Page 60 of Home Free

35

By the time Finn reached the top of the cliff, he wanted to murder Ronan with his bare hands. When they’d planned their ascent from the beach, Ronan had made it sound easy, but it had taken Finn all of five minutes to realize it was going to take all of his concentration not to end up swinging from the rappel line, the wind slamming him against the cliff face.

He’d taken it a step at a time — something that wasn’t easy even with his headlamp — putting one foot in the sling created by the rope and pulling upward, then repeating the motion a hundred times before Ronan, looking like he’d hardly broken a sweat, finally pulled him over the edge of the cliff.

Finn collapsed on the dirt, dripping sweat even though he’d been freezing his ass off on the beach a half hour before.

Ronan held out his hand. “We have to move.”

Finn took his hand and pulled off the climbing equipment. It was still black as pitch at the top of the cliff. Finn could hear the surf crashing onto the beach below, but he couldn’t see it.

“Goggles,” Declan reminded him.

Finn pulled the night-vision goggles from his pack and slipped them over his eyes. The surrounding landscape was suddenly illuminated in a wash of green.

“Let’s move,” Ronan said.

Finn fell into line behind him as they started away from the cliff, toward the trees surrounding Castle Blackridge.

As they moved through the forest, Finn was almost grateful for the ascent at the cliff. The woods were dense, with no defined path. They had to zigzag their way through the trees, dodging low hanging branches and stepping over the thick tree roots that rose out of the ground, threatening to trip them.

But after the ascent, it felt like a cakewalk. At least he wasn’t dangling hundreds of feet above the ground.

Finn lost track of time as they walked. The sound of the ocean grew more distant, their footsteps through the underbrush blocking out everything but the scurry of animals in the trees that formed a canopy overhead.

At first he thought it was his imagination that the surrounding scenery was growing brighter. Then Ronan’s voice sounded in Finn’s earpiece.

“We’re almost to the tree line. Stick to the plan. And keep talking.”

Finn decoded the instructions in his head: he and Ronan would head to the back of the castle while Nick and Declan took the front. They should communicate anything pertinent to keep each other apprised of the situation.

Finn followed Ronan to the left.

“See you on the flip side,” Declan said as he and Nick peeled off to the right.

About ten minutes later, Nick’s voice cut through the silence. “We’re in position. Let us know when you’re ready.”

They’d known Nick and Dec would reach their position first. To get to the back of the castle, Ronan and Finn had to continue through the woods, around the massive field leading to the manicured lawn.

“Will do. Hold your position,” Ronan said.

They had to enter the castle at the same time or risk the perimeter guards notifying each other that there was a breach. Nick and Dec would wait until Ronan and Finn reached the back of the castle.

Then they would go inside and get Achilles.

Finn knew they were close even before he spotted the castle. Light leaked into the woods from the clearing leading to the castle, and the trees thinned out along the tree line.

“There she is,” Ronan said when it finally came into view through the trees.

Finn sucked in a breath, wishing they’d taken Nico Vitale up on his offer of extra men. The place was massive, a stone structure four stories high, complete with a square turret that must once have been used for defensive purposes.

“You sure these guys aren’t going to throw hot oil on us or something?” Finn asked.

Ronan grinned through the dark, his teeth shining in the night-vision goggles. “Define sure.”

“Asshole,” Finn muttered.

Ronan slid off his goggles and put them in his pack. “I’m not saying it’s going to be a walk in the park, but Clay didn’t see any activity in the turret in the sat images. It’s a castle, and Cromwell lives there alone. I doubt he uses half the stuff in it anymore. Trust me, keeping it low-key is the way to go here. If we’re lucky, we could be in and out without anyone being the wiser.”