Carmen frowned. “Then how do you suggest we get in?”
“Follow me, and I’ll show you.”
Carmen and Zane slipped back through the ruins, taking cover behind a crumbling wall as the patrol appeared again. Once the guards disappeared from sight, the two sprinted into the trees and slid under the motion detector. Zane flashed his light twice at the line of bushes ahead.
“Back already?” Amanda asked as they moved out of hiding.
“Only for a few minutes. Then we’re all going back.”
Amanda looked at Carmen. “What did you see?”
“The order is massed by the mouth of a cave, which they’re getting ready to enter.”
Zane checked his watch. “We have about twenty minutes.”
“Did you see Connor and James?” Amanda asked.
“No,” Zane said, “but we think we saw where they’re being held. I have to assume they’re going to take them into the cave.”
“So how do we reach them?” Keiko asked Zane.
“By following them in.” Zane looked at the confused faces. “I have a plan. It’s risky, but I think it might work.” He looked up at the snow sifting down through the trees. “And I think this weather is going to help us.”
“Let’s hear it,” Carmen said.
“Follow me.”
Amanda looked at Carmen and lifted an eyebrow. The Italian shrugged. After Keiko checked for sounds and movement, Zane led them back to the van where he’d found the pistols. While the others waited in the trees, Zane and Keiko entered again. They emerged a minute later. Zane appeared to be holding a pile of towels. Carmen frowned. What on earth is he thinking?
“Voila.” Zane held out the pile. “Our new attire.”
Carmen saw they weren’t towels at all. They were robes, the same hooded, ceremonial robes worn by the members of the order. A covert infiltration using their own attire. She loved the idea.
“So you saw these in the van before?” Carmen asked.
“I remembered seeing stacks of gray clothing at the top of the cabinet, but I didn’t know what they were. After seeing the order, I put everything together.”
“Let’s see how they fit.” Amanda pulled hers over her head.
Carmen did likewise. It was too big, but she soon realized that was a good thing. The hood swallowed her head completely.
“Do you happen to have another shade?” Amanda said. “Gray has never been one of my colors.”
“Sorry, they’re all out of pink.”
Carmen’s big concern was the poor access to her weapon. If she needed to use her pistol, it could take several seconds to hitch up the robe and pull it out. And those seconds could be crucial. But if things went as planned, they shouldn’t have to use their guns.
Emily reached for a robe, but Zane pulled them back. “No, ma’am. You’re staying right here.”
Amanda turned quickly toward him. “We can’t leave anyone behind.”
“We’re not going to. Keiko is going to stay with her.”
“You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
“What we need is stealth. My plan doesn’t involve taking down their entire security team.”
“So what is the plan?”
“We join them. We keep our eyes and ears open, learn what they’re doing. Then after we’ve conducted our due diligence, we’ll move to free our people at the right time and place. And while it’s not our top priority, we’ll also try to get as much information on this underground city as we can, assuming it’s there.”
“I don’t like the idea of separating. I say we all stick together.” Carmen tugged on the fabric of her robe. “To be honest, I think your plan is brilliant. If we stay covered up, I think we’ll all be safe.”
“I also believe it would be best to keep the group together, sir,” Keiko said.
“Let me guess, you already made a few calculations,” Zane said.
Keiko tilted her head in confusion.
The painful memory of losing Emily in Venice suddenly filled Carmen’s thoughts. It was one of the worst mistakes of her career, and she was determined to make sure nothing else happened to the girl. Keiko was the best possible protection any of them could have, but she was subject to malfunctions and a drained battery. Right now, the humanoid didn’t have much of a track record in the field.
Carmen caught Zane’s eye. “I’ll keep Emily with me.”
Zane stood in silence, churning over his decision. Finally, he met her gaze. “We get even a whiff of trouble, you bring her back here.”
“Absolutely,” Carmen said. “You have my word.”
He checked his watch again. “Let’s get moving.”
After they donned their robes, Zane led the team through the woods and under the motion detector. Instead of passing through the ruins, Zane circled to the left and approached the camp from the end of the road. Carmen was beginning to understand what he had in mind. A few members of the flock were still moving back to the vehicles to collect additional gear, which made it the perfect place to come in.
As they approached the camp, Zane said, “Keep your hoods down over your face. Don’t look up, and don’t engage anyone in conversation. If someone says something to you, mumble a short response.”
Carmen looked ahead. The tall man with the gaunt face stood near the entrance, speaking to his flock with a bullhorn. “My people, let us gather together.”
“Oh, my,” Emily said from under her hood. “That’s him. Viktor, the man who came to my room in Venice.”
“Make sure you don’t get anywhere close to him,” Zane said.
Viktor spoke through the bullhorn again. “It’s time for us to enter the sacred place.”
A minute later, they arrived at the back of the crowd gathered at the tunnel entrance. Carmen settled in next to Zane. The man Emily called Viktor was about twenty yards away. His features seemed even more sallow up close. He smiled, but it seemed forced.
He pointed to the sky. “Look up, my friends. Evil powers are aligned against us. The tears of our enemy fall down upon us. It’s a sign our time has come.” His lifeless eyes swept the crowd. “Are you ready to lay hold of our destiny?”
The flock raised their hands in ecstasy, and a great shout went up. Zane lifted his, and the others followed suit.
“Let us enter!” Viktor shouted.
The crowd cheered again, this time even louder. They seemed to be whipping themselves into a spiritual frenzy. Carmen imagined most had been brainwashed for years. Zane nudged her gently and nodded to the right. She followed his gaze. A moment later, her eyes rested on a man near Viktor. He wore a toboggan pulled down over half his head, but she recognized him. Roger Lawson. And if he was there, she knew Camilla and Kimberly couldn’t be far away.
The crowd pressed toward the cave mouth.
“Remember to stay together,” Zane whispered as they began walking. “If any of you get separated, don’t panic. Wait until we gather inside, then move to the right.”
“Look.” Amanda tried to point without being obvious.
Carmen looked up in time to see three men with canvas bags over their heads being shoved through the entrance. The two in the back were definitely Reid and Pratt. So who was the third?
Carmen saw two guards flanking the cave mouth. Their narrow eyes scanned each person as he or she passed through. Not wanting to take any chances, she lowered her head and kept moving. Amanda and Emily did the same on her left. A few seconds later, they arrived at the tunnel mouth. The members filed in quickly. Most looked anxious to get inside, so Carmen reminded herself to give the same impression.
As she stepped forward, a strong hand grabbed her arm. “Stop!”