Allyson’s eyes widened at the sight, but she kept her mouth shut. It only took the one rebuke for her to learn that silence was best.
Adriana got down on her hands and knees and found a small opening in the bushes. She lowered herself to her belly and shimmied through, dragging her bag with her across the pine mulch. Once she was on the other side, she stayed low and took a fast look around. No sign of any guards or cameras on the wall’s exterior. So far so good.
She looked back through the gap and motioned for Allyson to pass the ladder through. The American obeyed and shoved it underneath the hedgerow. Adriana pulled it out and immediately went to work setting it up against the wall. It wasn’t the most elegant way to scale a wall, but it would have to do. Allyson’s head appeared out from under the bushes, and a second later she was standing next to Adriana as she finished making sure the ladder was stable.
When she was done, she looked at Allyson and signaled with her hands. She tapped her chest and pointed right and then motioned at Allyson and pointed left, letting her know which direction each needed to clear before heading for the back door.
Adriana put one foot onto the first step and pressed down, making sure it was stable one more time before she put all her trust in the ladder. It seemed firm enough, and she went up the final three steps. When her feet were on the top, she reached up with both arms and gripped the interior edge of the wall with her fingers. Days spent rock climbing when she was in college came back to her as Adriana pulled hard with her arms and used her feet to walk up to the narrow landing atop the wall. She’d experienced climbs that were far more difficult, this one barely causing a burn in her forearms. She focused on her grip, as an injury from falling (even from a short height) would be problematic to say the least.
She lay flat on the top edge of the wall for a moment and scanned the area. Lightning flashed again, only a few miles away over the lake. The brief second of brilliant light exposed the courtyard. Just as she thought, two guards were watching the area. Adriana imagined that on a normal night, they would probably be patrolling the perimeter more deliberately, taking their time and being thorough. Tonight, however, the men were covered in clear plastic ponchos as they trudged through the wet grass, down the long slim path toward the front of the property, and back again. The lightning only let her see for a brief moment, but it was all she needed. Two guards, both going in opposite directions. They’d meet again at the base of the driveway and then likely begin the long slow walk back up to the rear of the estate.
Only two guards to protect such a massive area? Maybe Immelman wasn’t one of the more paranoid types. Or maybe he’d just not pissed off the wrong people. Adriana flicked her fingers, motioning for Allyson to come over the wall behind her. A second later, the Spaniard lowered herself to the ground, and she stepped over to the right to stay clear of Allyson’s landing. She kept low as the other thief dropped to the ground next to her.
Adriana pointed at the mansion’s rear entrance, a glass sliding door. To get there, they would have to run through one hundred feet of lawn and then cross the concrete surrounding a rectangular pool. She held up a hand, ordering Allyson to wait. Suddenly, another lightning bolt crackled through the air. The world lit up in its brilliant light. Adriana’s reaction was so fast that the area was still bright when she took off at a sprint toward the pool. Allyson was only a tad slower but stayed close behind.
The women sprinted hard through the grass, Adriana keeping a constant eye on the cameras up in the corners. Their resolution would come back any second. She skidded to a stop behind a row of three lawn chairs, the backs propped up at a forty-five-degree angle. Both women tucked in underneath the reclined seats and waited. Allyson panted hard, the exertion from the full-on sprint taking its toll. Adriana looked unruffled, her breathing barely above normal.
Lightning struck again, searing the sky with light, and the two women jumped out of their hiding place and darted for the rear door. Their feet splashed in shallow puddles on the concrete as they ran, pumping their legs like the devil himself was chasing them.
They both nearly smacked into the glass door as they arrived at the building but managed to keep their balance as they quickly stopped. The house was dark inside, and it was hard to make out many details other than a few pieces of furniture. Adriana crouched under a flat awning and within reach of the door’s lock. Her fingers worked quickly, opening her rucksack and pulling out a little device about the size of a key fob. She pressed a button to release a little metal pin. Inserting the device into the keyhole, she waited a second and then pressed a red button on the side. The gadget made a low whirring sound.
Allyson frowned as she stared at the device. She’d heard of these before: magnetic lock picks capable of unlocking almost any standard door and deadbolt, but this was the first time she’d seen one in action. The little metal rod spun inside the lock and sent magnetic currents through the space until the correct sequence was established. In less than ten seconds, the lock gave a satisfying click.
Adriana pulled the tool out, retracted the pin, and put it back in her bag. Allyson wondered what she had planned for the alarm that would go off when they opened the door. Before she could even consider asking, Adriana took another object out of her bag, this one about the size of a cigar box. It was black with a few buttons on the top right side and a small LED screen.
She slid the door open, expecting there to be a long beep signaling that the alarm would either go off soon or possibly sound right away. Hurrying through the opening, Adriana started scanning the room for the keypad to switch off the alarm, but no sound came. Allyson rushed in behind her, closing the door as she did. She looked just as confused as Adriana.
“Where’s the alarm?” she mouthed silently.
Adriana shrugged but she kept on full alert. Maybe Immelman hadn’t turned it on yet, or it could be that since he had guards, he didn’t use an alarm while at home. Either way, Adriana had a bad feeling about it, and that was on top of her already overwhelming trepidation.
The two women took in their surroundings. While it felt good to get out of the rain, Immelman kept his home cool in the evenings, and the air conditioned room sent a chill through their skin. They were in a den with pale bamboo floors, white leather couches and chairs, a glass coffee table in the center, and a flatscreen television hanging over a gas fireplace. A fully stocked bar was set off to the side, wrapped in white marble and topped with black granite. In between the bar and the sitting area, a set of railless stairs went up to the second floor. Straight ahead, a wide hallway appeared to enter the kitchen, though it was hard to tell in the darkness. A flash of lightning illuminated the corridor and room beyond, confirming their suspicions.
Adriana tapped her chest and pointed forward and then tapped Allyson on the shoulder and motioned for her to go up. Allyson nodded and took off. She unclipped her knife and held it out in front of her abdomen as she ascended the stairs, ready to slash anything or anyone who got in her way. Adriana watched her for a second and then went forward down the hallway.
The kitchen was an open floor plan with a large island made from similar granite and marble to what she’d seen in the den’s bar. She took a quick inventory of the area: white cabinets, Sub-Zero refrigerator, stainless steel stove, and a moderately sized breakfast nook near a giant window overlooking the west lawn.
To the left, a bathroom, a foyer with a coatrack, and another staircase going upstairs were the only things of note. Farther ahead, the kitchen and dining area narrowed into another corridor. From the looks of it, there were probably laundry rooms and maybe an office. There was another sitting area in the middle of the room. It surrounded a stone hearth with black leather couches, contrasting the white ones in the den. Maybe it was the owner’s way of trying to create balance with his décor.