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The military-style vehicles, the train of police cars, couldn’t be more inappropriate

in this very sweet-looking, all-Ahborhood

Niles pulled to a stop at the intersection of Ocean and Ply, two doors down froreen roof, sitting on an unmon An expensive SUV, a couple of years old, was in the driveway Plates registered to MacCord Travers, one of the presumed terrorists

The house was dark No lights and no sign of activity

I called Jacobi

“Thanks for doing this Come home safe,” he said

Copy that

Per the plan, three cars in our tea our perimeter SWAT poured out of their vehicles and broke into their well-practiced etting into position on either side of the front entrance

Niles pointed to me and then to the Honda SUV in the driveway Conklin and I left the Bronco and used the Honda as a barrier twenty yards from the front door

On Niles’s signal the tac teas were tossed Conklin and I took cover behind the Honda as the blinding, deafening grenades went off

I looked up, saw the tac tea Rich and me to hile they cleared the scene I kneell that the grenades had no shrapnel, were meant only to blind and stun the occupants of the house, but tell that to my startle reflex

I held on to the side of the Honda, shaking like a baby mouse in a cat’s paws This would not do This would not do at all

I looked over the hood, and beside me, Rich did the same I heard the word “Clear” shouted repeatedly from inside the house as the teams went from room to room and up to the second floor Only five minutes Niles came out to the porch and shouted, “Boxer, we’re all clear You’re up”

I said to Rich, “Ready or not, here we go”

CHAPTER 21