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There was enough light up here for me to pull off the night-vision goggles and look toward the mansion with my own eyes. Beside me, Finn took off his goggles as well. Lights blazed in several windows on the first, second, and third floors, and I spotted a tall shadow moving back and forth in one of the windows. Someone was definitely home tonight.
As if I wouldn't have guessed by the two giants standing vigil outside the main, first-floor entrance. I'd been right when I'd thought that they'd be able to see any car headlights climbing up the mountain. Several hundred feet of road was visible from the giants' line of sight, and the area around them had been cleared of all trees and underbrush. It would take me about fifteen second
s to rush from the edge of the forest and reach the giants by the front door-plenty of time for them to alert whoever else was inside the house. We weren't getting in through the front door, so I turned my attention to the second story.
That story was more or less level with the cleared backyard of the house. An Olympic-size pool stretched out almost to the woods there, probably heated, since it hadn't been covered up for the season yet. Finn and I crouched behind one of the many pine trees on the hillside overlooking the pool. The tangy scent of sap tickled my nose, but I ignored the sensation, focusing on the scene before me, blocking out everything else but the things I needed to hear and see.
Two giants stood on the stone deck next to the pool, smoking cigarettes and talking softly. They didn't seem to be carrying any obvious weapons, but that didn't mean there weren't a couple of guns on them somewhere. Problematic, but still doable.
Finn tapped my shoulder and pointed at the house itself. I scanned past the two giants and spotted another man sitting in a chair just inside the back door. That giant wet his thumb and flipped another page in whatever book or magazine he was reading.
I frowned. The inside man was worrisome. We could creep forward and drop the first two giants easily enough, but the third man would be sure to spot us-and probably be able to raise the alarm before we could silence him too. I'd much rather backstab Elliot Slater than have the giant lying in wait for me-with Roslyn Phillips already dead.
Finn tapped me on the shoulder again and jerked his thumb backward, telling me to follow him. We slithered back away from the ridge, well out of sight and earshot of the two guards by the pool.
"Why does there always have to be a third man?" I muttered.
"Because Elliot Slater's no fool," Finn replied in a soft voice. "You need a distraction, Gin, something to draw at least one or two of the men away from the patio and maybe make the guard inside come out as well. We don't know how many more giants might be in there, and you need to drop as many as you can out here. "
Finn stared at me, his mouth set into a determined line.
"No, Finn," I snapped in a fierce whisper. "Forget about it. I'm not using you as bait so I can kill a couple of Slater's men before I slip inside the house. You know what Slater will do to you. "
"And I know what he's doing to Roslyn right now," Finn countered. "Every second we're out here arguing is another second that he could be hurting her. Face it. This is the easiest way you can get inside and see if Roslyn is still alive. "
He was right. Damn. I hated it when he was right.
Finn's mouth crooked into a smile. "Besides, you're always saying that I need to have some sense beaten into me. I'm sure that Elliot Slater would be happy to oblige you. "
I stared at him. "You don't have to do this, Finn. We can find another way inside. "
"I know," he replied. "But how long will that take? Every second counts now. Besides, I got us into this mess. Let me do what I can to end it. You're the better fighter. I'm the better distraction. You know it's true. "
I couldn't argue with him. Not when he was right. Not when he was so determined to help me to help Roslyn. So I blew out a breath and nodded my head. "All right. But the second I find Roslyn and get her out of there, I'm coming after you. And you'd damn well still better be breathing when I get to you. Understand?"
Finn's teeth flashed in the darkness. "I understand. You just can't live without me, Gin. There's no shame in admitting it. "
If I hadn't been afraid of drawing unwanted attention from the guards below, I would have punched him for spouting that sentimental shit. I settled for rolling my eyes.
"Whatever," I said. "But if you're so determined to get yourself killed, you might as well get started. "
Finn snapped his hand up in a mock salute. "Aye, aye, captain. "
We didn't speak after that. I moved back into position on top of the ridge so I could see the two patio guards. Finn disappeared in the shadows to my right. I crouched beside one of the trees and hoped that I was doing the right thing, giving up Finn so I had a chance of saving Roslyn. Because if she was already dead, then this was all for nothing-
The snap-snap of a fallen tree branch fifty feet to my right sounded as loud as a gunshot in the quiet of the dark night. I stilled, scarcely daring to breathe, even though I knew it had to be Finn, getting into position to do whatever he was going to do.
Below me on the patio, one of the guards crushed out his cigarette. I would have thought the action normal, if I hadn't seen him light it just a few seconds ago. He'd heard the crack too, but he maintained his position. My eyes narrowed. Why would he just stand there? Why wasn't he tromping up the ridge to investigate?
And then-
Silence.
I huddled closer to the tree that I was hidden behind, sinking even deeper into the shadows, and slowly turned my head to the right, keeping the movement small and steady as I looked for Finn. But Fletcher Lane had also taught his son a thing or two about being invisible, and I didn't spot Finn among the tangled trees.
So I looked and listened and waited, counting the seconds off in my head. Ten, twenty, thirty. . . forty-five. . . sixty. . . I didn't hear anything until the ninety-second mark, when another small rustle drifted to my ears. Dead leaves scraping together in the underbrush. Finn pretending that he was trying to be quiet when he was really hoping to attract attention. But the guards on the patio didn't move, still didn't take the bait that Finn was teasing them with.
So I stayed where I was, quiet and hidden in the shadows. Nobody ever got dead by waiting. That's what Fletcher Lane always said, when he was teaching me how to be patient enough to wait out whatever enemy or danger I was facing. The old man's advice had kept me alive over the years-no reason to doubt it now.
