Page 98 of Edge of Honor

Lowering his head, he clung tightly to the dog’s neck and urged the beast forward. Five yards became ten. Ten became twenty. Nothing happened.

There was no activation of floodlights, no launch of security personnel in 4x4s. It was like they were exactly what Nicholas had intended them to be—simple forest creatures. The AI couldn’t spot the threat they posed because the AI had never seen such a threat.

“Drone one status,” Nicholas said over his radio as he steered Draco back on a more direct course to their objective.

“Drone one is directly overhead,” McGee replied. “You’re all clear.”

The degree to which developers had been able to dampen drone-rotor noise astounded Nicholas. It was, in his opinion, one of the most remarkable achievements of physics and tech. Someday very soon, he believed, we would be in an age of practically silent helicopters. The science was moving that fast.

Focusing on their objective, yet mindful of the temperature, he encouraged Draco to move a little faster. They were almost there.

As the dog moved, Nicholas used his night-vision goggles to scan from side to side, making sure that there were no threats approaching.

When he redirected his attention forward, he could see their target. It was a small, tastefully designed structure, meant to blend in with all the other buildings on the estate. Even the landscaping was in keeping with the main house.

Surrounded by mature trees and a stone walk, and fronted by a pair of wrought-iron benches, the main security building could have easily been mistaken for a tasteful guesthouse.

Keeping Draco in the trees, he approached the building from the back. In addition to twin AC condensers, there was a generator and a large, locked cage containing the terminus of all the security cabling and wiring from across the property. This was the estate’s nerve center, its brain. If you wanted to interrupt its ability to hear, see, or sense any intrusion, this is where you had to do it from.

When he got there, he coaxed the dog to the edge of the tree line and paused. It was make-or-break time.

“How do we look?” Nicholas quietly asked over the radio.

“Still clear,” McGee responded.

“Roger that. Going in.”

Urging Draco forward, he headed directly for the large metal cage.

The moment he got there, he had the dog stop. Removing the pack from one of his shoulders, he swung it in front of his chest and pulled out what looked like a hockey puck made from brushed aluminum.

Activating a power button, he watched as an LED light went from red to green and then stuck the magnetized device to the side of the cage.

“Goblin one in place,” he said. “Setting Goblin two.”

Directing Draco to the back of the cage, he repeated the process, and alerted McGee. “Goblin two in place.”

Looking over his shoulder at one of the screens in Nicholas’s van, the ex–CIA director could see multiple CCTV feeds from the Willis estate security cameras.

“We’re in,” said McGee.

“Roger that,” said Nicholas. “Prep drone two and tell Norseman to stand by. I’m on my way back.”

CHAPTER 50

Having kept one eye on his phone, he knew the moment the text from McGee had come in telling him that Nicholas had completed the first phase of the plan.

The Goblins, placed on the metal cage behind the security building, would allow Nicholas to access the estate’s security system, with the drone overhead functioning like a satellite. It would relay signals to and from Nicholas in his van, which was serving as a mobile command center. So far, so good.

When the next text came, informing him that it was safe to head to the beach, Harvath was ready to move. Taking one last look through his night-vision device, he made his way to shore.

There was a copse of trees at the north end of the narrow strip of sand that acted as a beach. That was where it had been decided Harvath would gear up and change out of his wetsuit.

He moved quietly through the water, cautious not to give himself away in case any security personnel were near. He knew Nicholas was monitoring everything, spoofing cameras and sensors for him, but in his book, you could never be too careful.

It felt good to feel the bottom under his feet and then to be standing on dry land. Reaching the trees, he texted McGeeFD—their code for “Feet Dry.”

Drone two inbound. Ninety seconds out, the man texted back.

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