“I concur. If this goes to hell tonight, how do we protect her?”
“As far as I’m concerned, she was never here. She can beat feet outta here with no one the wiser. It’s one of the reasons to have a second vehicle. If she fires her weapon, let’s make sure we pick up her brass.”
Harv glanced at him. “You know Grangeland. She won’t like bugging out and probably won’t do it.”
“This isn’t a suicide mission. We’ll do the same thing if it gets too heavy. There’s no shame in fleeing an overwhelming enemy. We had the same policy as an echo team.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that.”
Nathan answered his friend’s unspoken question. “She’s an FBI special agent. We can’t let our personal feelings get in the way.”
“I guess I’m being overprotective. I hate the idea of her being killed, or worse. The thought of her being in Montez’s possession turns my stomach.”
“We’ll never let that happen. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“Are we talking about what I think we’re talking about?” Harv asked.
“Yes.”
“The same goes for us?”
“Especially for us.”
Harv pulled to the curb and killed the engine. Behind them, Grangeland parked and joined them in the rear seat.
They all donned ballistic vests and pulled on black sweatshirts over them. Nathan and Harv secured thermal imagers, night vision monoculars, and suppressed Sig Sauer pistols in their belly packs. Predator knives were strapped in sheaths just above their ankles. Before climbing out, they ran the wiring for earpieces and lapel mikes under their vests. Next, they powered the radios and clipped them into place. Nathan checked his belly pack. Zipped tight. He applied black skin paint to his face. Harv did the same. For what they had planned, though, face paint wouldn’t work for Grangeland.
Nathan looked at his watch: 2247 hours.
They grabbed dark ball caps and started down the sidewalk.
On both sides of the street, cargo containers, flatbed trucks, and stacks of pallets occupied fenced storage yards. A few boats on blocks were scattered among them, most not looking seaworthy. Along the western fence lines, windblown trash had built up like snowdrifts. Graffiti glared everywhere.
Nathan whispered, “Harv, radio check.”
“Good.”
“Grangeland?”
“Good.”
“Okay, we’ll make a pass on the opposite sidewalk and look for cameras.”
He studied the building as they rounded the corner. Constructed of concrete block with small slotted windows near the roofline, the building looked to be approximately one hundred feet square and twenty feet high. Basically a giant box. It probably had a second-level loft or office above the bathrooms. Most small warehouses had floor plans like that. He wouldn’t know until they gained entry. As Harv predicted, the rear wall of the warehouse employed two roll-up doors serving a loading dock. A camera mounted on the roof’s parapet was aimed at the loading dock. They kept going down the sidewalk.
The front of the building employed a single metal door with a wall-mounted security camera pointing down at a 45-degree angle. A spotlight illuminated the entire area. The place served its purpose-a virtual fortress.
“Harv, I’m going to pretend to light a cigarette. Stay behind me and take a look at the camera.”
Harv pulled a compact pair of field glasses from his front pocket and focused on the door.
Nathan lit a match and brought it up to his face.
Harv relayed what he saw. “The camera’s cable goes straight up the wall and disappears over the parapet. Looks like standard coaxial. There’s also some sort of doorbell button with an intercom speaker below it.”
“Do you see a security peephole?”
“No.”
“Let’s position you right there, at the southwest corner of the warehouse while I rig the video bypass. At a full sprint, you’re only five to six seconds from the front door. You can duck behind those recycle containers if you see anyone. Okay, let’s circle around to the opposite side of the warehouse and take a look.” They turned right at a narrow alley lined by bigger warehouses. “I don’t like the look of this alley. It’s too narrow. Ten yard separation.” Nathan continued while Harv and Grangeland stayed put.
“I’m on your six with Grangeland. I’ll wait between these white delivery vans before moving out.”
“Copy,” Nathan said. He smelled the air and didn’t detect any cigarette smoke, but on his left, there were dozens of butts in the alley below a small loading dock.
“I’m in motion,” Harv said.
He clicked his radio and kept moving down the alley. “After I turn the corner up here, I’m going to hold my position between the buildings until I see you.”
“Copy.”
“Grangeland, let Harv advance and cover his six. From there, he’ll cover your advance. Let us know if you see or hear any vehicles coming.”
“Copy.”
Fifteen seconds later, Nathan saw Harv round the corner. “I’ve got you. I’ll advance to the next alley and turn south. Grangeland, move up to Harv’s position. I’ll be holding at the fenced truck yard on the east side of our warehouse.”
“Copy,” Harv said. Grangeland also copied.
He didn’t like being under the streetlight for the brief trek into the alley, but didn’t think anyone would be out and about in this neighborhood. Still, the graffiti concerned him. Gang tags. No doubt this was claimed turf. He smelled the air again-nothing.
“Okay, I’m at the northwest corner of our target’s fenced yard. There’s an old fishing boat on blocks to my left.”
“I’ve got you.”
He waited for Harv and Grangeland. They formed up and huddled in the shadow of a cargo container. “I only saw two cameras. One covering the front door and one covering the rear loading dock. The building’s tall enough to have a second floor office.”
“Concur,” Harv said.
They circled back to the narrow alley bordering the rear of the warehouse to the east and stopped out of camera shot at the northeast corner of the fenced truck yard.
Harv spoke quietly. “If anyone runs, they’ll come out that fire exit and head straight for the open gate.”
“This position isn’t going to work,” Grangeland said. “There’s no place to hide if a car comes by. I should use that fishing boat behind us. It’s a little farther away, but it should be okay.”
“Nate?” Harv asked.
“Sounds good, but don’t move from that position without telling us. We want to know where you are at all times. If anyone bolts, give a verbal command to get on the ground. If they make a threatening move, drop ’em. You’re only watching the rear of the warehouse until I finish the video splice.”
“Understood.”
“Okay, let’s hustle back to our vehicles. We can’t walk along this alley without being seen by the camera. We’ll have to detour to the east by half a block.”
Back at Harv’s Mercedes, they went over the plan one final time.
“Grangeland, grab your change of clothes. At a full sprint, how long will it take you to get from the fishing boat to Harv’s position at the southwest corner of the warehouse using the route we just took? Best guess?”
“Thirty seconds.”
“Okay. Everyone ready? Here we go.”
Chapter 27
An uncertain part of tonight’s operation involved bypassing the surveillance camera eyeing the front door. Nearly everything hinged on Nathan’s belief that the monitor wouldn’t be continuously watched.
“Grangeland, once again, your threat area is only the rear of the warehouse. Harv will cover the west and south, I’ll take the north. I’ll have a clear view if anyone approaches from that direction.”
“Understood.” She hustled down the street and disappeared into the shadows.
“Harv, I’ll circle around to the north corner of the building again. I’ll take the exact same route and radio when I’m in place.” He pulled his gloves a little snugger and grabbed the duffel.