"What about Donovan Price?" The question comes out sharp. "He's ex-Delta. He'll spot operators immediately if they don't fit."
"Which is why they're going in as legitimate last-minute additions from a regional security firm." Jenny's tone is patient but firm. "Price will read them as hired muscle for crowd control. As long as they stay professional and don't give him reason to look closer, we're good."
"We've worked events like this before." Mac nods. "Big society weddings love to over-staff security to impress guests."
"And me?" Sam asks from where he's been standing quietly by the window.
"You're our eyes." Jenny turns to him. "Mobile surveillance in vehicle two with Forest. You'll be monitoring all camera feeds, coordinating timing, and running interference if anything goes sideways. Forest stays in the van—you're too..."
"What?" Forest asks.
"Big." The word sparks a round of laughter. "Quiet down." She gives her team a look, but the corners of her mouth twitch with amusement. "You know what I mean. If Donovan Price or any of the other ex-military security see you, they'll make you instantly."
Forest doesn't argue. He knows his size and distinctive features make him memorable—exactly what we don't need on a covert operation.
Jenny turns to Mitzy, who's been quietly working on something that looks like a jewelry box filled with mechanical bees. "Technical support?"
Mitzy holds up one of the drones—no bigger than an actual bumblebee but gleaming with tiny sensors and cameras. "I'll deploy these in waves. First set at 0545 to map current security positions. Second wave at ceremony start to create blind spots in their camera coverage. Each bee can block a camera for approximately ninety seconds before needing to relocate."
"How many do we have?"
"Forty-seven operational units." She demonstrates on her tablet, showing how the bees will swarm specific cameras in sequence. "I can create a rolling blackout effect—cameras going down and coming back up in a pattern that looks like technical glitches rather than sabotage."
"Brilliant." Merlin murmurs, genuinely impressed. "The vault security?"
"The bees can handle the motion sensors in the corridor." Mitzy confirms. "But the biometric lock is isolated from the main system. That's where the EMP comes in."
Merlin holds up the watch—innocuous-looking, expensive but not ostentatious. "Thirty-second window once activated. The electromagnetic pulse will disrupt all electronics within a ten-foot radius, but it only works once. You need to be in position before you trigger it."
"Which brings us to extraction logistics." Jenny's gaze moves between me and Merlin. "Paul and Merlin, you two are going for the Swan. The vault is your priority. The rest of us handle Vivianne's extraction."
I nod. This was always the plan—the only plan that made sense. We can't leave the Swan behind, and I'm the only one besides Vivianne who knows where the vault is and how to access it. Merlin has the tools and experience to back me up. Together, we'll crack whatever security we encounter.
"Timing is critical." Jenny continues. "The ceremony starts at 1100. Charlie signals us when Vivianne is moved from her suite to the staging area. That's our window—everyone will be focused on the bride, the processional, the ceremony itself."
"How long do we have?" Merlin asks.
"From ceremony start to extraction point, I'm estimating twenty to thirty minutes before anyone realizes she's gone. Maybe less if Prescott or her father check on her early."
"The vault is in the wine cellar, correct?" Mac studies the blueprints.
"Yes." I trace the route again. "Accessible through the service corridors. Merlin and I will enter through the kitchen with Team One, then split off while everyone's attention is on the ceremony."
"And the Swan itself?" Blaze leans forward. "How big, how heavy, how are you transporting it?"
Merlin pulls out a specially designed case—foam-lined, temperature controlled, with built-in shock absorption. "The ruby is approximately four inches in diameter, maybe a pound in weight. This case will protect it and mask any electronic signature it might have."
"Once you have it, exfil is through the south service entrance." Jenny points to the map. "CJ will have vehicle three waiting there. Straight to the airport, private charter already arranged."
"What about Vivianne?" The question comes out before I can stop it, even though I know the answer.
"She goes out the north side with Charlie and me. We'll have her in a photographer's van—I've got credentials to be on-site shooting detail for a society magazine. Once we've got her, we head straight for the second airport. Different location, different flight plan."
It makes sense. Split the targets, split the risk. If one team gets caught, the other still has a chance.
"Questions?" Jenny asks.
"Yeah." Blaze crosses his arms. "What happens if Prescott or Donovan figure out what's happening before we're clear?"
