Page 76 of Secrets Along the Shore

Once they had a clear path through, Tyler lifted his rifle and inclined his head toward the fence. “Go. Move.” With his back to the fence, he guarded the area and allowed them to enter first.

Adele stepped past the fence and kept her SIG up. Her husband followed, his rifle raised as they stepped deeper into the shadows under the trees. Paul went next, having to turn sideways to move through the two feet of open fencing. It was a little snug, but the American wasn’t skinny either.

After a final scan of their surroundings, Tyler pushed the fence farther apart and entered the property. Rifle pressed against his shoulder, he crept through the shadows. Patches of moonlight appeared on the ground. The clouds parted, revealing the full moon.

Crap. They needed darkness for cover.

He avoided the moonlit spots the best he could. At least, the team wore black gear. Stepping over a fallen branch, he checked his team. On his right, Adele climbed up a tree with Adam’s assistance. Paul stood on the far side of the tree, guarding them. Tyler shifted to their location. As soon as Adele was settled, they’d move in.

A dark spot on the ground a few feet away, had to be the ditch. After that area, the land sloped upward toward the house. This side of the hill would provide some cover, but they’d be in trouble at the top. It’d be perilously open. The overhead images Tyler studied at Von’s house showed that no trees lined the walkway up to the house. Not even plants. The side of the home with the sunroom had cover up until about twelve meters. Another reason they had to be silent and stealthy.

“She’s good,” Adam whispered.

Tyler gave a nod, his gaze drifting along the crest of the hill. The tops of the trees on the opposite side of the property were visible, but nothing else. It looked like a steep slope. The area closest to the side of the home had less of an incline. It’d be easier getting up there.

“It’s clear,” Adele said over coms.

“Copy.” He gave one more scan of the area. “Von, we’re in position. Kill the power.”

“Copy.” Twenty seconds later, Von added. “Power is off. Be careful in there.”

“Roger that.” Tyler led the way up the hill, taking it diagonally. At the top, he paused to survey the building. The windows were dark. Everyone inside should have been asleep. Except for Viktor’s steady security, which Adam would take out with the dart gun.

Careful steps brought him across the open grassy yard to the glass walls of the sunroom. About three feet of stones were under the windows. The clean panes couldn’t be opened, but ran the entire length of the wall.

“I thought there was supposed to be a door,” Paul whispered.

There was. Von had found it on the house blueprints. Tyler frowned. This was the wrong wall, wasn’t it? He stepped back and pictured the prints in his mind. Yep. Wrong wall. How’d he get mixed up like that? His memory. The TBI.

No. He wouldn’t let that stop him. It was a minor mistake that cost them all of ten seconds. He shifted around to the wall connecting the sunroom to the house. A locked door kept people out. He grabbed the handle and shoved on it. The glass in the door rattled, sounding like it was knocking against something.

Crap.

“We break that glass, someone’s going to hear.” Adam shifted behind Tyler. “Let me pick the lock.”

Right. Adam could pick locks. That’d get them in. Unless…Tyler let his rifle fall against his hip, the sling hanging around his neck. He pulled the Glock from his holster and turned on the flashlight on the bottom. The light illuminated the area. He cupped his hand over it to block part of the beam. He shone it on the glass door. Something dark—plywood maybe—blocked the door. Someone had boarded it up.

“Well, that’s not good,” Paul muttered.

“Yvonne, the door is blocked,” Adam said into his coms.

Tyler stepped away from the door and holstered his Glock. He lifted his M4 again and pressed it against his shoulder. They weren’t going to find a way to open it quietly. But they had another way in. “We’ll go in the rear.” The front remained too obvious, but if they could get into the back, then they’d be less likely to be seen.

“There’s movement in the backyard. One of Viktor’s security,” Von warned.

Tyler glanced behind him at the open yard. “What about the front?”

“A man just came out the front door. He’s armed,” Adele replied.

Neither option was easy. But the backyard had more cover. Tyler sighed. Fine. “We’ll go around back.” He led the way down the sunroom to the back of the house. A few tall trees stood at different areas in the yard. Pausing at the corner of the house, Tyler pressed his spine against the cold stone exterior wall and leaned around to check.

One man paced near the covered patio. He held a rifle close, but didn’t seem alert. He didn’t expect a threat. Tyler and his team had the advantage. But the guy needed to be taken out. Just not with Tyler’s M4. He eased back from the corner and signaled for Adam to take his spot.

After the former CIA operative checked, he held up the dart gun. “It’s a little far.”

“Can you make it?” Tyler asked.

“I need to get closer.”