Page 74 of Secrets Along the Shore

“It’s not a burial spot, guys. It’s just a ditch. There’s a lot of grass in it,” Patrick confirmed.

“Maybe he dug it months ago.”

Von swatted her brother’s arm for that remark. “So now that we know it’s not a trap, at least as far as we can see, we need to get a better look at the mansion and figure out the security system.”

Tyler adjusted the placement of his right shoulder against the doorframe. “Just take out the power.” That’d save them a lot of trouble. Even if the security system was turned off, someone who liked late hours could flip the lights and the element of surprise would be gone.

“Right. Easy.” Amir nodded. “Cut the power.”

“Where do we need to infil?” Tyler turned to Von. Going in the front would be too obvious, but they also didn’t have time to waste wandering through the huge mansion.

“Right side of the mansion. There’s a sunroom that should be easily broken into.” Von pointed at Adam. “Your lock-picking skills should come in handy for a quiet entrance.”

“The most likely spots for Viktor to keep our targets are in rooms with no windows or no easy escapes through them.” Amir shifted beside the hacker.

“So basement,” Tyler said.

“Or perhaps an upper floor at the back of the house, one without a balcony,” Von added.

Tyler nodded. Yeah. Maybe. But what if Elara tried to escape through the windows? Viktor would have to block her and her kid from exiting those.

“Are there any windows barred?” Adam inquired.

Amir shrugged. “There’s no way to know. Gotta be careful flying a drone above the property.”

Von stepped over to the table. “Alright. I think that’s all the intel we need. Ten men inside and around the mansion, and our two targets.Viktor may or may not be there. His vehicle left this afternoon, so he may be heading somewhere else.”

“Who’s going in?”

“Tyler will take point. Adam and Paul will infiltrate with him. Adele, you need to be nearby with your sniper rifle so they can have an easy escape. Gage, you’ll drive the escape vehicle.”

“And I’ll be…” Patrick paused as his eyes narrowed on his computer screen. After a second, he relaxed. “I’ll be here keeping an eye on things.”

Von leaned on the edge of the table. “Amir and I will let you know if anything changes or if there’s trouble heading your way.” The team’s handler checked her watch. “You need to be inside at one and out by one twenty. Any longer than that and we’ll have a giant mess on our hands.”

“Sounds good,” Adam replied.

Paul smacked his hands together. “Fun stuff.”

Tyler straightened and nodded. He was doing this again. With total strangers…who let their last guy get killed. Man, he hoped that Koen was praying for him, because things kept getting more complicated.

CHAPTER

SIX

June 8

12:55 a.m., Dubrovnik, Croatia

“We’ve got fifteen minutes.”Tyler straightened the G-shock watch on his wrist. The black tactical vest he wore protected his chest and most of his torso from bullets, and the various pockets stored extra magazines for the M4 he held.

His gaze drifted around the bulletproof van that Gage drove. Paul had taken a seat next to him, also geared up to face whatever threat they might find in the home. Behind them, Adam and Adele sat together. They spoke softly, but their kisses could be clearly heard. Was that a regular thing with them? Smooching right before a mission?

Maybe. Maybe it was. This job held a lot of risk. That time “alone” that they got together could be their last memories of each other.

Was that hard? He’d never know.

The van jostled along the bumpy road as Gage drove toward the mansion. Tyler held his rifle, his finger resting on the trigger guard. The mission was about to start. Just a few more blocks. Then he’d be doing what he’d trained for.