Southern Comfort - Fern Michaels [61]
Kate acquiesced. “You’re right. Give me a boost.” Stepping into Sandy’s cupped hands, she lifted one leg, then the other, easily mounting the brick wall. Standing on top of the wall, praying no one would decide to take a potshot at her, she removed her mini Maglite from her pocket and raked its beam across the top of the wall. Not more than three feet in front of her she spied a small black box. Lowering herself to her hands and knees, she crawled across the rough surface, scraping her knees on the stony texture and heaving a sigh of relief that there was no embedded glass. She removed the pair of miniature wire cutters she’d stuck in her pocket at the last minute. She pried the black box open with the tip of the tool. Inside were several strands of red, green, and yellow wires. Before she could stop herself, Kate snipped the red wire. When nothing happened, she snipped the yellow wire. Still nothing. It’s now or never, she thought, preparing to snip the green wire. With shaking hands and her breath lodged in the back of her throat, Kate clipped the green wire. Waiting for the screech of a siren or some other god-awful noise to cause pandemonium, she remained on all fours. After several seconds passed without the wail of an alarm, Kate used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead.
Not bothering to lower her voice, Kate said, “There’s no alarm.”
“How can that be? You’d think a place this size would be locked up as tight as Fort Knox.”
“You would think. Maybe someone deactivated it over the years. I’m going to drop down. Go to those iron gates around the front. Meet me there. I’ll see if there’s a way inside.”
Sandy gave her a thumbs-up.
Sandy raced to the front of what she now thought of as “the compound,” where she found Kate waiting, a big smile on her face.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Sandy stated.
“No, I’m just handy with this.” Kate revealed another tool of the trade, a small bolt cutter.
“Jelly?” Sandy asked.
“Yep.”
“He must’ve suspected you wouldn’t follow orders,” Sandy said, a trace of humor in her voice.
“Something like that. Now listen up, here’s the plan.” Kate briefed her partner-in-crime, then both women entered the mysterious building inside the compound through a broken window.
Chapter 13
Pete trailed closely behind Tick as they waded toward the shore. When they reached the beach on the west side of that thing, Tick stopped and motioned for his brother to do the same. A few seconds later, as Tick prepared to remove his wet suit and gear, he whispered, “Take your suit off. We won’t be able to move fast enough wearing wet suits. Let’s hide them over there.” He pointed to a large wooden hutlike structure that was probably used for storing beach gear for one of the island’s elder’s grandkids.
As they removed their suits, they both scanned the area to make sure no one was watching them. “What are you looking at?” Pete asked.
“I don’t know. Ever get the feeling someone’s staring at you, then when you look around and see no one there, you feel like an idiot but still you know there is someone watching you?”
“Well, sure. That happens to everyone,” Pete said.
Still whispering, Tick said, “I feel that way right now.”
Pete looked over his shoulder as Tick grabbed his arm.
“Don’t look! They . . . someone is watching us.”
“And you feel like an idiot?” Pete razzed.
“I’m serious, Pete! Take the gear over to that shack and wait for me while I scope out that thing.” He nodded at the mysterious building behind them.
Pete grabbed his and Tick’s wet suits and the rest of their gear. “You want me to wait in the shack like some two-year-old? I don’t think so. Remember, you asked me to come along. I’m not going to hide in some shack like a big wuss.”
Anger sparked in Tick’s eyes. “Look, dammit, I’ve already lost my family because of some sick bastard; I don’t intend to lose you, too. Now do as I say, or I really will kick your ass.”
“Then why in the hell did you ask me to tag along?