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“This side,” Ace said. “I’m going for the trellis if it will hold me.”
“We’ll follow once we know it’ll hold you,” Fearghas said.
Ace glanced right, then left. He didn’t see any guards or any movement of any kind. Hunkering low, he ran across the open space and into a garden with a stone path, winding between decorative bushes and fragrant flowers.
When he reached the trellis, he grabbed the wooden slats and shook them gently. The trellis held. Placing one foot into the diamond shape created by the overlapping slats, he pulled himself up several feet and shook the trellis, now holding his weight.
One by one, he worked his way up to the base of the balcony and peered through the balcony railing into the room beyond.
As Dmytro had suggested, it was some kind of sunroom or sitting room. Whether it was off a bedroom, he couldn’t be sure. He prayed it wasn’t off Bertolli’s bedroom.
He climbed the trellis a little higher. The trellis shuddered ominously but held long enough for him to step over the railing onto the balcony.
As soon as Ace cleared the trellis, Fearghas ran across the open area and started climbing.
Ace held the trellis flush against the wall to make sure it didn’t detach with Fearghas on it.
It shook violently as Fearghas slung his leg over the balcony rail and landed beside Ace.
Dmytro was next.
Once again, Ace held onto the trellis, feeling it shake a lot more than when he’d come up.
When Dmytro was halfway up, a splitting sound cracked the air. Dmytro’s foot gave on the lower diamond. He clung to the trellis until his foot found purchase on the next diamond rung.
Ace held onto the upper end of the trellis with all his might as it threatened to shake loose of its mooring.
Dmytro was almost to the top when the trellis seemed to disintegrate beneath him. He reached for one of the balcony rails as the trellis crumbled to the ground.
Ace released his hold on the trellis and leaned over the rail to grab Dmytro’s free hand.
Between Ace and Fearghas, they pulled Dmytro up high enough he could get his foot on the edge of the balcony and help himself over.
As soon as Dmytro was safe, Ace turned to the door. Knowing opening the door could set off alarms, Ace hesitated a moment, then twisted the knob. It was locked. He stepped back, ready to kick the door.
Fearghas touched his arm. “Let me.”
Ace frowned as Fearghas pulled a thin file from his backpack that looked very similar to the one Jasmine carried in her satchel. He stepped aside and let the former SAS operative work his magic on the lock.
A moment later, the lock clicked.
Fearghas straightened and pulled the door open.
Fully expecting an alarm to go off, Ace rushed through, eager to find the boy and get out of the house before all the guards converged on them.
A door stood open to the right. It led into another room with a desk and bookshelves. On the desk lay a large print drawing of ancient Egypt and the countries surrounding it. Several points on the drawing were labeled in handwriting that looked like Italian.
A display case stood beside the desk containing various ancient artifacts, presumably from Egypt.
Ace passed through the room and out into a hallway.
Dmytro and Fearghas emerged into the same hallway from the sunroom. They turned left. Ace went right to the next door. As he was reaching for the knob, Dmytro spoke softly in his ear. “This one is locked.”
Fearghas already had his file out and was working the lock by the time Ace crossed to where they were.
Fearghas disengaged the lock in less than three seconds.
Ace made a mental note to learn how to pick a lock. It might come in handy as a Brotherhood Protector.
