When the final truck cleared the gate, Nir pressed a button on his watch to stop the timer—6:29.

Cheers erupted throughout the safe house. Nir spotted Yaron poking his head into the room, and he gave the man a thumbs-up. This had been an immaculate operation.

But the elation Nir felt was muted. Nicole was still out there. Tonight had gone well—yet maybe too well. A shoe could still drop, and he just hoped if it did, it wouldn’t land on the woman he was pretty sure he loved.

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

CHALUS ROAD/ROUTE 59, IRAN—FEBRUARY 1, 2018—07:25 / 7:25 A.M. IRST

Nicole heard the window roll down part way and inwardly groaned. Although her eyes were closed and her head was back, she knew exactly what was happening in the front seat. Sure enough, she heard the click-click-click of the driver’s lighter—always three clicks. Then the smoke from his cigarette wafted into the back seat. The partially opened window did more to clear the man’s conscience than it did to clear the air.

It’s your own fault, she mentally chastised herself. He asked if you minded the first time. This is what you get for being too polite.

Opening her eyes, she glanced at her watch. They were two hours outside of Tehran. Picturing the map she’d memorized, she determined they should be coming up on Marzanabad soon. From there it would be another half hour to Chalus, where she’d become just another visitor to the coastal town, in-country for a few-days photo shoot.

The adrenaline had begun to dissipate about an hour after the Tehran skyline disappeared from the back window. Shurabad, the suburb where the warehouse was located, was in the southern part of the capital. This meant a long drive through the heart of Tehran before she and her driver finally exited the city limits to the north and began their ascent into the mountains. The man, who’d introduced himself as Yusif, had been kind enough to leave a wool blanket in the back, and she’d made use of it the entire trip.

She still couldn’t believe they’d pulled off that heist. When word had reached the van that all was done and they needed to wrap up, it was all she could do not to cry out in joy. Quickly and carefully, she’d detached the digital video playback machine from the bank of equipment, then unplugged it from the power knowing it had enough battery to provide six hours of continuous use.

The tech next to her had asked, “Is it ready to go?”

“It is.”