They rode in silence while she searched for the stone and chafed at the reality of being left behind. Covert operations were nothing new for either of them, but this was the first time that Elise wasn’t sanctioned by MI6 for even the most minor B&E. Once Harry hopped the base fence, he was on his own. And she remained a civilian.

Harry clicked off the light and set his mobile to vibrate before returning it to his pocket.

Just ahead, a stone jutted off the edge of the road. Elise spun the wheel, the heavy 4x4 treads entering the off-road terrain.

“There.” He pointed.

Elise made for a gap in the tree line, clamping her jaw against the pain as the 4x4 bounced through the undergrowth. Switching to reverse, she backed in and turned off the headlamps.

“I should be back by half two at the latest.”

Not trusting her voice, she nodded, but everything inside her protested at being left behind like a criminal manning a getaway car. Basically, that’s what she was. If Nigel discovered her part in Harry’s covert operation—no matter how small—he would place her on permanent desk duty.

“Text me every half hour. If you don’t, I’ll know something has happened,” Elise said curtly, her voice carefully devoid of emotion.

“All right.” Harry eased out of the 4x4, and closed the door softly behind him.

From her vantage point, she watched him blend into the rough terrain, swallowed by the cloak of darkness.

She slumped in her seat, her eyes fixed on the spot where Harry had disappeared. Fisting her palms, her nails dug into the skin. The temptation to pound the steering wheel and relieve her frustrations rose within her. She hated being left behind. Hated not taking part in this mission. If Harry bungled it, she could do nothing. And it was killing her.

An owl hooted in the trees above her. Absently, she rubbed the top of her thigh and sent a silent plea heavenward—the first in years. Please, don’t let them take my career from me, Lord. I can’t live without it. And please protect Harry. Keep him safe.

Completely cut off from backup, Harry made his way toward Glenkinnon’s external border, a barbed-wire, chain-link fence. Several hundred meters ahead, an engine roared, and lights inside the fence bobbed and flashed, a military jeep following the base’s interior boundary.

Guards making their rounds.

Harry ducked behind the large boulder as the vehicle rumbled past. As a pseudo army captain, he could stroll onto base whenever he chose, but not if he hoped to catch the arms smuggler. That required an element of surprise.

When the jeep lights disappeared, he circled the sarsen stone and pushed back the prickly gorse. Using the hollowed-out depression beneath the chain link, he scooted under the fence.