Option to Kill (Nathan McBride 3) (15 page)

“It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me the truth.”

“Let’s change the subject. I need to go over some stuff with you before we reach your stepdad’s warehouse.”

“Like what?”

“Like being very quiet during the operation. Don’t say anything or make any noise unless I prompt you. We’re invisible.”

“Sounds cool.”

“Lauren, this is serious. I mean it. Don’t make a sound. I want you to think about your footsteps, your breathing, accidentally bumping into things. You need to be totally silent.”

“I can do that.”

“You also need to learn some basic hand signals.” Nathan showed her the gesture for holding position, taking point, following, forming up, hunkering down, looking in certain directions, and several others. Lauren was a quick study and could emulate all of them within a minute. He also taught her directional indicators using the clock method. Twelve o’clock — straight ahead. Six o’clock — directly behind. Three o’clock — to the right. Nine o’clock — to the left. He tested her with a couple of landmarks, and she seemed to have a good command of the concept. Perhaps a little too good.

“A point of clarification. You are not taking an active part in tonight’s operations. I am
not
giving you a gun to act as my backup. Your role is to be very quiet and stay out of my way. If I need something from you, I’ll ask. Understood?”

She nodded agreement, but he saw her mind working behind those discerning blue eyes.

Chapter 14

After they exited the 905 interchange, Lauren directed Nathan east toward Otay Mesa for several miles, then had him turn left into a cluster of industrial buildings. A huge auto-wrecking complex dominated the right side of the road. Nathan was somewhat familiar with this area of South San Diego. First Security, had installed a state-of-the-art system in a self-storage facility a little farther down 905.

Lauren sat forward and pointed to a side street. “Turn here. It’s the next one on the right.”

Nathan studied the huge building as he drove past, making a mental note of the security lights mounted on the walls. Many of the lights were dark, and it didn’t take long to see the pattern. Along the loading dock, every third light was on. Marchand probably did it to save on the electric bill. He didn’t see any security cameras, but that didn’t mean there weren’t any. He guessed the building’s footprint to be roughly three hundred by five hundred feet, and it looked to be about twenty-five feet high. Whatever the case, Mr. Marchand probably stored a boatload of patio furniture in there. Several vans were parked about two-thirds of the way down the loading dock, under an illuminated security light.

“Are those the company vans?”

Lauren nodded.

“You used one of them to drive home last night?”

Another nod.

“You okay?”

“This place creeps me out. We’ll be together, right?”

“Yes.”

He made a U-turn and cruised past the south side, taking notice of the building’s main entrance. Two cars were parked at the curb, but the amount of dust and grime on them suggested they hadn’t been moved in some time. Just to be sure, he pulled alongside and had Lauren reach out and feel their hoods. She said they felt cold. The public streetlights weren’t a huge concern, but if anybody drove past while they were on foot, they’d be seen. The low, fire-resistant landscaping offered no place to hide. Anyone seeing a man with a duffel bag would probably be more than a little suspicious. Nathan might as well wear a cardboard body sign with CAT BURGLAR in huge block letters.

He decided the loading dock offered the best option for visual cover. A ten-foot-high wall paralleled the sunken area where trucks backed up against the building to load and unload their cargo. If he parked the Taurus behind the wall, no one from the street could see it.

He was just about to turn into the driveway when he spotted bleed light from an approaching vehicle. He gunned the engine and made a quick left turn back toward the auto-wrecking yard. Ten seconds later, he saw the vehicle turn down the street where he’d just been. He also saw the unmistakable shield-type logo of a security company on the door panel. This complicated things and forced a change in plans. He didn’t know the frequency of the patrol vehicle’s rounds, so parking next to the loading dock was out. He’d need to find a parking place along the street, preferably with a few other cars present. Near the wrecking yard, he found a good location. It would make their approach to the warehouse longer and less stealthy, but it couldn’t be helped. He made a U-turn, pulled up to the curb, and parked.

“What’re we doing?”

Nathan nodded toward the warehouse. “Security patrol.”

“What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to wait.”

Half a minute later, he watched the security vehicle exit the warehouse property on the far side of the building and turn directly toward them. Crap. He didn’t know if the driver would recognize an additional vehicle parked on the curb since his last cruise-through.

“Lauren, climb into the back and lie down. I’ll be right behind you. Hurry!”

She unbuckled her belt and scrambled over the center console. Nathan hit the door-lock button and heard all four locks clunk into place. He practically dived into the rear compartment and flattened himself out on the seat.

Lauren’s head ended up against the small of his back.

The world outside grew brighter with each passing second as invasive light raided their hiding place. He felt Lauren’s body shudder and reached back to give her arm a reassuring squeeze. The light reached a peak as the patrol car pulled alongside. The bleed light changed from white to red as the driver applied the brakes. Things got worse when a million-candlepower beam swept through the interior above them. The intensity hammered Nathan’s eyes. He knew the driver was using the post-mounted spot to check their car. The beam moved back and forth in a jerky yet controlled manner.

“What do we do?” Lauren whispered.

“Don’t move a muscle.”

Then, as quickly as it had arrived, the blinding light vanished and red illumination filled the Taurus again. To Nathan’s relief, the crimson glow ebbed as the patrol vehicle continued down the street. He lifted his head just enough to see the patrol car turn right at the corner and disappear from sight.

“He’s gone, but this is a good example of what you’re
not
supposed to do. I understand you were scared, but you have to be absolutely quiet at times like that. You broke my concentration.”

