Page 65 of French Escapade

“You’re shooting this with a drone?” Ken asks.

“Yep,” Ted answers.

“What if they hear it?”

“It’s flying very high. We have one with a high-definition camera. We can zoom in without coming too close.”

He turns to Nathan and says, “Ask them to turn on the infrared mode.”

Because night is falling, we can only see the layout of the land, and that’s not very helpful. The residence seems empty. No car in sight. Nothing’s moving. But as soon as the camera goes into infrared mode, we can spot a man hiding in the bushes.

“There’s one guy,” Ken observes.

The drone continues to fly over the place and after a few minutes, we count four guards. “We don’t know for sure if Arkady is in there, but something tells me that those men didn’t come here to keep an empty old building safe,” Andrea says.

“What do we do? Call the gendarmerie?” I suggest.

The men look at each other, and Ken answers. “No, we’re doing this on our own. But if you want to stay out of it, we would understand. You’ve done a lot already…”

I don’t give him a chance to finish his sentence. “I’m in. I promised I would help you bring her back. I will do whatever it takes.”

“You have already done a lot,” he repeats.

I look him straight in the eye to make him understand I’m not kidding. Then I look at Ted and ask, “How do you want to organize the attack?’

It’s a strong word, but that’s what we’re talking about. I don’t see us ringing the doorbell.

The retired military man smiles and says, “I told you I had a few surprises in store.”

He asks us to follow him into another room, one that is also protected by an optical scanner. Jimmy walks in first and says, “Wow! This is Ali Baba’s treasure trove.”

I follow him in and discover rows of weapons. All sorts of them. Even if I am more into martial arts, I can’t deny that I’m fascinated by this inventory.

“Lady and gentlemen, pick your weapon of choice. However, don’t forget…this is not the Wild West. We’ll need a good reason for each bullet we use.”

I reach out for a Glock. There is no magazine. Out of habit, I check there’s not a bullet left in the chamber. Ted, standing next to me, approves. “Very good choice. Now, for ammunition.”

“Yes, please.”

When I look up, I notice Ken observing me. “If you imagine for a second I’m going to stay in the car, you’re mistaken.”

He smiles at me. “I know that. And I would never try to talk you out of it.”

It’s my turn to smile.

Ted gives us each a bulletproof vest, and we finish gearing up. In the back of my mind, a single thought plays.

I sure hope we get Madison back tonight.

* * *