The Rescue(104)

“Worth it for them,” said Decker before opening the door and pulling the body armor–clad operative onto the shoulder of the road.

Twenty seconds later, the two men were zip-tied by their wrists and ankles to separate trees, duct tape covering their mouths. Decker jumped in the front passenger seat and removed his mask before placing the communications rig he’d ripped off the guard on the dashboard. He reconnected the earpiece set to the radio and inserted the translucent earbud, triggering the transmit mechanism to test the connection. He heard a click through the earpiece, followed by faint static.

Pierce got behind the wheel a moment later. “Anything on the net?”

“All quiet. They must have already responded.”

“Perfect,” said Pierce, putting the SUV in gear and taking off.

As they sped toward Harcourt’s estate, Decker turned to Pierce. “No more mercy when we hit the estate.”

“Yep.”

“Just so we’re on the same page.”

“We are,” said Pierce, suddenly slowing the SUV.

Headlights appeared briefly on the road ahead of them, disappearing as the vehicle turned onto the private drive leading to the main gate to Harcourt’s estate. Pierce eased their SUV onto the smooth, tree-lined drive and followed the taillights to a well-lit guard shack a few hundred yards away.

“I’ll do all the talking,” said Pierce.

“You might want to take your mask off first,” said Decker.

Pierce pulled the black mask off and tossed it on the dashboard. Decker drew a suppressed pistol from his thigh holster and placed it in his lap.

“In case the talking doesn’t work.”

“Just don’t shoot me by accident,” said Pierce, pulling into place behind the SUV in front of them.

“Keep your head back. You know the rules.”

“Funny,” said Pierce, easing them forward as close to the other SUV’s bumper as possible.

Decker studied the guards at the gate, watching how they handled the other SUV. He assumed the identical vehicle had come from a similar position observing the eastern approach to the estate. Harcourt had responded predictably by recalling them and throwing all of his manpower at the parachute threat on the opposite side of the estate.

“They’re waving them through,” said Pierce.

“Follow them as close as possible. Don’t stop.”

Pierce accelerated with the lead SUV, driving so close that the slightest unanticipated change in speed would result in bumper-to-bumper contact. One of the guards on Pierce’s side raised his hand to stop them, but the guard standing next to him waved them on. Halfway to the plantation-style white mansion in the distance, the radio chatter started.

“ROADKILL. This is WARHAMMER. Proceed to the service entrance. I’ll let you in once you secure the area around the entrance. Report to the security office for tasking.”

“ROADKILL One copies.”

Decker pulled the microphone clip up to his mouth and pressed the transmit button. “ROADKILL Two copies,” he said.

“Don’t loiter on the driveway. Get to the service entrance immediately so I can let you inside. WARHAMMER out.”

Decker released the transmitter and dropped it in his lap.

“ROADKILL?” said Pierce.

“The other guy was WARHAMMER.”

“These call sign heroes spend a little too much time picking out cool names.”

“I kind of like ROADKILL,” said Decker.

“What did the god of war have to say?”

“WARHAMMER wants us inside the house,” said Decker. “Sounds like they sent everyone south to check out the parachutes.”

“Perfect.”

“The guys in the other SUV got the same invitation.”

“Nothing we can’t handle,” said Pierce.

Pierce rolled up his tinted window and donned his mask. Decker did the same. WARHAMMER would no doubt be watching the vehicles closely when they pulled up to the service entrance. The tinted side windows would give them a few extra seconds of anonymity before Decker spoiled the surprise.

Decker holstered the suppressed pistol and slipped the earpiece wire under his rifle so it wouldn’t get snagged. The SUV ahead of them pulled off the main drive, turning onto a stone driveway that wrapped around the home’s four-bay garage and continued behind the house. He knew from studying Google Maps satellite imagery and dozens of pictures featured in a Virginia Mansions digital spread that the driveway opened to an enormous stone parking area behind the house, which was connected to a glass showcase garage filled with Harcourt’s luxury sports cars.

The lead vehicle drove past the four-bay garage, passing a neatly parked fleet of Suburbans before stopping at a covered entrance. Easy enough. Now for the hard part. Decker pulled the earpiece out and tossed it in the footwell before bringing the rifle even with the top of the dashboard. He took his hand off the trigger, keeping the rifle level, and grabbed the door handle as Pierce slowed the SUV.





CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Dutch Garraty watched the two SUVs pull up to the service entrance, panning the camera away as soon as the two vehicles stopped. He focused on the far-right corner of the showcase garage, the closest point of approach to the service entrance. The camera mounted to the roof of the floor-to-ceiling glass structure didn’t depress far enough to give him a view of the south-facing wall. If Decker had somehow slipped through his dragnet of guards and avoided all the estate cameras, this would be his most logical point of approach.