“I’m sorry. Are you mad?”

“If I get mad, you’ll know it. There was no harm done this time, but you have to control your fear. Pretend there’s someone inside of you who’s really tough and mean. She takes over when you’re scared or worried.”

“You mean like a multiple personality?”

“Yes.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“I’ll have to take the Fifth on that.”

“The Fifth?”

“We’re going to leave the car here and head to the warehouse on foot. We’ll hold hands so we look like a father and daughter in case anyone sees us.”

He grabbed the duffel from the trunk, locked the Taurus, and placed the keys on top of the right rear tire. Thankfully, the three-minute walk was uneventful and no one saw them. At the driveway to the loading dock he asked, “Which door do you use to get inside?”

“It’s near the vans.”

“We’re going to run.” They hustled over to a trio of roll-up doors. Nathan looked for a camera, but didn’t see one. He approached a steel door with a punch button keypad. Above the door, a sign stated Fire Exit. Do Not Block. “Is this it?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Go ahead and enter the combo, just like you did last night.”

Lauren pushed the sequence of numbers and tried the handle. It didn’t move.

She made a second attempt.

“Are you sure you’re using the right code?”

“Yeah, positive.” She tried again, with the same result.

She was about to punch the numbers a fourth time, but Nathan blocked the keypad with his hand. “Many security systems only allow three attempts before triggering the alarm. Someone changed the combo. We’ll have to do it the hard way.”

Nathan removed the grappling hook from the duffel and wound its rope into loose coils. He swung the hook over the top of the parapet and tested its anchor by gradually applying more and more weight until it supported his entire mass. He created a loop at knee height and tied the duffel to the end of the rope.

“Good to go. After I’m up there, put your foot into the loop and walk your hands along the wall as I pull you up.”

“What are those donut-shaped things for?”

“They keep the rope away from the wall, which makes it easier to use near the top. Okay, I’m going up.”

Climbing a grappling-hook rope close to a wall required power and dexterity, but Nathan had the technique down. Once on the roof, he felt exposed, but the three-foot-high parapet gave him some cover. He dropped to his knees and gave Lauren a nod. She stepped into the loop, and he began hoisting her up.

“Use your hands to steady yourself. It’s like crawling on the ground, only you’re doing it vertically. Don’t look down.” Lauren struggled as he pulled. She kept grabbing the rope with both hands to avoid falling. This wasn’t going to work. Lauren didn’t possess the dexterity or balance needed to form a stable triangle. “Hang on tight. I’m pulling you up in a hurry.”

Nathan used sheer strength to hoist her and the duffel up the wall. When she was near the top, Nathan anchored his stomach against the parapet and wrapped the rope around his right forearm to keep the rope from slipping.

“Lauren, keep breathing. Don’t hold your breath.” He saw her face then, streaked with tears. Keeping the rope in one hand, he abandoned all sense of personal privacy, encircled her waist with his free arm, and hauled her over the top. Visibly trembling, she hugged herself.

Nathan kept his voice low. “You okay?”

She wiped her cheeks. “Sorry about crying.”

“You did fine, trust me.” He brushed her hair back from her face to get a better look. Other than being shaken, she seemed okay. He pulled the duffel up and took a moment to scan the immediate area. “Do you need a minute? Can you keep going?”

She nodded tightly.

“We’re going silent. If you need to ask me something, poke me once. If you see something I should know about, poke me twice.”

“Okay.”

It was significantly darker up here. The bland illumination from the streetlights no longer reached them. Nathan removed a night-vision visor and secured it on his head. He turned the device on, lowered the gain, and pivoted the scope down to his left eye. He felt a single poke.

“What is that thing?”

“Night vision.”

“Can I see?”

He was about to sigh, but realized her curiosity might take her mind off the stress of the ascent.

He took the device off and handed it to her. “Take a look, but make it quick.”

“OMG! This is supercool. I can see everything.”

“Lauren, keep your voice down.”

“I want one of these,” she whispered.

“You got five thousand bucks in your pocket?”

“No way!”

“Way. Take a quick look at the stars.”

“Oh, wow, this is awesome. I can see the Milky Way. The Big Dipper is really bright. ”

Nathan tested her with a spontaneous question. “What’s the Big Dipper part of?”

“Ursa Major.” She tensed as though she’d been tricked into revealing more than she wanted.

He logged a mental note. “I see you’re up to speed with your astronomy, but we’re a little pressed for time.”

Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to have her equally equipped, he removed the second visor and showed her how to turn it on and adjust the gain and focus. He tweaked the fit and secured it on her head. “Keep both eyes open. The scope pivots up and down like this. Stay low and follow me. Think about your footsteps. Walk quietly.”

Hunched over, they worked their way west, staying close to the parapet. Although they could be seen from the loading dock, no one from the street could easily see them. If the security patrol returned, they could duck behind the parapet wall. As Lauren had mentioned, an impressive array of solar panels dominated the middle portion of the roof. Surrounding the solar array, dozens of four-foot square skylights dotted the roof’s landscape. Some of them were dimly glowing with faint light from below, others were dark, but all had opaque covers, so he couldn’t see into the warehouse. Nathan chose the darkest skylight, then peeked over the parapet to make sure there weren’t any roll-up doors directly below it. He gave Lauren a hunker-down hand signal. She stopped walking and crouched. He smiled and knew she saw it through her NV scope. She smiled back and gave him a thumbs-up.