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“Sure is,” Ajax added. “And you know what goes even better with it? Silence.”
The three of us chuckled.
“No kidding,” I agreed. “I get she’s a pain in the ass, but there’s a damn good chance the hard part is over. We’re going to need to stay frosty, but if all goes well, we’ll have ourselves a nice little chalet vacation with a huge payday at the end.”
“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Hud replied. “I’ll take a bratty blonde over getting shot at by meth heads any day.”
We reached the back and opened the doors. The rear compartment was big enough for tons of gear, and anything we didn’t have, we’d get Finn to ship in. I pulled the trunk containing our guns toward me and opened it, revealing pistols, rifles, Kevlar, and other important gear.
The boys and I strapped up. Our rifle sights were the latest tech, which meant they had the night vision we’d need to scope out the place in the dark.
“How do you want to do this, Pyke?” Hud asked. “Split up, cover more ground?”
“Nah. I don’t know what the hell’s out there. We stay together, make a sweep in and around the property, then come back to the car.”
“Works for me,” Ajax said. “Faster we get this done, the faster I can take a shower. Oh, I’m calling the shower, by the way.”
I looked the huge chalet up and down. “Something tells me we’re not going to need to worry about calling showers. There’s probably a damn jacuzzi and a shower in there for each of us.”
“There’d better be,” Hud said with a grin. “Because I prefer to bathe alone.” He winked, adjusting the strap of his battle rifle.
“Come on,” I said. “Go around the left. I’ll take point.”
The boys and I formed up, taking the shape of a three-man triangle as we went around the left of the chalet. The place was huge, nearly a damn castle. That meant more places for bad guys to hide. I flicked on my night vision scope and lifted it to my face as we moved with swift, silent precision.
No one was around the left side. Nothing there but a four-car garage and woods to the right. Finn hadn’t been wrong—the woods were thick. It was entirely possible for a man or two to slip through, but the towering trees were packed too tight for squad movements, let alone vehicles.
We swooped around the back. There was an enormous patio and an Olympic-sized pool, with a grand stone fountain in front of it. A winding path led down away from the pool, and though it was dark I could see that there was a little pond at the end of it.
A small, shack-like structure caught my eye. I moved toward it, putting my hand up to signal the guys to halt. They did. I pointed my rifle down to the ground and approached. The first thing I noticed was that the structure was built solid. It looked like wood, but a quick rap to the side let me know that it was made of solid steel.
I opened the door and quickly checked inside, realizing instantly that it was a panic room. I looked around, spotting security monitors, computers, and a phone—everything you’d need if you were stuck in there.
Looks like they take safety seriously. Good to know.
I shut the door and went back to the guys. We formed up and finished the circle around the building, arriving back at the car. Kid spotted us, giving us a thumbs up.
“Now, the inside,” I said. “Let’s give it a quick once over.”
We approached the front doors. As the point man, I was the one who opened and went in first. The chalet was dark, the power off. Even in the darkness, however, I could make out a huge entry room that led into other rooms just as big. The interior was dominated by dark, rich wood, with a staircase leading up to the second and third floors.
Most importantly, there were no bad guys.
We did a sweep around the first floor, moving through the expansive kitchen, into the dining room, then the study, and finally the living room.
The walls were mainly made up of windows, and I didn’t like it.
“Too many vantage points,” I said. “Too easy for someone to post up in the woods and take a shot.”
“Something to think about tomorrow,” Hud replied. “For now, we can make sure the girl stays secluded.”
“Bet she’s not going to like that,” Ajax added.
“Come on, two more floors.”
We made our way up to the second floor. A pair of long, parallel hallways allowed access to several bedrooms and lounges. I felt a little better when I saw that there were windows looking out onto the mountains and forest, but not as expansive so we weren’t quite as exposed.
The third floor was even better, a private floor comprised entirely of the master suite.
