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Prologue

Patton

Seven years ago in a jungle south of the border…

The clock is ticking

We have to

Sweat rolls downmy pulse

The air around us is heavy and close, so thick it’s almost visible and so hot it’s almost impossible to breathe

Tropical plants form a dense barrier of wide, shiny leaves around us, and we’re hidden in the brush around a small, cinder-block hut

Our target is a green dot on ht in front of us

He’s here

“Moving in, eleven o’clock” Taron’s voice is low in my ear

“Co up from the southeast” Sawyer’s distinct southern drawl is a quick response

“No noise No prisoners” I give the order, firm and clear

I’m the leader of this three-man rescue mission, and on’t fail

We surround the unpainted, cinder-block hovel It’s quiet in the shadows The s are black holes with no glass, euns, lining us up in the crosshairs

Or he could be alone

No, it would never be that easy

He could be dead

My jaw tightens and I push back on the thought What good would he be to them dead?

Taking a knee, I slowly liftnals, emails and IP addresses, until we isolated them here

Teeks have passed since Martin was jumped on a routine fuel run Froether, they took hias Then the videos started