her pointing finger. “The trellis?”
“The trellis,” Hala confirmed. “We could climb it and use the window above it to enter the house. If we come into the backyard at that small gap in the fence, we could potentially avoid detection by the two cameras in the back. We could stay low behind this line of bushes, and it should get us within forty feet of the house. We could then use the black silicon cloak to mask us for the short distance to the house.”
“That’s brilliant,” I said. “It doesn’t appear there are any cameras on that side of the house either, so my climb would go undetected.”
“Your climb?” Wally repeated. “You’d be detected when you fell off it.”
I glared at him, but he was right. I was the least qualified person in the room to climb that trellis. But I wouldn’t let that stop me.
“I’m not going to fall off.” Wally didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t comment further.
“An additional benefit of using a trellis is that most houses are alarmed only on the first floor and the basement,” Mike mused. “Second stories are assumed to be out of reach and are typically not alarmed.”
“Good observation,” I noted.
“But what about the window at the top of the trellis?” Frankie asked, surprising me that she was even entertaining the idea. “If it’s locked, how would you open it?”
“I have an answer for that,” Jax said, zooming in on the window in question. “There is a tool called a j-hook, and it’s a lot like the tool we use to break into cars, except it is customized for home windows.”
“I suppose I don’t want to know how you know that,” I said. Jax gave me a grin but didn’t answer. “Okay, so where can we get one of these j-hook thingies?”
“I can make one,” he replied. “I saw some tools in the barn that should work. The challenge is going to be teaching you how to use it while balanced on a trellis.”
I liked that Jax was also entertaining the thought of me on the trellis, but me trying to pry open a window while clinging to a trellis seemed a bit daunting. “Well, at least we have a plan. Approach the house, hide behind the black silicon shield to avoid the motion detectors and cameras, disarm the alarm, climb the trellis, pry open the window with minimal noise, and I’m in. What could go possibly wrong?”
Wally shot me a glance of disbelief. “Let’s start with you, Angel. Are you really the right person to climb the trellis and pry open a window from fifteen feet above the ground? Hala is the gymnast. She’s the best choice here.”
“Maybe,” I agreed, even though it hurt my pride. “But no one is going to take that risk but me.” My voice was more confident than my brain, but I had to convince them.
“Are you sure, Angel?” Hala asked. “You know I’m game to do it.”
“I know, and I really appreciate it. But this is my challenge. My mom, my risk. It’s only fair. So, no more discussion on that point, okay? I’m the one going inside.”
Bo let out a deep breath, seeming to accept that argument. “Okay, you heard her, team. She’s the one going in. Wally, if there’s an alarm on the window, you could disarm it?”
“Of course I could. We’re already in the security system.”
“Good. How would you get out of the house, Angel?” Bo asked.
That was an easy answer. “The same way I came in. But I’ve got to be in that house before eleven thirty, and I am going to need the laser mic system and some practice setting it up and using it.”
“What if Sampson doesn’t get a call at eleven thirty?” Kira asked. “Then what do we do?”
“He will,” I said. “He has to.” I had to believe that, otherwise everything we were doing was for nothing. “Look, we’ll have every contingency ready. If Remington is on the first floor, we can pick up the conversation from the outside of the house. If he’s upstairs, in the basement, or somewhere else, I’ll have him covered inside the house. If he goes somewhere in his car, we’re ready to listen. This plan ensures full coverage.”
“Well, I think we need to get moving if we’re going to do this,” Mike said, startling me out of my thoughts. “Maybe this isn’t such a bad scenario after all. Angel seems to be blessed by twin goddesses of perseverance and luck. I’m