Chapter 12
The rain fell in sheets, instantly soaking through Julian’s white shirt and the shoulders of his black suit jacket as they stepped out from the cover of the gazebo onto the gravel path. Clara led the way, keeping close to the dense boxwood hedges that bordered the formal gardens, while Julian and Walter flanked Marcus to ensure he could neither bolt nor draw unwanted attention.
The gravel crunched softly beneath their shoes, though the sound was largely masked by the roar of the wind whipping through the ancient oak trees overhead. Across the expanse of the lawn, the entrance to the main gatehouse stood dimly silhouetted against the amber glow of the city lights beyond.
"The gate control box is automated," Julian whispered, pointing toward the heavy wrought-iron gates sixty yards ahead. "If we can reach the manual override switch inside the security booth, we can open the perimeter without triggering the primary alarm grid."
As they reached the edge of the formal gardens, the headlights of one of the utility vans swung sharply around the circular drive, sweeping a brilliant beam of white light across the lawn directly toward their position.
"Hit the ground!" Julian hissed, grabbing Clara by the arm and pulling her down into the deep mud beside the boxwood hedge.
Walter shoved Marcus down into the wet earth beside them, pressing his hand firmly over the younger man’s mouth to stifle any sudden movement. The van’s engine idled heavily just twenty feet away, the driver’s side window rolled down a few inches as the tactical operative inside scanned the dark grounds with an infrared monocular.
Clara held her breath, pressing her face against the cold mud, her injured wrist throbbing in rhythm with her hammering pulse. The red hospital bands on her arms were caked with dirt, indistinguishable from the dark fabric of her scrubs.
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For thirty agonizing seconds, the beam of the infrared scanner swept back and forth across the boxwood hedge, passing within inches of where they lay hidden. Then, the van shifted into reverse, its tires spinning briefly on the wet gravel before turning back toward the main mansion entrance.
Julian waited until the sound of the engine faded beneath the rain before pulling himself up to his knees. "They’re concentrating their search inside the east wing. We have a narrow window before they realize we bypassed the pump station."
