on once she’s wearing the lens. It’ll automatically piggyback off any available cell phone signal in the vicinity and transmit to the remote viewing and storage device. I’m also sending you the information on the boats you can use. It was short notice, but you’ve got one rigid inflatable and one speed boat. Both have about 350 horsepower.”
At Miranda’s announcement, Connor yelled, “Dibs on the speed boat!” Landon gave him a high-five and Kaylie bit back a laugh that threatened to escape. Connor and Landon were across the room, doing something with really big guns Kaylie had been avoiding watching.
Jackson rolled his eyes at the younger agents and spoke to Miranda again. “Thanks, sweetheart. We’ll make it work.”
Kaylie glanced at Anthony, curious about the relationship there. She’d seen Jackson and Miranda at Black Tower, and while they were rather flirtatious, she’d never seen them act like they were in a relationship.
But Anthony seemed completely unfazed by the exchange. He looked at his watch. “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough time tonight. Sun comes up in three hours. Rest up. Ryder and I will take the boat out this afternoon and see what we can see from the water. Then we go tonight after dark.”
Kaylie sucked in a breath. “When do I go?”
Tank’s eyes met her own, the intensity in their depths threatening to wrap her up and never let go. Her heart pounded in her chest at the emotion she saw swirling on his normally unreadable expression. “Sundown,” he said firmly, finally breaking the connection when he looked away.
She took a deep breath, silencing the rising doubts within her. Lia's life hung in the balance, and Kaylie would do whatever it took to ensure her safety. But this time she wasn’t alone. That was the mistake she’d made over and over again. Jumping headfirst into decisions without any thought to the Lord’s plans, but instead relying on her own ability. No wonder she was wracked with so much fear.
This time was different though. She was trusting God. And she was trusting Anthony and the team.
Kaylie tried to sleep, knowing that the next twenty-four hours would be grueling, but her mind was restless. Instead of sleeping, she found herself stretched out on one of the cots, watching the team work quietly. She tried on the contact lens, letting herself get used to the feeling and practicing the strange eye movements that would allow her to control the device. Then she removed it so her eye wouldn’t get too irritated.
When she wasn’t planning, she prayed. Desperately, she pleaded for the safety of her daughter and of the team. And mostly, she prayed that her own courage wouldn’t fail and that Lowell’s evil schemes would topple.
Finally, around noon, after nearly two days without it, she finally succumbed to the need for sleep, just as Tank and Ryder headed out to put eyes on the compound ahead of their mission.
CHAPTER
THIRTY
The mid-afternoon sun cast a warm glow over Lake Michigan as Tank steered the boat through the gently rippling waters. At least they’d been lucky enough to hit an early spring cold snap. Otherwise, they’d be rather suspicious on the water. As it was, they simply appeared to be enthusiastic anglers. Ryder held a fishing pole and they both wore heavy water-resistant jackets, leaning into their disguise as disinterested fishermen.
They came closer to the lakeshore, where factory after factory stood, giants of the industrial age who’d settled there for access to the water and shipping routes. Power distribution centers dotted the shoreline, their large towers piercing the blue sky, along with huge cranes and towering mounds of raw materials.
In the distance, a large cargo ship floated toward the shore. And there, right where Joey’s satellite images said it would be, the old Lakeside Foundry steel mill stood stoic on the shoreline, tucked behind a low harbor wall. It still appeared abandoned on recent satellite images, but as they drew closer, the illusion began to crumble.
Ryder manned the binoculars, eyes scanning the structure looming on the water's edge. "Looks like they've been playing everyone for fools with that steel mill facade," he muttered.
Tank pulled the binoculars to his eyes, his gaze narrowing as he studied the compound. There was one building that actually sat over the water, almost like a man-made peninsula, with water right up to the edges, lapping gently against the stoney sides.
His mouth fell open as a part of the wall lowered, as though on a hinge, into the water. “What the–” he muttered, watching as a small boat slowly motored out of the seemingly rundown building.
It was a freaking retractable ramp, seamlessly integrated into the structure. That definitely hadn’t been on any satellite images.
“These guys are really leaning into the evil lair thing, aren’t they?” Ryder said.
