Chapter Fifty-Six
The Anderson Family Home
Portland, Maine
Mia moved low through the tree line, doing her best not to snap a loose branch.
The incline between the Anderson house and the next property was a bit steeper than she’d expected, but it helped her to stay out of sight.
Above her, the overcast sky had deepened in color.
In a few minutes, it would be dark, which would make it tougher for her to judge the distance of what she was looking at.
Already the outlines were harder to track.
She crept forward, using the dense hedgerow as cover as she moved along the property line.
The scent of grilled meat was unmistakable now, and she could even hear the crackle of fat hitting flame.
She climbed up the incline, using one hand against the soft soil to stabilize herself.
The backyard came into view. First came the grass, which was thick and evenly cut, then the flagstone path, which curved in a lazy arc from the decorative gate at the side of the house to the base of the large, raised wooden deck.
And finally, she saw the deck itself, where two men were standing next to a large grill, drinking wine and laughing.
Because of the deck’s elevation, she could only see the top half of the two men.
Mia dropped to one knee and pulled out her pistol.
She attached the suppressor and scanned her surroundings.
From her position, she had a clear view of the deck, which she could now see was accessible from the yard and also from the kitchen.
Mia recognized the younger of the two men as being Nelson Anderson.
She watched Nelson reach for the lid of the grill, but the older man pushed his hand away, shaking his head.
Then, a woman with dark hair and olive skin stopped in front of one of the kitchen’s windows, laughing at something.
Liesel Bergmann.
Mia was about to let Henry know that at least two of their targets were confirmed to be on-site, when the scent of grilled meat, perfectly seasoned, hit her again.
Before she could stop herself—not that there was anything she could have done to prevent it from happening—from her stomach came a low, traitorous rumble that sounded, at least to her ears, like the cold start of a V-8 engine.
She froze. Had the men heard it? They were still talking, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that the sound had carried.
She slowly raised her pistol, its red dot optics settling cleanly on Nelson’s upper chest. At this distance, she couldn’t miss.
And for a moment, she considered taking the shot.
Well, two shots. She could take both men out in less than two seconds. The suppressor would muffle the cracks.
Two squeezes and both men would go down.
To her horror, her stomach growled again, even louder this time.
Nelson shifted his feet, but he didn’t turn, then Richard Anderson said something she couldn’t hear.
If I can’t hear them, they sure as hell can’t hear me.
She held her aim for another beat, but her finger had moved outside the trigger guard. She brought the red dot off Nelson’s chest a second later.
“I’ve got eyes on Nelson,” she whispered, knowing the mic on her lapel would amplify her voice. “I had the shot, but I’m holding. Liesel Bergmann is also confirmed to be on-site.”
Henry’s reply was immediate. “I’ll be at the front door in thirty seconds.”
“Good copy. Let me know when you ring the bell. I’ll breach on the distraction.”
As Mia waited, she continued to study the two men on the deck. They looked relaxed. A father and son enjoying good wine together.
They didn’t know what was about to hit them.