Page 46 of Silent Target

He can’t possibly see us through the trees.

But a slow smile spreads across his face.

He raises one hand.

And waves.

My blood runs cold.

“Caleb.”

“I see him.”

“How could he know exactly where we are?”

“The emergency code.”

“Mac?”

“Or someone using his access.”

Walter lowers his hand.

The radio on a guard’s shoulder crackles.

Every operator in the compound turns toward our mountain.

Thirty rifles rise at once.

I hear a sound behind us.

The quiet metallic slide of a rifle bolt.

Caleb doesn’t turn.

His hand closes around my arm.

“Don’t move.”

“How bad?”

“Four behind us.”

My heart begins pounding.

The compound below erupts with movement. Operators spread along the fence. Machine guns rotate toward the ridge. Teams pour from the buildings and begin climbing the mountain.

Walter hasn’t merely prepared for us.

He has choreographed the entire battlefield.

A voice carries through the trees behind us.

“McDougal.”

Male.

Calm.