Novel by Suzanne Brockmann For the brave men and women who fought for freedom during the Second World War. My most sincere and humble thanks. ________________________________________ Prologue Spring WHEN BOTH THE Seahawk and its pilot took a direct hit, things went from bad to worse. U.S. Navy SEAL Lieutenant Tom Paoletti took over the controls and lurched the helicopter skyward as Jazz and Lopez worked to keep the pilot from bleeding to death. The elite, eight-member SO squad had come into this latrine of a country to see to the safe departure of a diplomat’s wife. The mission was important enough to warrant the presence of Lieutenant Paoletti, SEAL Team Sixteen’s commanding officer. In fact, the order had come down from Admiral Chip Crowley himself. Crowley had told Tom frankly that he hoped the CO’s appearance, along with that of his executive officer, Lieutenant Junior Grade Casper “Jazz” Jacquette, would make these fascist assholes behave like neither fascists nor assholes.
