“We’re in,” Pratt said.
“Okay, I’ll bring the system up in a few minutes.”
“We’re going radio silent from here on.”
“Copy that,” Brett said.
Pratt turned off his device and breathed a sigh of relief. They were in. Based on their research, Brehmer’s facility was only about a quarter mile away. It was time to initiate the second phase of their operation.
As they started off, Pratt turned and looked toward the jungle. Whoever was following them was closer now. Very close. But there was nothing he could do. They needed to continue on with their mission.
But Pratt knew he needed to watch their rear, and that was because whoever was following them now had a way in.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
FROM HER PERCH high in the gumbo-limbo tree, Jia Huang used a monocular to watch the three men. Her lens was wet from the rain, but she could still see well enough to know what they were doing. One man stood guard while the other two cut through the fence with quick efficiency. While following them through the forest, Jia had quickly determined that all three were well-trained professionals, probably former military. She also noted they were heavily armed. They were the kind of men who could kill, and because of that, she had stayed farther back than she normally would have.
As the two men continued to cut through the fence, Jia focused on the man standing over them. He was clearly the leader of the three. Over the last several minutes, it had also become clear he had sensed her presence. Jia had used every skill she possessed to stay out of sight, yet somehow he knew she was there. On several occasions, the man had turned around and focused on the very place she was hidden.
Even though he was the enemy, Jia felt a strange connection to the man. Like her, he had an innate sense of things beyond just sights and sounds. But she wondered why he hadn’t made a countermove. Maybe they were under time constraints, or maybe he was waiting for the right moment to set a trap. She would have to be careful.
There was movement at the fence. The men had finished their work and were squirming through the opening. After passing through, they replaced the missing section of wire before disappearing into the trees. Seeing they were gone, Jia swung down through the limbs and dropped onto the ground, careful not to lose her footing in the wet dirt. She sprinted to the fence and wiggled through the hole the men had created.
She had planned to enter the compound another way, but that plan would have been much more difficult and time-consuming. She smiled. The three men had just made her job a little easier.
While still on her stomach, Jia replaced the section of fence then squirmed over to a nearby tree. Removing her monocular, she turned on the night vision feature and aimed it in the direction the men had taken. Three tiny dots of heat flared in the distance. They were moving fast.
Satisfied they were far enough ahead, Jia stood and removed her pistol. It was time to complete her mission. But before doing that, she might have to remove the three obstacles that were walking a few hundred yards ahead.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
“WOW, I KNEW this place would be nice, but I didn’t realize it would be this nice,” Danielle said as they entered the ballroom.
Zane had to agree. The trappings were indeed impressive. Large columns lined the perimeter of the cavernous space, and dozens of white-clothed tables were scattered across the floor. Adding to the opulence, massive chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their glass twinkling in the soft light.
“Remember Brehmer is a billionaire. That’s billion with a b. When you have that kind of cash, you can hire the best contractors in the world.”
“How did he even get all of this out here?”
Zane rubbed his fingers together, indicating the man’s money could make anything happen. “The bigger question is how did he get approvals? I can’t imagine Brehmer allowing inspectors to swarm over this place.”
“Maybe he never told the local authorities what he was doing.”
“That or he paid off the inspectors.”
A server came toward them, a tray filled with champagne flutes clutched in one hand. “May I offer you a drink?”
Zane smiled at the man. “Twist my arm, twist my arm.”
“Thank you,” Danielle said as she took one for herself.
“Let’s go get something to eat,” Zane said after the server walked off.
“I was just about to suggest the same thing.”
Zane led her toward through the throng of people toward a circular dais in the center of the room. On the dais was the largest hors d’oeuvres table Zane had ever seen. It was filled with an assortment of food: caviar, sushi, cocktail shrimp, fruit, and a wide variety of cheese. And to top it off, a tall chocolate fountain sat in the center.
“Impressive,” Danielle said as they both picked up plates at the table.
“It looks like Dr. Jonas Brehmer spared no expense in spoiling his investors,” Zane said.
“I sense a shakedown coming,” Danielle said with a smile.
“Precisely.” Zane grabbed a plate and filled it with boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce. “Take all you want. We wouldn’t want to offend our host.”
“This spy business isn’t good for my waistline.”
After they had filled their plates, Zane led Danielle over to a high-seat table at the edge of the dais. Danielle slid onto a seat and set her plate on the table. Her eyes darted around the room as she nibbled on some exotic French cheese.
“How are you?” Zane asked after dipping a piece of shrimp in cocktail sauce.
“Fine, I think.”
“You look a little pensive.”
“Sorry, I just keep thinking about David.” She looked at Zane. “I just hope he’s here.”
“If he is, we’ll find him.”
Danielle took a sip of champagne then asked, “Have you seen that man who was staring at us on the boat?”
“Not yet, but he’s here somewhere.”
“That guy gave me the creeps.”
Zane had been looking for the man ever since they entered the ballroom. The security officer had watched them throughout most of the ride across the bay. Zane hoped the increased scrutiny was just a reaction to the mishap at the dock. If that were the case, then eventually he would move on to other things. But Zane also knew the man possessed something that many in the security industry possessed, that gut feeling when something was wrong.
Danielle frowned. “Do you think he suspects we aren’t supposed to be here?”
“It’s hard to say. I think we drew his attention back at the dock, and he’s doing what any good security officer would do.” Zane dipped another piece of jumbo shrimp in cocktail sauce then swallowed it whole. “As long as we stay out of trouble from this point forward, he’ll forget about us.”
“Sorry, but you don’t sound too convincing.”
“We’ll be fine.” Zane pulled out the program they’d been given at the door. “Remember, Brehmer is going to make some big reveal tonight. I think his security team is going to have their collective hands full.”
Despite his words of encouragement, something else troubled Zane. He was certain he had seen the man somewhere before. The problem was, he couldn’t remember when or where. And if their paths had crossed at some point, then it was possible the man remembered him as well. If so, that might explain the continued attention on the ferry.
Danielle nodded at something over Zane’s shoulder. “I guess that’s where he’s going to speak.”