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Chapters (96)
  1. Cover
  2. Berkley titles by David Ricciardi
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. CHARACTER LIST
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. FIFTY-THREE
  60. FIFTY-FOUR
  61. FIFTY-FIVE
  62. FIFTY-SIX
  63. FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. FIFTY-NINE
  66. SIXTY
  67. SIXTY-ONE
  68. SIXTY-TWO
  69. SIXTY-THREE
  70. SIXTY-FOUR
  71. SIXTY-FIVE
  72. SIXTY-SIX
  73. SIXTY-SEVEN
  74. SIXTY-EIGHT
  75. SIXTY-NINE
  76. SEVENTY
  77. SEVENTY-ONE
  78. SEVENTY-TWO
  79. SEVENTY-THREE
  80. SEVENTY-FOUR
  81. SEVENTY-FIVE
  82. SEVENTY-SIX
  83. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  84. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  85. SEVENTY-NINE
  86. EIGHTY
  87. EIGHTY-ONE
  88. EIGHTY-TWO
  89. EIGHTY-THREE
  90. EIGHTY-FOUR
  91. EIGHTY-FIVE
  92. EIGHTY-SIX
  93. EIGHTY-SEVEN
  94. Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation
  95. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  96. What’s next onyour reading list?

The warlord had laid out two rules: First, there would be no Americans and no Russians. Though it was for different reasons, the warlord trusted neither. Second, with the exception of his fellow Somalis, no more than two men could come from the same country. Yaxaas had a keen understanding of human nature and he knew that he was hiring renegades. He didn’t want any factions developing within the team that might challenge his authority.

The Norwegian had been the first to join. Trained to be one of his nation’s elite Marinejegerkommandoen, he was six feet two inches of lean muscle, with piercing blue eyes that were constantly in motion and analyzing everything he saw. But while he could look at any man and instantly assess the threat he presented, the Norwegian had no such ability with the fairer sex. After a string of weddings, affairs, and divorces, he found himself deep in debt, so he started pulling private security jobs in combat zones, where the pay was five times higher than he’d been earning working for his country. Yaxaas promised him double that.

The second hire was the Pole. He’d spent eight years as a member of the Polish Jednostka Wojskowa Formoza, serving four tours in Afghanistan, where he’d earned a reputation for being highly accurate with a rifle but too quick on the trigger. He’d once nearly started an international incident when he killed several noncombatants in pursuit of a high-value target. The JWF had discharged him for it, but he was exactly the type of man Yaxaas was looking for.

The rest of the warlord’s men had similar stories and were hired from the Kenyan Special Boat Unit, the Turkish Maroon Berets, the Italian Gruppo Operativo Incursori, and the South African 4 Special Forces Regiment. Yaxaas added several Somalis as well, men who’d proven themselves in the early years of piracy and could learn from, and support, the foreigners.

But there could be no learning on the job if the warlord’s plan was going to work. As always, secrecy was paramount. There could be no outside knowledge of the team, much less its tactics. The men trained for months before their first mission. Selection was conducted. Men who washed out of the top-tier boarding teams were recycled into boat crews or shore teams. Those who still couldn’t find a home simply disappeared.

Forever.