“True. It’s you that will raise an alarm. The last thing I want is to tip Scott off before we have a plan of action.”
“What about the back yard?” Kaye offers a suggestion.
“I thought of that, but if he has the front under surveillance, he probably has the back as well.”
“What do we do?” Kaye asks.
“What about the roof?” Rosalie pipes up.
“The roof?” I press my fingers against my temple, staving off the beginnings of a headache. Why can’t things be easy? There’s always a wrinkle. What I wouldn’t give for one easy day.
“Yes.” Rosalie sounds like she knows what she’s talking about. “There’s that oak growing between the buildings. You can use it to get to the roof next door. I haven’t looked closely, but it should be sturdy enough.”
“Rosalie and her trees.” Hayes laughs. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s to trust my woman. We should check it out.”
I glance at Hayes, who gives a noncommittal shrug, then back to Kaye to see what she thinks. Not as sure about it as Rosalie; she’s scared enough to try almost anything.
That worries me. The pressure she’s under could lead to her taking risks where she shouldn’t.
“Let’s take a look before making a decision.” I gesture up the stairs.
Rosalie moves first. She takes Kaye’s hand in hers. “It looks scary, but it’s easy enough. Just don’t look down.”
We ascend the stairs as a group and clamber up the fire escape to the rooftop terrace. Keeping Kaye out of sight, Hayes and I go with Rosalie to look at the tree.
Last time I was up here, I don’t remember seeing the large oak, but it had been dark and I was more interested in checking out Kaye.
The oak grows between this building and the neighbor’s. Its branches reach high. There’s a narrow gap between the roof’s edge and a branch about as thick as my arm.
“See.” Rosalie points at the branches. “You can cross directly over to the other roof.”
“Looks good.” I’m not against this plan, but then Hayes taps me on the shoulder.
“It’s in the camera’s line of sight.” Hayes gestures toward the street. “This won’t work.”
“Shit.” I drag my hand down my face. “Alternatives?”
We rejoin the others, who lounge on the patio furniture, trying to make it look like the six of us came up here to enjoy the afternoon.
“The tree is a no-go.” I hate giving bad news, but we’ll find another way.
“So that’s not an option?” Kaye’s face pales when I give her the news.
“It’s too risky if Scott is watching.” I scan the street and rooftops, searching for some other way out. “Any other ideas?”
Then Hayes claps his hands. “I got it. We rig a rope here and connect it to that building.” He points directly behind the townhouse. With the hill sloping downward at an insane angle found only in San Francisco, the roofline is below this one. “We swing her across. If there’s another camera out back, it won’t be pointed up, but at the courtyard below.”
“What?” Kaye’s face is a mixture of fear and more fear. Her face pales and her eyes widen. “You want me to do what?”
“A zip line from here to the other house?” I cross my arms and think it through.
The best option would be for Carmen and Rosalie to leave with the guys. Kaye could then walk down the street, just as she would when going to meet Scott. Only, I refuse to leave her alone, and no way in hell am I walking with her. I don’t want to give Scott any reason to punish Kaye; in the unlikely event he gets his hands on her.
Which means, we need a plan B.
“I’m game if you are,” Hayes offers encouragement. “We just need someone to set the anchor on the other roof.”
“That should be Zeb.” Rafe points at me.
“I was going to stay and talk her through it.” I don’t like separating like this.
Rafe raises his hand. “Which I would normally agree with, but our pattern over these past weeks is for only one of us to stand guard. Since Hayes and I just arrived, you’re relieved of your shift. Go out the front door, saunter down the street, make it look like you’re done for the day. Hayes and I will get her set up and talk her through it. Once the two of you are back together, we’ll pick you up. Then the four of us will leave on our presumed trip. It’ll look like Kaye’s still here.”
“No need. My motorcycle is parked down the street.” I drove it over last night, never realizing we’d find ourselves in this situation. “Which works. I drive off. The five of you hang on the roof. We set the anchors, send Kaye to me, and we’ll ride back to HQ. Scott will have no reason to think Kaye isn’t still inside.”
I don’t like leaving Kaye behind, but this makes better sense than climbing the tree.
“And, since Hayes and I were working the rock wall at HQ when Brady called…” Rafe rubs his hands together in anticipation. “We happen to have the rope and the harness she needs. This is totally doable.”
“Harness?” Kaye takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. “I don’t know about this.”
“Do you trust us?” Hayes offers his most comforting smile.
“Yes,” she answers without hesitation.
“Then you know we won’t let anything happen to you.” Rafe looks pleased with himself.
I nod in agreement as I step forward and put a hand on her shoulder. “If you’re ready, let’s do this.”
“Is there any other way?”
“We’ve done this a thousand times with people in far worse shape than you, and we haven’t lost one yet. Besides, you’re in the best hands, and it’s perfectly safe. I trust these guys with my life, and they’ll make sure you’re safer than safe.”
“I guess.” She looks up at me with a flash of fear in her eyes.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way. Okay?”
“Okay.” She nods and squares her shoulders. “Let’s do this before I lose my nerve.”
Rafe, Hayes, and I quickly get to work rigging the zip line. It takes creativity to get the anchor rope set on the other roof, but we figure it out after a few false starts.
Once the anchor on the roof is set, I leave like we discussed and hop on my bike. I park it outside the building we picked for the other end of the zip line. I make my way to the rooftop of the designated building with a smile for an elderly woman who lives there and a story about inspecting the roof.
Once on the roof, I signal to the guys.
We run the rope, make sure it’s secured, and draw out the slack.
I wish I was with Kaye, talking her through things, but watch from a distance as Rafe sets her up and steadies her for the ride.
He fits her with the harness and shows her how to use it. In no time, we’re ready to go.
“Is she ready?” I talk to Hayes through my phone.
“As ready as she can be,” he says.
From across the distance, Kaye turns to me and gives me two thumbs up.
SIXTEEN
Kaye