this.”
Taking a deep breath, I looked upward and climbed, ensuring each section was sound before I took a step up. The trellis was shakier than I had expected, but it held. Step by step, I moved up slowly, my arms shaking from nerves and effort. The backpack dug into my shoulders, making them ache. Despite the cool evening, sweat dripped down my neck. I imagined everyone watching me and wondering if I’d make it.
I would make it. I had to.
I moved with tedious caution, clinging tightly to the trellis and trying not to breathe so hard. All I needed was to hyperventilate and pass out.
After what seemed like hours, I found myself directly beneath the window. I hoped I sounded calm and collected, not scared to death, when I whispered, “Made it.”
“Way to go,” Wally said, his voice confident, which slowed my excessive heart rate a bit. “Never doubted you. I’m going to temporarily disable all alarm reporting for ten minutes, just in case there’s a motion sensor in the room. The alarm on the window is already disabled. Now you just have to get it open.”
I made sure my feet were well anchored before I reached out to the window. I hoped against hope that for once we’d get a freaking break and the window would be unlocked. I tried to lift it up, but it didn’t budge.
“It’s locked,” I whispered.
“Figures,” Wally responded. “You know what to do.”
I carefully pulled the homemade j-hook out of the small pouch strapped around my waist. Clamping a small flashlight between my teeth, I began to work on it just like I’d watched online on the dark web’s version of YouTube. It was much harder than the video maker had made it look. Also, Remington’s window was a lot newer than the one I’d practiced on at the farmhouse.
Ugh.
I wiggled the hook some more. Why hadn’t I thought to practice using only one hand? It had taken the guy in the video only a few seconds to jimmy open the window. Of course, he wasn’t in the dark, hanging off a trellis, and getting ready to break into the house of a senior federal government official, all while holding a tiny flashlight clamped between his teeth.
Sure. No pressure.
After a few minutes, I had to take a break. I eased back from the window and rolled my neck, telling myself to calm down. My hands were shaky, and despite my best efforts, the weather stripping was preventing my tool from reaching the hook to unlock the window. It was just frustratingly out of my reach. I wondered if the window had ever been opened and if it would be stuck even if I unlocked it. Recognizing my negativity, I scolded myself and got back to work.
“Come on, put some muscle in it,” Wally said in my earpiece. “And hurry up. If anyone sees your light, we’re dead meat.”
He was right. I needed to hurry and get this done. I gritted my teeth tighter against the flashlight and did what Wally told me to do. I looped my arm holding the trellis through an opening and used my elbow to keep me from falling. Then, using my second hand, I was able to push hard enough to hook the latch and yank. I swallowed a scream as the tool suddenly gave and flipped out my hand, hurtling to the ground.
“Crap,” I hissed, which actually came out like “kak,” since the flashlight was still in my mouth.
“What happened?” Wally said.
I looked down at the ground and saw Jax in the shadows rubbing his head. I lifted a hand before he gave me a thumbs-up. I reached over and took the flashlight out of my mouth, holding it closer to the latch. “I lost the j-hook,” I whispered. “But I think I got the window open. Stand by.”
I carefully tucked the flashlight back into my pouch. “Where’s the target?”
“The target remains in living room,” Wally assured me. “Now, get in, and be careful. No heroics, okay?”
That wasn’t a hard thing to promise, as I was definitely not hero material. “Okay.”
I wiggled the clamp a bit more with my fingers, then pushed at the window. It stuck a bit, but after a couple more pushes, it finally slid up. I held my breath, waiting for an alarm, but nothing happened. I positioned myself in front of the windowsill and pulled myself up and over the sill.
I landed quietly on the floor.
It was clear, even in the dim light,