“I’m surprised Aunt Valerie and Robby aren’t here,” Sydney said.
“Theywerecoming,” Kathrine said, “but after I told her that you and Caroline were bringing Grey and Tank with you, Aunt Valerie texted me that Robby had surprised her with a trip to Arizona.”
Sydney glanced over at him, and he was waiting.
Had Robby realized the gig was up, so he bolted?
“Things are gonna get ugly,” Teddy muttered under his breath.
“They sure as hell are,” Sydney replied, a wicked grin brightening her eyes. “And I can’t wait.”
AT THREE ON SUNDAY MORNING,two ALPHA SUVs drove onto the quiet street in the pitch-black neighborhood at Lake Willow outside Winchester, Virginia. Teddy turned off the headlights, but kept the parking lights on. Seconds later, the headlights of the SUV tailing them also went dark.
The trip had taken slightly over an hour, but the prep had started hours earlier. Prior to their sit-down strategy session, Teddy had done a thorough search for surveillance cameras at the cabin. If there were any, they were offline.
The foursome—Teddy and Sydney, Greystone and Caroline—anticipated that anyone at the lakeside cabin would get alerted to their arrival. They fully expected enemy fire before their feet hit the ground.
They’d reviewed every conceivable possibility. Haqazzii andallhis lieutenants were squirreled away there. Robby Waters was with them. Robby was alone. There could be women in the cabin. The cabin could be empty, or vacationers could have rented the cabin for the long, holiday weekend.
Sydney and Caroline recalled that the majority of lake homes stayed empty until spring. Once the weather warmed, families returned for weekends and summer stays.
Their mission was simple. Locate, isolate, and annihilate.
Anyone else in the cabin would get arrested. Being a holiday weekend, the BLACK OPS team had a limited crew, but that didn’t deter them.
The time to move on the cabin wasnow.
“Turn left here,” Sydney said. After Teddy did, she added, “there’s a road just ahead on the right. Take that. The house is the last one on the street. It’s set away from the other homes and surrounded by woods. The lake is down a long set of steps in the back.”
Teddy followed her directions, coming to a stop at the top of a long driveway. He killed the parking lights, cut the engine. Greystone pulled up alongside and did the same. They exited the dark vehicles, opened the hatches. On went their helmets, down went their night goggles. As soon as they tugged on their tight black gloves, they pulled their weapons from their holsters, and did a quick comms check.
“Let’s rock this,” Teddy murmured.
While they’d discussed going in guns-a-blazing, they’d opted for stealth. Teddy would clear the main house, Sydney would take the detached garage, and Caroline and Greystone would continue through the woods and down the back steps to check the oversized boat house.
After the threesome vanished out of sight, Teddy set off toward the cabin, bathed in darkness, against a starry sky. He tried the front door. Locked. Sydney’s mom had found a spare key she’d never given back. Teddy tried it, it worked, and he slipped inside.
He swept his gaze around the open living area searching for targets, but he was alone. The sofas and recliners stood empty. As he walked toward the bathroom, he confirmed no one was hiding under the kitchen table.
What struck him was how unlived-in the home looked, like it had been closed for the winter. Nothing out of place like a throw on the sofa or dishes in the sink to indicate anyone was staying there. A quick clear of the front bathroom revealed no toothbrushes, no dirty towels. Even the lid on the toilet seat was folded down.
Despite the intense mission, Teddy felt no fear. Yes, adrenaline pumped through him, but that kept him sharp… kept him on point, his senses on high-alert.
The house creaked. He stilled. For as large as he was, he moved through the living space in a stealthy silence. The first bedroom door was closed. He skipped that one and the second bedroom, strode down the hall to the primary.
As he pushed open the door, he stood with his back against the wall.
Silence.
He peered around the doorframe. The large bed was made, the pillows neatly stacked. He looked under the king bed. No one was hiding there.
After a quick check of the unused bathroom and the empty closet, he tried the window. It was locked from the inside. On he went to the second bedroom. Also empty. Once he’d finished clearing the third bedroom, he confirmed the back door was bolted. If the terrorists had snuck out and vanished into the woods, they wouldn’t have stopped to lock the door.
But that wasn’t their MO. Had they been there, they would have already made their presence known with gunfire.
His last task? Clearing the basement. Using the old, wooden door as a shield, he slowly opened it. It squeaked on its rusty hinges. He stilled, but again was met with silence. After several seconds, he opened it, and he waited.
Nothing.
