Someday we’re going to fly on one of those C-130s, and we’re going to travel to wherever it takes us—Australia, Spain, and Italy. We’ll explore the planet, just my partner and me on an adventure. How does that sound?”
“Exciting. Scary. And wonderful.” She loved the idea of visiting those countries and seeing everything through his eyes. Sometimes his wishes sounded too good to be true. Yet she longed to incorporate his optimistic beliefs into her own and lived to make his dreams become theirs. Did he know she was often uncertain, not about herself, but about others? She knew it was a conflict—an optimistic person who also worried, always waiting for the other shoe to drop and some kind of chaos or upset to come her way. Maybe she could let go of her old habits and become like him. She wanted the life he talked about, and she wanted to be the person she was with him. Even though it wasn’t easy, he made her better.
Dan grinned at her. “Good. Because I want to take you places that are mind-blowing, whose beauty takes your breath away, and whose people touch your heart in a manner you never imagined…”
Reaching across the small distance, she took his hand. Their fingers entwined. “With you by my side, I’m ready. Bring it on.”
Chapter 4
September 15, Operation White Pigeon, an undisclosed location in Asia
Bullets struck the water only inches from his face, forcing columns of vertical spray to rise as high as a foot. He resisted the urge to take the bait and to expose himself to the enemy.
Less than a week ago he’d been on his honeymoon, and now he was surrounded by water, over a continent away. His wife was packing her apartment and preparing to move into their new home, and he was hidden among the reeds. He was practically invisible to the naked eye, and he was damned well going to stay that way.
Gunfire peppered around him, so familiar from training that he’d become almost immune to the sound. But he wouldn’t be immune if he got hit…he had to remind himself of that at times. Remaining hidden wasn’t just a matter of his survival, but the Team’s, too.
Abruptly, the firing stopped. The display had been routine. The soldiers were moving away from the bank of the river now. If anyone had truly seen the SEALs, there would have been grenades and a more aggressive exchange. It was imperative the Team remain invisible.
The rustling of foliage signaled the departure of their foes. Bastards barely had any protocol—they sounded like elephants.
Cocking his head to the side, Chief Dan McCullum caught the signal from the point man and the LT. Zankin and Dirks were bringing up the rear, and the rest of them were in the middle. It was an eight-man mission. They would wait for twenty minutes—in case the enemy’s retreat was a trick—and then it would be time to move. If they heard one twig break or strange leaf rustle, they’d sit there longer. Their ability to be still was part of their training, often forcing the enemy to give themselves away.
Time clicked by. Nothing happened.
Then, like cottonmouths in a swamp, they ghosted forward, swimming soundlessly through the water. They’d trained for this type of mission, going over the sequence on a similar terrain, for months. Peacetime was for practice so war was a reflex. Either they’d achieve their goal or die trying.
Their Intel, confirmed by several sources, was that Ru Ryuk Kang had become an enemy of the United States of America while stationed abroad. Ru had begun his career in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps and then “defected” to his ancestral homeland to pursue his real job as a double agent. In truth, his job had been to spy for the U.S.
Ru had been making significant headway, but one day the flow of information stopped. It was now believed he’d been turned again and that he’d directly led to the death of fourteen agents.
The problem with spies was that sometimes agents began to believe their “surrogate” country’s
“Exciting. Scary. And wonderful.” She loved the idea of visiting those countries and seeing everything through his eyes. Sometimes his wishes sounded too good to be true. Yet she longed to incorporate his optimistic beliefs into her own and lived to make his dreams become theirs. Did he know she was often uncertain, not about herself, but about others? She knew it was a conflict—an optimistic person who also worried, always waiting for the other shoe to drop and some kind of chaos or upset to come her way. Maybe she could let go of her old habits and become like him. She wanted the life he talked about, and she wanted to be the person she was with him. Even though it wasn’t easy, he made her better.
Dan grinned at her. “Good. Because I want to take you places that are mind-blowing, whose beauty takes your breath away, and whose people touch your heart in a manner you never imagined…”
Reaching across the small distance, she took his hand. Their fingers entwined. “With you by my side, I’m ready. Bring it on.”
Chapter 4
September 15, Operation White Pigeon, an undisclosed location in Asia
Bullets struck the water only inches from his face, forcing columns of vertical spray to rise as high as a foot. He resisted the urge to take the bait and to expose himself to the enemy.
Less than a week ago he’d been on his honeymoon, and now he was surrounded by water, over a continent away. His wife was packing her apartment and preparing to move into their new home, and he was hidden among the reeds. He was practically invisible to the naked eye, and he was damned well going to stay that way.
Gunfire peppered around him, so familiar from training that he’d become almost immune to the sound. But he wouldn’t be immune if he got hit…he had to remind himself of that at times. Remaining hidden wasn’t just a matter of his survival, but the Team’s, too.
Abruptly, the firing stopped. The display had been routine. The soldiers were moving away from the bank of the river now. If anyone had truly seen the SEALs, there would have been grenades and a more aggressive exchange. It was imperative the Team remain invisible.
The rustling of foliage signaled the departure of their foes. Bastards barely had any protocol—they sounded like elephants.
Cocking his head to the side, Chief Dan McCullum caught the signal from the point man and the LT. Zankin and Dirks were bringing up the rear, and the rest of them were in the middle. It was an eight-man mission. They would wait for twenty minutes—in case the enemy’s retreat was a trick—and then it would be time to move. If they heard one twig break or strange leaf rustle, they’d sit there longer. Their ability to be still was part of their training, often forcing the enemy to give themselves away.
Time clicked by. Nothing happened.
Then, like cottonmouths in a swamp, they ghosted forward, swimming soundlessly through the water. They’d trained for this type of mission, going over the sequence on a similar terrain, for months. Peacetime was for practice so war was a reflex. Either they’d achieve their goal or die trying.
Their Intel, confirmed by several sources, was that Ru Ryuk Kang had become an enemy of the United States of America while stationed abroad. Ru had begun his career in the U.S. Diplomatic Corps and then “defected” to his ancestral homeland to pursue his real job as a double agent. In truth, his job had been to spy for the U.S.
Ru had been making significant headway, but one day the flow of information stopped. It was now believed he’d been turned again and that he’d directly led to the death of fourteen agents.
The problem with spies was that sometimes agents began to believe their “surrogate” country’s
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