Page 67 of One Knight Stand

For all his foresight, the one thing wereallyneeded, besides aStar Trektransporter, were some of the wicked-looking earpiece mics Secret Service agents always wore. Unfortunately, we had to improvise a solution using each person’s cell phones, earbuds, and a conference call to hook us all together. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked if we maintained communications discipline. I fiddled with the earbud in my right ear as we hunkered down behind the cloak just at the edge of the bushes in Remington’s backyard. We had edged out slowly and stopped so Wally could tap into the video feed to the security company and check and see if we were visible.

“It’s working! You’re completely cloaked.” The glee in his voice was palpable. “The infrared night vision of the camera isn’t picking up anything. May I take a moment to say this is totally cool? Now, continue to move slowly, to reduce the risk of being detected by the motion sensors.”

“Roger that,” Bo whispered.

While I shared Wally’s appreciation for the technology, I felt a lot less enthusiastic about it since, at the moment, terror was foremost in my mind. But I sucked it up and crept ahead with the guys, pretending this was the smartest plan I’d ever had.

Kira had been strategically placed in the bushes of a neighbor’s house, monitoring from the front. She was currently watching Remington through the window with binoculars and reporting his location to Wally. Mike hid in the bushes near the entrance to the backyard, carrying the sonic cannon in case we needed a major diversion in order to escape. Hala was the designated getaway driver, while Frankie held the cell phone jammer in case things went awry and Remington attempted to contact the police. Frankie’s jamming would hopefully give us time to get away.

All bases covered…I hoped.

Bo, Jax, and I crept toward the trellis at a snail’s pace. I was crouched so low I was worried about bruising my chin with my knee. Jax carried the other laser mic case with him in his free hand. I felt horribly exposed as the moon slid in and out from behind the clouds. While I was grateful to have a little light with which to operate, being illuminated so brightly was definitely not ideal.

I must have been thinking too hard, because I somehow got ahead of everyone and stepped onto the blanket. I stumbled, falling onto my hands and knees, unexpectedly jerking the blanket from their hands.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion after that. Bo fell on top of me, expelling the breath from my lungs in a forced whoosh. Jax snatched the blanket, pulled it over us, and landed on top of Bo. We remained prone under the blanket, trying to figure out if any part of us was exposed. Bo shifted his weight slightly so I could catch a breath.

“Report,” Jax finally whispered to Wally.

There was a long pause before Wally answered. “You’re clear. I think.”

“You think?” Jax hissed back.

“Hey, don’t jump on my case. The camera did detect something, but it’s not setting off an alert…at least not yet. Stand by.”

Seconds ticked past. “What’s going on?” I whispered. My voice shook. Had I screwed everything up before we’d even started? “Are we detected or not?”

“Yes and no,” Wally answered. “The reality is the infrared camera has likely been trained to detect human shapes that are walking. Otherwise, all other heat sources like birds, dogs, cats, foxes, etc., would set off alerts. The sheer number of false alarms would overwhelm the user, making the system unreliable. So, it appears the camera’s algorithms is focused on spotting human-size heat signatures and ignoring other anomalies. Although your heat signatures were temporarily exposed, the time was so brief, and even when your signature was visible, you were crouched down as a group and probably appeared as an undefined blob, which apparently did not set off the camera’s detection. Therefore, I can only conclude that you did not present a profile that the camera identifies as human and did not set off an alert. If someone ever comes back and reviews all the recorded video, they would spot the anomaly and probably recognize your presence. But without an alert, there’s nothing that would key them to this time or location.”

That was a long-winded way to say no, but the science behind it made me feel better that we were still on track.

“That’s good enough for me,” Jax said grimly. “Come on, let’s move.”

We got back to our crouches and were more careful as we crept the rest of the fifteen feet on our hands and knees. Blocked by the house from the cameras, we stood up. I studied the trellis carefully. It was sturdy, but I was pretty sure it wouldn’t hold much more than one hundred pounds. It was a good thing I was the one climbing.

“Confirm location of target,” Bo whispered to Wally.

“In the living room at the moment.” Wally paused again, perhaps confirming that with Kira again. “Go. You’re cleared to climb.”

Bo held the blanket up to shield us from any neighbor who might be a night owl, as Jax linked his hands together in a cradle. I stepped into his hand so he could boost me up as far as possible onto the trellis.

“Be safe, Red,” Jax murmured as I clung to the trellis.

I cautiously climbed a few feet, testing the strength of the wood, then looked down and gave the guys a thumbs-up. I could see their anxious faces illuminated in the moonlight.

“It’s your show now,” Wally said in my ear. “You’ve got 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.

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