a four-night, three-day vacation south of the border, courtesy of Neil’s never-ending pockets. The actual home with the address they’d fed to Friedrich as Marie’s, Neil had rented from the owners stating a need for a photoshoot. Not only did the owners receive a pretty steep paycheck for the space, they were going to have an entirely secure home with a state-of-the-art security system free of charge.
The European team kept eyes on Friedrich when he left that part of the world. When his flight arrived in Boston, Neil had eyes on him until he left. From there the man flew to Austin and rented a car.
AJ was on point to follow, but the risk was too great when Friedrich veered off of the main highway. That was when nerves started to rumble. Olivia thought of it as the few minutes of silence NASA has to go through when their spacecraft is reentering the atmosphere. You knew it would happen and approximately how long it would take . . . but you never really knew until it was over.
Olivia sat in a huddle with the rest of the team, all of whom were dressed in different costumes and disguises. Or, like her, were armed to the nth degree, wearing combat gear and prepared for the worst.
Cooper sat to Sasha’s left, a stick of gum in his mouth, his knee bouncing with energy. Both of them were dressed for war. Claire wore runner’s pants and earbuds, giving the illusion that she was out for an evening run. Lars and Isaac were dressed as plumbers, and the surveillance van was a modified work truck parked one block over.
“As soon as Friedrich infiltrates any adjacent homes, we move. Let’s do this without one shot fired,” Neil instructed. “Sasha and I will take the south home. Leo and Olivia the north. Everyone else, be prepared to move if he chooses a different house altogether.”
They’d kept the actual decoy home empty . . . with the exception of the special effects set up to cast shadows as if someone was walking around. The blinds were selectively closed with cloth that would make it difficult for Friedrich to see with an infrared camera or goggles. This would force him to move closer and wait for a shot. Logically, the houses closest would be used.
As Olivia pointed out . . . he would want to get in, kill the girl, and get out without anyone hearing a thing. That’s what they wanted, too.
The last thing any of them wanted was a gun battle in a residential neighborhood. Hostages were not an option.
What they needed was for Friedrich to follow the fake intel and get close to the target that was supposed to be Marie, and the team would take him down. Then the third part of their plan could begin.
Olivia placed her hand over Leo’s. “This is going to work.”
“It has to.”
It was midday, and the residential neighborhood was quiet. The homes were spread out enough to offer some protection from people in the neighborhood. The team was accustomed to breaking into homes unnoticed. And in cases like this, Leo and Olivia walked right through the front door like they belonged.
“Team One in position,” Sasha reported for her and Neil. Their voices came through the earpiece.
“Team Two in position,” Olivia said, looking at Leo as they walked through the vacant house.
“Team Three.”
“Team Four.”
Time ticked by in slow minutes.
Olivia watched the street from the highest window in the house.
In any other assignment, she’d have her sniper rifle out, her scope dialed in, and her exit ready.
The more time that passed, the more concerned she became.
The time on her synchronized watch said Friedrich should have arrived thirty minutes ago.
“Maybe he was hungry?” Isaac suggested from his position.
“He can’t get anywhere close without us seeing him,” Neil reminded them.
That didn’t stop Olivia’s palms from starting to sweat.
Claire’s voice sounded in her ear. “Incoming from the south.”
Olivia blew out a breath, watched the street.
When the Jeep drove by, it was as if the entire team froze.
Lars reported next. “Exited from the north.”
“Well, shit.”
Olivia took a breath. “Hold tight.”
Minutes passed.
“He’s circling back around.”
After two sweeps past the houses, Friedrich parked outside the block and was seen leaving the Jeep on foot.
“Claire?”
“He’s taking position from the thicket of trees in the north property,” Isaac reported.
Olivia moved her location and found a back window. “Do you see him?” she asked anyone listening.
“He’s moving closer. Be alert.” Neil’s voice was tense.