Page 37 of Sawyer’s Mistake

Once they were close enough to the boat, the three men veered as one towards the starboard side. Sawyer didn’t need to look to know Storme and Zander would be right behind, approaching the port side.

Sawyer and Meir treaded water for a few moments while Kopf rummaged in his neoprene backpack, looking unfazed by the hard swim. Sawyer savored the chance to get his breath back.

Kopf brought out twin magnetic grips, which slammed onto the side with a loud, dry clank. This was the most dangerous moment. They were sitting ducks out here. Should a guard look over the railing, it would take him seconds to pop them off one by one.

They looked at each other, holding their breath. Sawyer counted to ten in his mind, the sound of the metal reverberating in his mind.

Eight. Nine. Ten.

“Let’s go,” he said softly. He avoided whispering, knowing that a whisper would carry much farther in the quiet evening air.

Kopf swam up behind Meir, using his legs to power his swim while he lifted Meir out of the water, high enough for the man to reach the first handhold. Sawyer held his breath while Meir did a pull-up then moved the grips, one at a time, as silently as possible. Half a minute later, the man went over the side and disappeared from view.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Five. Meir gave them a quick thumbs-up, dropping a thin rope over the edge to them.

Kopf climbed first, raising himself out of the water silently, hand over hand. An instant after the big man went over the edge, the rope jiggled in Sawyer’s hand, signaling it was his turn to climb.

He climbed up the rope, favoring his left arm slightly, glad when he reached the top and felt his friends pulling him over the railing. As soon as he was on his feet, he ripped the duct tape from his back and started putting on his boots.

“Where to?” Kopf asked.

Sawyer finished tying his bootlaces. He stood up and stared for a long moment at the heavy metallic structure he’d been handcuffed to, now camouflaged behind some boxes.

He shook himself back to the present.

“The dining room is that way,” he said, pointing towards a wide staircase. The space beyond was deserted. It was ten past seven. Most everybody should be in there by now.

If they hadn’t known where it was, the rich smell coming from behind the door would have given it away. It smelled warm and buttery. In his mind, he saw Saoirse’s expression as she stared at the fancy buffet table full of foods neither of them had seen in years. He swallowed hard to get rid of the bile in his mouth.

They held their position and soon heard a soft double tap on their radios, letting them know Storme and Zander were in position on the opposite side. Sawyer returned it with own triple tap then, after a second’s pause, sent one more tap to let Storme know they’d be moving ahead. A short answering tap came back.

“Meir, cover us from the main corridor. Kopf, let’s put those zip ties of yours to good use.”

The door handles were exactly as he remembered them: ornate double links that would be easy to hold together, at least temporarily, by the zip ties.

Kopf grinned, quickly tying half a dozen zip ties to different areas of the door handles. He tugged hard, his arm muscles bulging.

“There we go,” Kopf whispered, taking a step back. “Nobody’s getting out this way. They’ll have to take the door off its hinges if they want to open it.”

Sawyer let out the breath he’d been holding. Could it really turn out to be this easy?

A shrill whistle pierced the air. It sounded like a bird, but Sawyer knew it was Meir’s way of telling them somebody was coming. He and Kopf flattened themselves against the wall, their laser guns ready.

“Don’t shoot!” Meir shouted an instant before sliding through the doorway towards them.

“Shit, man, we could have shot your ass,” Kopf huffed, lowering his weapon.

“Next time I’ll call ahead,” Meir said, flattening himself against the wall. His expression was serious, but his dark eyes were animated. He seemed to be enjoying himself. “There’s three guards right outside. They’re well-armed and coming at us.”

“We’re sitting ducks here,” said Kopf, looking at the door they’d just sealed.

Loud footsteps sounded on the corridor beyond them. Sawyer closed his eyes for a moment. “The library’s that way. We can hold them off there!”

At the entrance to the library, Sawyer’s eyes automatically went to the hideous painting Paul and Saoirse had admired last time they were here. He barely restrained himself from smashing it with the butt of his laser gun. He raced to a heavy wooden armoire and shoved. It barely budged.

A second later, Kopf and Meir were beside him.