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Ford nodded. “We’ve got him and he’s almost loose. Toss me the fishing net.”

He swam closer and Knox tossed it right to him. “If we still can’t dislodge it, we might need an extra set of hands.”

Knox nodded. “No problem. I came prepared.”

Not surprising. But he’d rather have Knox on land and ready to react if anyone showed up once they brought up Cyril. “We’ll know more after this dive. Hang on.”

This time when they dove, he used the stick to wedge under the cylinder while Jolie lifted with the shovel and then stuck the net beneath it.

When they surfaced for more air, she grinned at him. “Almost there. I don’t think it’s as heavy as we thought. It was mostly stuck under those rocks.”

He nodded and shook off Knox’s offer to join them. “You might as well stay dry and keep an eye on things. I think we’ve almost got it.”

It took two more dives, but then Cyril was in the net. He dragged it while Jolie took care of the tools.

They turned to the shallow edge of the pond but Jolie stopped and treaded water. “What happens when we take Cyril out? Is there any way for us to disguise it?”

Hell, he hadn’t thought that far. If the people were desperate to get the cylinder back, they could descend like the hounds of hell when they saw it above water.

He turned to Annie. “Give your buddy Marcus a text. Ask him if he can provide some backup up in case this causes a reaction.”

While Knox did that, Thea had another idea. “Let me grab the towels we brought down. If we hold them up for you, can we block Cyril from the cameras?”

Jolie grinned. “Smart. Yes. If there’s an extra one, we can wrap it around Cyril. Hide him from view. Then pretend like we were just having fun.”

He nodded. When they were closer, he slipped the cylinder out of the fishing net and hugged it to his body.

Jolie took the net. “Let me climb out first. If you stay behind me and the tools, you should be able to hide it.”

When they could stand on the bottom, Thea and Knox held up some towels for them. Jolie made a show of stumbling and dropping all the tools while he wrapped the cylinder quickly in one of the towels. Then he took the other one Annie held and wrapped it around his shoulders, hopefully helping to conceal it.

The group tightened around him, trying to look casual for the cameras. When they edged around the pond, he kept in front, hoping the other three would provide cover as he moved away.

Thea had grabbed his boots and clothes, while Knox helped Jolie with the tools.

When they reached the spot where Jolie had changed, she scooped up her clothes and his duffle, and kept walking into the orchard.

Hemsworth trotted along behind like it was a fun game.

Once they were out of sight of the pond, he heaved a sigh of relief. “Nothing on the security cam, Annie?”

“Nothing. We don’t know if Cyril is bringing danger yet, but I think we should hurry to the farmhouse.”

He nodded and slipped on his boots while Knox stuffed Cyril into Ford’s duffel with his clothes. “Agreed.”

Jolie had unzipped her wetsuit and pushed down the top half. He took her hand. “You want to change before we move?”

She shook her head. “No. I feel like someone is watching. It’s probably just nerves, but I’ll feel better once we’re inside.”

He agreed. They picked up the pace as they moved through the orchard. Fox loped in and joined the group, adding another layer of protection. Both dogs would probably let them know if someone unfamiliar approached.

His nerves were singing. Adrenaline explained a lot, but the army had shown them how to control that. Having the woman he loved with him in a potentially dangerous situation added to his nerves and buggered up his control.

He and Annie exchanged a glance. His friend felt it, too. “Fast as we can, everyone.”

Jolie was in the most difficult outfit for running, but she picked up the pace and they hurried through the orchard.

Hemsworth and Fox both barked as they neared the front of the orchard. Ford couldn’t see anything through the trees that didn’t belong, but his nerves wouldn’t settle. He was damn glad they’d called in backup, but the town of Phail was a good thirty minutes away.