He found Carlton, a fresh mug of coffee in his hand, staring at the TV.
“It’s on every channel,” the Old Man said. “They’re beginning to link up all of the cases.”
“We’ve got bigger problems. Mordechai’s asset has been blown. She just hit the panic button.”
“That means Damien is going to go to ground.”
“Not if we can get to him first,” Harvath replied. “I called Ryan for a helo, but they’re tied up evacuating the Main Core VIPs and their families to The Farm. She’s going to try to find us something else.”
“And in the meantime?”
“In the meantime, I need you to stay here with Lara. If I’m not back in time, I need you to get her to the airport and get her on that plane. Beaman has all the details.”
Carlton looked at his watch and then back at him. “Anything else?”
“I want you to take whatever you need from here, it doesn’t matter what it is — food, water, fuel, whatever you want, and then get to Josephine.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Everything depends on Damien. Where’s Lara?”
“Packing.”
Harvath placed his hand on the Old Man’s shoulder as he walked past and headed for the stairs. He found Lara in the master bedroom.
“I’ve got to go,” he said from the doorway.
“Are you coming back?”
“I don’t know. Reed is downstairs. He’s going to make sure you get to the airport if I don’t get back in time.”
“So, is this goodbye?”
“For now,” Harvath replied, stepping into the room.
Lara met him halfway and wrapped her arms around him. “Come back to me.”
“I will,” he replied. And then, giving her a quick kiss, he turned and left the room.
Outside, he found Palmer, Ashby, and Mordechai waiting for him with the gear. He did a fast inventory to make sure everything was there.
Because he was going to need to work the phone and plan the op, he said to Palmer, “I want you to drive. Let’s load everything in your truck.”
“Now we’re driving?” Mordechai asked, the frustration evident in his voice.
“It’s the best I can—”
“You’ve got Damien’s estate under surveillance. Can’t you send that team in?”
Harvath motioned for Palmer and Ashby to get to work and drew the Israeli aside. “The team at Damien’s are not operators, Bentzi. They’re surveillance personnel. If they try to go in there, they’ll not only get themselves killed, they’re going to get Helena killed too. Help me load the truck. We’re wasting time.”
Once the vehicle was loaded, he had Palmer drive so he could work his phone and plan the operation. Ashby and Mordechai sat in the seats behind them.
Traffic was a nightmare as panicked people rushed to get home. They switched to the shoulder, but it soon became a de facto lane and their progress slowed to a crawl.
“Get off,” Harvath instructed.
“You want to use interior roads?” Palmer asked.
“I don’t care what we use. Just get us the hell off this highway.”
Harvath was pissed off and growing angrier by the moment. He didn’t need to turn around and look at Mordechai. He could only imagine what he was going through.
As they finally got far enough over to take a ramp, Harvath’s phone rang. “Tell me you have good news,” he said.
“Where are you?” Ryan replied.
Harvath looked at the GPS, confirmed with a mile marker, and relayed their position.
“I’ve got a bird for you. There’s a helipad at the Reston Hospital Center. I can have him there in ten minutes.”
“Do it,” said Harvath, who then turned to Palmer and gave him their new destination.
When they arrived at the Reston Hospital Center, the all-blue MD 600N helicopter was already waiting, its rotors hot.
It looked like a stretch version of the military’s Little Bird attack helicopter. It boasted a turbine-engine and an advanced anti-torque system that allowed it to fly high, fast, and quiet, three features Harvath and his team needed.
While the others quickly loaded their gear, Palmer parked the SUV and ran back to the helipad. Once he was on board, the pilot took off.
Harvath sat second seat and scanned the electronic tablet the pilot had handed him. It had a satellite link that allowed him to connect to several different mapping services in order to select the best place to land. The closer they were to Damien’s home, the greater chance the helicopter’s approach would be overheard.
He selected a large pasture at a nearby farm and gave the pilot the coordinates. Over his headset, he asked Ashby to pull his satellite phone from his backpack and call the surveillance team on site. He wanted one of them to remain in position and keep eyes on the estate while the other used their vehicle to come pick them up when they landed.
Twenty minutes later, the pilot dropped down to the tree level before turning on his searchlight and scanning the landing area for any obstructions.
After touching down, he shut the engine off and then helped the team unload. Sitting on the grass a hundred yards away, their ride was already waiting. Palmer gave the driver two quick bursts from his flashlight and the black SUV rolled forward.
Harvath provided the helicopter pilot with a radio and, after conducting a quick comms check, grabbed his backpack and walked over to the SUV.
Palmer, Ashby, and Mordechai were already doing a final equipment check.
Harvath watched as the Israeli had a hard time with his hands racking the slide on his Glock.
“You going to be okay?” Harvath asked.
“I’ll be fine,” the man snapped, uncomfortable at having his abilities questioned.
Harvath extended his hand and Mordechai handed over the pistol. Racking the slide, Harvath then handed it back.
“Toda,” the Israeli said. Thank you.
“Ein be’ad ma.”
As the team continued to prepare, Harvath asked the surveillance operative for any updates and they discussed the best way to approach.
According to the operative, nothing had changed since Damien and the woman had returned from lunch with their security detail. There were two men posted at the gatehouse at the bottom of the drive. And that was all they could see. Neither the main house nor any of the other buildings were visible from the street.
There was an access road that ran almost parallel up the adjoining property. Harvath had brought a pair of bolt cutters to get them through the gate.
As soon as Ashby had the drone assembled, he did one last check to make sure everyone was ready and then told her to launch it.
Stepping away from the SUV, she brought her arm back and then sent the drone sailing into the air.
“Eagle’s away,” she said over the bone microphone in her ear.
Via the drone’s remote control unit, Palmer had it fly two wide circles above the pasture while he tested its responsiveness as well as the feed from its infrared camera.
“Moonracer,” he then said, using Nicholas’s call sign, “Eagle is ready when you are.”
“Roger that,” Nicholas replied from his van back at Harvath’s. Clicking several keys, he then toggled the joystick in front of his monitor for several seconds. Once he was satisfied, he said, “Moonracer has the Eagle. You are good to go.”
Harvath watched as the drone disappeared into the night sky toward Pierre Damien’s estate. Once it was gone, he gave the command to mount up.
As they climbed into the vehicle, he said a silent prayer that they had made it on time.
Something told him, though, that not only had they not been fast enough, but that they were all going to pay for it.
CHAPTER 47