Rowan tugs on the black suit coat, tucks in his boot knife and a high-powered handgun in the small of his back, and gives me a nod, “It’s show time.”
Adjusting my earpiece, I return the nod.
Dark clouds are rolling in, shadowing over the full moon. We have the complete cover of night on our side. I slip from my spot in the shadows and head for the marked area. Rowan goes in the opposite direction, towards the brightly lit mansion with the type of people only horror stories bring dancing in the windows.
Gravel crunches beneath my boots, wind blows softly through the trees. I keep close to the high walls surrounding the mansion grounds, out of sight of the arriving guests. They have only the finest horses pulling their carriages, their gowns and suits being at the height of fashion, with their naïve minds not even close to guessing what is about to go on tonight.
At the end of the wall, I turn in the only direction that I can. Right. It’s a short walk from there. I reach the marked area, the one supporting the inconspicuous blue flag, and I’m not alone anymore. Waiting for me is Dane.
“Are you there, Jack?” Rowan’s voice comes in through the ear piece.
“Yes,” I respond.
Dane hands me a rifle. I shake my head. My knife will work just the same, if it comes down to it. Dane shrugs, not caring if I only carry a small curved knife in my boot top. If everything works out the way we planned it, weapons won’t be of any need by us, only Rowan.
I move passed Dane, going a few paces away so I can get a good look at the mansion. Beautiful. Flawless in form. The people are much the same.
Here on the other side of the property, opposite the circular driveway and arriving carriages, I set my eyes on the windows, at one person in particular. She hasn’t moved since we arrived here. A gentleman has caught her attention and they have been talking for several minutes now. I smile. So far, the plan is working.
“How’s it going in there, Dylan?” I ask.
“This is a grand home you have.” Was the response I got.
Dane moves next to me, “It’s almost time.”
“Right,” I nod.
On the move again, I jog beside the wall, not straying from its shadow. There is an opening about twenty seconds down. I go through it and find myself in a completely different area. Gone is the almost serene mansion with its dozen trees and rolling green lawn and elegant fountain.
Looking around, I give a nod. I’m where I’m supposed to be. There are a few guards and several military style trucks parked next to a large shed. Luckily, all the guards save for three are out close to the house, guarding it from people who have already slipped through their defenses. Idiots.
“I’m here. Ready.” Dane.
“Are you boys ready?” That’s Rowan.
“Almost,” I respond, looking at the mansion that is now only two steps away.
The three guards have their backs turned to me. I move then. I’ve always prided myself as being swift and very good at tactical moves. This time is no exception. One guard goes down with a blow to the head from my knife handle. The second and third follow suit. They never suspected a thing.
After I tie the guards up in the shed with wire bound rope, I run across the small clearing and to the side door of the mansion. The door opens without trouble and I slip in. Warm air rushes over my skin and a distant sound of music playing greets me. A hallway with several doors is in front of me. I chose one in particular. It leads to a storage closet. Smelly and cramped for space, at least it will keep me from being seen until the time is right.
As a matter of fact, the time is almost right.
“I’m in position. The obstacles are cleared.”
“Right,” Rowan replies immediately. “Things are about to heat up.”
I clench my teeth, clutching the handle of my knife. And I wait. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds.
Then I hear it. Loud and clear coming through the ear piece Rowan is wearing. The sound of a gun firing and people screaming.
I do not envy Rowan’s task in this mission.
Several more seconds pass by. Then minutes. It's getting close to ten. I'm sweating and feeling clahstrophobic. Running my free hand through my damp blond hair, I look up at the metal ceiling of the storage closet, then down at my feet, at all the supplies around me.
Unrecognizable words are being spoken through the ear piece. I can't tell what Rowan is saying. Whatever it is, he needs to get out of there. Soon.
"Hurry your ass, Dylan."
I don't hear anything over the ear piece, but I do hear the sound of distant footsteps.
Good enough for me.
Replacing my knife, I push the door open and step out just as Dylan and the girl come running around the corner.
"Where are we going?" She asks.
Dylan doesn't answer. He sees me and nods. I nod back.
The girl has no idea what's about to happen. She blindly followed Dylan down here, thinking he was taking her to safety from the maniac upstairs with the gun. But she was fooled. It was all a ploy. With her alone and all the guards either tied up or otherwise occupied, there was no one to come to her rescue.
"Let's go," I say, moving to the other side of the girl.
"Go where?" The girl asks. I think she's beginning to understand that there's more going on here. She stops short of the door, but isn't able to get anywhere else. Dylan grabs one arm, I grab the other.
"Sorry," I say. "But you have to come with us."
"How nice of you," Dylan mocks.
She starts to struggle. A high pitch scream begins to escape her lips. I glance at her, how beautiful she is, those wide blue eyes. Then it's all gone. Dylan hits her over the head, knocking her unconcience and throws her over his broad shoulder.
"Get the door," he says quickly. I know he's anxious to get out of here. To make sure Rowan has a clean exit.
I take the lead, opening the door and jogging out into the night. Dylan follows closely. We make it to the opening in the wall and slip through without any trouble. The same for the rest of the way to the spot where Dane waits.
"Rowan, get out of there." I hear Dylan say. "Come on, bro. Get the hell out of there..."
"Roger that," Rowan confirms. "Making my exit. I hope you did your job, Dane."
"Piss off. Of course I did," Dane snaps.
Dylan shifts his weight. Although the girl doesn't weigh a lot, the thought that Rowan might not make it out alive does. It was a risky job to pull. Kidnapping the daughter of Darrien Winchester. But everything is risky nowadays.
"Come on, Rowan..." Dylan whispers, his breath coming out in small puffs of white. It's gotten a lot colder within the last five mintues. Much colder than I had planned for. A thin jacket shields the cold from my skin. Ripped jeans allow the cool wind to breeze across my legs. I'm shivering.
"It's about... to... happen..." Rowan's voice is crackly. But we all hear it anyway. A big boom. I look at the mansion doors. They are caved in, blocking anyone from leaving. And by the time the guards make it another exit, we'll be long gone by then.
Dylan scans the dark yard, looking for that lone figure that should be running in our direction.
It doesn't take us long to see him.
"Stop standing around like a bunch of bloody idiots!" Rowanexclaims. "We gotta go!"
Without another glance back at the mansion, we leave, taking with us the best leverage we've had in this war for a long time.
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