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He glanced out theThedown at the beauty of the Rockies Just seeing theht back vivid memories of the Swiss Alps, the for up to the coalition that had taken on a life of its own

It started five years ago in the s professionals froent Philip Banks—had arrived at the mountain resort at Aidan’s invitation Over wine and raclette, they caroup and adopted their uerre: The Zermatt Group

Aidan hadhis overseas ence They had worked together on different projects, under the auspices of different organizations and governments Aidan had selected theht to the table—leadership, inforative abilities, even the assessment of human personalities and capabilities Butnetwork of contacts and innate skill at recruiting others to serve as a secondary circle of operatives

With the sa Zerroup after the actions of his own childhood hero, World War II intelligence leader “Wild Bill” Donovan Donovan’s outgoing personality and business skills afforded hiovern others to help him, both domestically and internationally, made him the ultimate master spy and the founder of the OSS, the precursor of the modern-day CIA Aidan had been fascinated with Donovan It was that fascination that led him to enter military service, become a Marine, and choose a specialty in coence that allowed hi with many talented people on difficult missions

Over the past decade, Aidan’s international exposure had afforded hieopolitics and business And it had turned his sto direction With the lines blurring between legal and illegal, moral and iressors that they had gone too far

Utilizing his Marine training and Donovan’s intelligence methods, Aidan had founded the Zermatt Group like a special ops military strike force, with hiroup’s lead on-the-ground investigator—as a force uys, above or below their radars They relied upon the respective networks of contacts they’d cultivated over the years

The Zermatt Group members lived and worked in their local coave they and financial assets That allowed them to operate in the shadows Terri made sure of it

That’s how it started, and that’s how it had stayed

And now, the Pennington kidnapping and industrial black for a swift resolution without sacrificing Lauren’s life in the process

Aidan picked up his rental car and drove the fifty minutes from San Francisco to Silicon Valley, and directly to Santa Clara It ton was at work Like Aidan’s, Pennington’s job required a seven-days-a-week, twenty-four-hours-a-day commitment

Pulling around the bend, Aidan drove up the private road that led to NanoUSA At first glance, he thought he was at a top-secret military base rather than a corporate headquarters The entire building complex looked as if it were on lockdown

He was stopped at the main checkpoint, where, as a visitor, he was required to leave his vehicle, plus just about everything else All his personal belongings, including electronic communication devices, were placed in a steel box and locked away for safekeeping He had to submit to a body scanner, which could check for any hidden weapons or embedded devices—sed, implanted, or otherwise

The security procedures were similar to those Aidan had experienced at FBI Headquarters, only heightened to the nth degree

When he’d stepped into the security office, he could see that his cell signal died instantly So the less building was lead-lined, blocking any and all signals fro

These people were definitely serious about keeping their secrets secret