Morgan saw they were coming into Somerville. Then it would be Cambridge, and just beyond that, Boston. Neither of them could go a hundred and sixty there…not without committing vehicular homicide or suicide. But Dan could guess. Somehow, whoever was driving that SUV would stay four car lengths ahead. Whoever it was, they were that good—so good they could destroy his home, so good they could kill…kill his…
The father and husband inside him couldn’t even bring himself to say it, to even think it. But the seasoned operative could.
…they could have killed my wife…
The Trackhawk took Dan by surprise by all but leaping off the highway onto an all-too-familiar exit ramp. The surprise only grew when the SUV started speeding down back streets in a route Dan knew very well.
His eyes widened as he realized the Trackhawk was moving as if the driver were a Zeta commuter. They were heading to the isolated parking garage that served as cover for the organization’s underground headquarters.
Dan tried to catch up, but the ’68 Mustang, as repaired and reconditioned as it was, just could not keep up…not after all the damage it had suffered at the house.
His fingers stabbed his phone’s digital buttons as his foot tromped on the accelerator. He practically slammed the phone to his ear as his other hand grew white tight on the steering wheel. He was expecting Zeta’s answering message so he could press a certain combination of numbers to get through, but that didn’t happen.
The phone rang once…twice…a third time as both vehicles got closer and closer to the corporate complex that secretly housed Zeta headquarters. The closer they got, and the more times the phone rang, the more tense Dan became.
“Come on, come on, pick up, pick up!” he found himself seething, his words drowning out the ringtone. He took his eyes off the tail of the Trackhawk for a second to see if the phone was still connected.
In that second, he felt and heard the Trackhawk suddenly and sharply turn. When he looked up, its taunting tail was disappearing down an alleyway, leaving him a view of the entire parking garage that filled his whole windshield.
He heard a click on the other end of the phone.
“This is AZ27F,” he snapped. “Code…”
He never got to finish his priority emergency message. The parking garage erupted like a volcano—a multi-tiered, billowing mushroom of flame engulfing the structure from its bowels to its crown.
The phone went dead.
Acknowledgments
I want to give special thanks to my wife Lynn for all her help, patience, and encouragement over the years. I would not have been able to become a writer without her at my side.
I know many authors who have excellent editors, but I hit the jackpot when Michaela Hamilton became my editor. She is kind, sweet, and very generous with her time. I knew she was special the first time we met, and she has proven me right over the last five years. Based on her vast experience she has provided me with guidance that has contributed to my success. She has become very special to me and will always have a place in my heart.
I want to thank all the members of my very talented Kensington family and my literary agent Doug Grad, who all work so hard to make my books successful. I also want to recognize the excellent work by Mayur Gudka, who is my webmaster and social media consultant.
I am very privileged to have such great writing partners in Kevin Ryan, Steven Hartov, and Richard Meyers.
About the Author
Photo by Kippy Goldfarb, Carolle Photography
Leo J. Maloney is the author of the acclaimed Dan Morgan thriller series, which includes Termination Orders, Silent Assassin, Black Skies, Twelve Hours, Arch Enemy, For Duty and Honor, Rogue Commander, and Dark Territory. He was born in Massachusetts, where he spent his childhood, and graduated from Northeastern University. He spent over thirty years in black ops, accepting highly secretive missions that would put him in the most dangerous hot spots in the world. Since leaving that career, he has had the opportunity to try his hand at acting in independent films and television commercials. He has seven movies to his credit, both as an actor and behind the camera as a producer, technical advisor, and assistant director. He is also an avid collector of classic and muscle cars. He lives in the Boston area and in Venice, Florida.
Visit him at www.leojmaloney.com or on Facebook or Twitter.
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