“Positive,” the man said.
Manny frowned.
Though the camera wasn’t top of the line so was spotty at best at seeing into buildings, its thermal imaging mode should have exposed anyone standing in the outside area between the buildings.
Only, there were no bright spots to indicate the presence of a person. Even if Felicitywaskeeping a low profile, she should have had security patrolling the property.
Either Dame Felicity was playing it so close to the vest that her guards were restricted to the inside of the buildings, or she wasn’t there at all. The idea that she would have no security at all was so ludicrous, Manny did not even consider it.
“Let’s check it out,” he said, then climbed out of the car.
They approached Barrington’s place via the property next door. Before going over the wall that separated the two, they checked the area via the drone again.
Not a soul in sight.
Manny nodded, and they scaled the wall one by one, then crouched and listened for movement.
All was quiet and still. In fact, to Manny, it was too still.
He made a hand gesture, and his men headed to the larger building’s nearest entrance.
His electronics expert used a handheld device to check for an alarm. One was detected, but shockingly, it was not armed.
Manny did not like that at all and almost gave the order to bug out. But after a moment’s hesitation, he motioned for the door to be opened.
Instead of splitting into smaller groups, like Manny had planned, he kept everyone together as they searched from room to room, their weapons ready.
All were empty.
The other building turned out to be a glorified master suite, but it, too, was unoccupied, with no sign that anyone was using the space.
It was clear that what Manny had suspected was true.
Dame Felicity was not staying there.
Chapter 27
At 3:18 a.m., the alarmon Carly’s laptop went off.
Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up, instantly awake.
By the time she silenced the noise, Jillian was out of her bed and moving over to sit next to Carly.
On the computer’s screen was a feed from one of the security cameras inside Stone’s Key West house, installed on Saturday by a CIA team. It was focused on the now opened door to the patio, through which four men had just passed, guns in their hands.
“What are they wearing?” Jillian said.
“I think they’re trying to blend in,” Carly said. “That’s the way everyone dresses on the island—the men, I mean.”
“It’s ridiculous.”
“I didn’t say it was agoodlook,” Carly said, bumping her shoulder against her friend’s.
Carly switched camera views to follow the men through the house as they checked every room.
The guy Carly pegged as the leader did not look happy when they finished. He said something to the others that was too lowto pick up on the hidden microphones, then they left as quickly as they arrived.
“I was starting to think our plan wasn’t going to work,” Jillian said.
