I was inside Isaac Remington’s home office.
Chapter Thirty-Four
ANGEL SINCLAIR
My heart was beating so loudly, I was certain Remington could hear it all the way downstairs.
I pressed a hand against my chest, willing it to slow down. This agent stuff was way scarier than it seemed in the movies. I needed to focus and look at my current situation like I would a cyberattack. Focus on the immediate danger and handle what was in front of me. Then I could press forward with the next step.
I could do this.
Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I gently closed the window and took a look around the office. A huge desk sat in the middle of the room. A couch, chair, coffee table, and credenza rounded out the furniture. Stuff hung on the walls, but it was too dark to tell if they were paintings, diplomas, or photographs. There was a closet with a partially opened door. I peeked inside and saw a spot where I could hide if he came upstairs.
I glanced over at the open doorway, walking gingerly toward it in case a floorboard squeaked. His office was not carpeted, which made hearing me more of a danger. Luckily, I could hear the television from the living room. It would cover any little sounds or squeaks I might make, but it also might interfere with hearing his conversation if he didn’t mute the sound.
I set the case down on the floor and pulled the mic out and carefully assembled it, thankful I’d practiced putting it together numerous times, even blindfolded. Once the mic was in one piece, I inserted the earpiece in the ear that didn’t contain my comm link. I held out the device, turned around slowly and listened. There was still too much static. I adjusted the tiny knob on the device until I could hear the television as if I were standing in front of it. Remington was listening to the news.
I pressed the Record button and whispered, “Testing.”
“Working,” Wally replied after a moment.
I gave a small breath of relief. Now I just had to wait. I closed up the backpack and wondered where to hide it so that I could easily retrieve it. There wasn’t an obvious spot, so I pushed it way back into the kneehole under Remington’s desk. He’d have to lean far down to see it if he came into the room.
I rested against the doorjamb. If Remington stayed on the first floor, Jax and Bo could also hear and record him from their positions outside the house. But if he moved upstairs or downstairs, I alone would be responsible for capturing the conversation.
We had him covered. All we needed was for Sampson to call.
I glanced at my watch to check the time. It was four minutes after eleven o’clock. We’d achieved our goal of getting into the house by eleven. Now, I just had to pray it wasn’t all for nothing.
“Team A is now in place,” Wally reported in my earpiece. That meant Bo and Jax were in position outside the house and near Remington’s living room, shielded by the infrared cloak and with their mic ready to listen and record.
I stayed in the doorway of his office until I heard some rustling noises through the mic. Was Remington getting up?
I tensed, shifting to the balls of my feet, ready to move. “Target is heading into kitchen,” Wally murmured in my ear. “Stand by.”
Another few minutes passed, and Wally reported Remington had returned to his seat in front of the television with a glass of alcohol. Great. All we needed right now was a drunk guy who slurred his words.
“It appears the target has a burner phone on the coffee table,” Wally whispered in my ear. “We just noticed. Be ready.”
I couldn’t be any more ready. I just wished the call would happen so I could get the heck out of there.
When the phone rang, I nearly dropped the mic, I was so startled. I checked to make sure I was still recording, then silently cheered when Remington pressed mute on the television.
“Hello?”
There was a pause, and I presumed he was listening. “What? She tried to escape? That’s unacceptable.”
“The target is standing up,” Wally whispered in my ear. “Holy crap. He’s heading toward the stairs. Take cover. Repeat…take cover. Everyone, radio silence now.”
Heart pounding, I inched backward until I got to the closet. I squeezed behind the filing cabinet just as the light snapped on, blinding me through the slightly open closet