Page 61 of Home Free

Finn could only hope it was that easy.

“We’re in position,” Ronan said into the comms system. He removed a pair of binoculars and scanned the rear of the castle. “Dec, Nick, what do you have?”

“Two guys,” Nick said. “Just like Clay said, patrolling in twenty minute shifts.”

“Looks the same back here,” Ronan said, still looking through the binoculars. Finn strained to see what Ronan was seeing but the castle was still too far away to spot movement from the trees. “How long since you’ve seen the front patrol?”

“Twelve minutes, thirty-two seconds,” Declan said. “How about you?”

“Just rounding the corner now, which means we’ve got less than seven minutes to make a coordinated approach, unless you want to wait out another round,” Ronan said.

Finn followed along. If the guards were patrolling at twenty minute intervals and the rear guards just cleared the area, it would be twenty more minutes before they returned.

But the guards in front had left almost thirteen minutes ago, which meant they’d be back in seven minutes. After that, Finn and his brothers would have to wait until the rear guards finished their next patrol.

“Fuck no,” Declan said. “Seven minutes is plenty of time to reach the target. Why should we sit here with our thumbs up our asses?”

“Cool your jets,” Ronan said. “Just want to make sure everybody’s ready. We have to move fast.”

“We’re ready,” said Nick.

Ronan looked at Finn. He nodded.

“Get your weapon ready, stay behind me, and move fast,” he said to Finn.

Finn tightened his hand around his weapon, glad for all the training he’d done at the firing range since he’d come home. It had felt like overkill in Boston, but now the weapon felt familiar and reassuring in his hands.

“On my count,” Ronan said. “Three… two… one.”

Finn sprinted through the trees behind him.

Once they were inside the castle, it looked almost like any other house. A giant house, but a house just the same. Finn stepped carefully and quietly behind Ronan, through a darkened kitchen and a massive formal dining room, down a hall past several sets of double doors that were closed.

They’d crossed the field and lawn leading to the castle without having to fire a shot, the benefit of getting the timing right. By the time the guards returned to their perimeter patrol, Finn and Ronan were inside.

Ronan came to a stop and Finn almost slammed into his back. “Hear that?” Ronan’s voice was a whisper in his ear.

Finn froze, listening.

Music. Classical music. It was faint, but Finn heard it.

“Where’s it coming from?” Finn asked.

“Let’s find out.”

Ronan resumed his forward movement.

They came to the end of the hall and Ronan stopped Finn with a hand gesture, the music slightly louder. They flattened themselves against the wall and Ronan counted down on his fingers before stepping around the corner.

Finn heard the muffled thud of Ronan’s silenced weapon firing before he got around the corner.

One guard was down on the stone floor of a small vestibule, blood seeping from his neck. A narrow staircase wound upward — an old servant’s staircase, Finn guessed.

“Got one down at the bottom of a staircase at the back of the house,” Ronan said. “No time to move him.”

“Roger that,” Declan said. “Keeping an eye on the ground floor rooms.”

They had one target. No reason to kill the guards if they didn’t have to. Better for them to find Achilles’ body when Finn and his brothers were long gone.

---