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“Okay, sector two is back up, and you now have guards patrolling in some kind of vehicle. They’ve also turned the spotlights on and are circling the island. You’ll have about thirty seconds where the outer perimeter and the sector you’re about to step into will both be off.”
Grace waited for Ethan’s signal, her thigh muscles burning with the effort it took to stay close to Gabe. As soon as Ethan gave the go-ahead, Gabe grabbed her arm and pulled her with him to shore. There wasn’t time to catch her breath or rest her shaking limbs. They kicked off their flippers—exposing the neoprene shoes that fit their feet like gloves—and they all ran to safety before the spotlights could circle back around.
The rain came down in sheets, and Grace ignored the cold drops as they snaked beneath the neck of her wetsuit. They dove behind a small inlet of rocks and waited for the spotlights to move on before gathering all of the rebreathers and fins and shoving them into the empty bag Jack carried on his back. They’d leave the bag hidden behind the rocks.
Grace flexed her fingers and rolled her ankles so her joints wouldn’t become stiff with the cold, and she sat with her back to the rocks to conserve her strength. Coming in and going out would be the most strenuous parts of the mission.
“The guards have gone back inside the security tower on the south side,” Ethan said through the com link. “They’re tired of driving around in the rain, and I’ve made the whole system go crazy, so they think it’s an electrical malfunction.”
“Good work,” Gabe said.
Gabe’s eyes were cold and shuttered, and the look of his face would have been terrifying to a normal person. She knew what it felt like to have your humanity slide away as the machine programmed to do this kind of work took over. She’d felt it before they’d left the safety of the Zodiac.
“Grim Reaper, you’re up,” Ethan said. “I’m sending the path you need to take to your GPS. It’s a convoluted route that will mix up the sectors that get shut down, but the guards won’t be paying any attention.”
Logan adjusted the bag of explosives he carried with him and said, “On your count, Dragon.”
Logan took off at a run, disappearing quickly in the rain and darkness.
“Grim Reaper has made target,” Ethan said after a few minutes had passed. “Renegade is up. Sending your coordinates now. Kimball’s scientist is staying in the pool house. You’ll take him out first and then follow the second set of coordinates up to the main house.”
Jack looked at the GPS in his hand. “On your count.”
Grace and Gabe waited patiently for their turn, and she scooted closer to him to steal a bit of his body heat. He felt like a furnace in the middle of the stormy cold. He took her chin between his fingers and kissed her once.
“You’re up, Kill Shot,” Ethan said. “Sending your coordinates now to the elevated area you told me you wanted. You should have a nice view of the whole island from there.”
“Love you,” Gabe mouthed as she moved to take her position.
She nodded once and kissed him hard a final time. “On your count, Dragon.”
She followed Ethan’s coordinates across the island, climbing the steep rocks that led to the top of a manmade waterfall. Boulders and palms surrounded the area and would give her good cover. The rocks were slick against her hands and feet, and she felt the quick sting of a sharp rock as it sliced through her shoe and into her heel. She stayed low to the ground and found the perfect position to set up her rifle behind a large rock that had a wide crack right down the center all the way to the ground.
Grace put her rifle together as quickly in the pouring rain as she did in perfect weather, and she took position behind the infrared scope. She’d have to change scopes once the sun came out, and the change between night and day would be her most vulnerable time. She sighted across the island slowly and was pleased with the location.
* * *
“You’ve got to give me an affirmative position for the launch site,” Gabe said to Ethan two hours later.
The sun had reluctantly risen, and they were surrounded by so much ocean that it looked as if the sun was coming directly out of the waves. But the welcome heat of the day didn’t chase the rain away. The black skies turned a putrid gray and continued to rumble.
“I can’t tell,” Ethan said, the frustration evident in his voice. “It looks as if there are two separate launch sites. Why would he release two batches of the weapon?”
“One has to be a decoy,” Gabe said. “Kimball knew we were looking for him, and he’d plan for all contingencies. Send me the coordinates for both launch sites. I’ve got no choice but to check them both.”
“I’ve got a visual on the ferry,” Grace said. “It looks like everyone’s on board from my count.” She deliberately glanced over Tussad’s familiar face and controlled her anger. Some habits were hard to break.
“There’s movement on the island,” Ethan said. “Household staff is moving inside the main house, and guards are doing perimeter checks now that the storm’s not as severe and they can see better. I’ve marked the image I’m assuming is Kimball as green on the GPS. He’s been in the same place all morning.
Gabe ran to the first launch site, knowing his time was running out. Once the ferry reached the island, it would be too late for him to stop it. He heard the guards talking before he reached the first launch site and knew he’d picked the wrong one immediately. The guards were low-level security, and they didn’t even hear him as he came up behind them. He shot the first and snapped the neck of the guard next to him before either was able to call out for help.
“Three town cars have pulled up to the docks,” Grace said. “Kimball’s not in any of them.”
“Do you still have a visual on the one you think is Kimball?” Gabe asked Ethan as he ran to the other launch site.
“The target is still in place. Would he still be in bed with guests arriving so soon? It doesn’t look as if he’s moved.”
The launch site was on the other side of the island, and he listened to Ethan’s warnings as he called out when guards were in his path. He only had to take out two before he found himself at his destination.
