She walked up to Ed’s blond friend and spit in his face. She shouted something in Arabic at him. She waved her hand in his face. Two other women came up and pulled her gently by the shoulders. She let them lead her back to the group.

The big blond’s hands were pinned at his sides. He had no way to wipe off the woman’s spit. The guy chained behind him leaned in and whispered something to him. The blond shook his head.

Ed laughed and nodded. “That guy’s having a day.” He raised his voice and addressed the guy again. “Having fun, Blondie?”

The guy looked at Ed again. He said something under his breath. It sounded like “Shove it.”

Ed’s grin was wider than ever. He raised his arms, turned his face to the sun, and took a deep breath. “Light of day, baby. The breath of freedom. It’s gonna be a long time before you see or taste either one again.”

The 1st Cavalry colonel looked at Luke and Ed.

“You boys need a ride home?”

Luke looked at Ed. “You ready, big man? Or you want to catcall these guys a little more before we go?”

Ed shrugged. “Ready when you are, boss.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

1:35 p.m. Arabian Standard Time (6:35 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time)

The Embassy of the United States in Iraq (aka the Republican Palace)

The International Zone (aka the Green Zone)

Karkh District

Baghdad, Iraq

It was hot out.

The bright sun, and the heat, went straight to your head.

Luke had changed into khaki pants, boots, and a T-shirt. He needed the upper body freedom that the T-shirt gave him, but he still wanted the kick that the boots would give him. This was a big guy and it was going to take a lot of oomph to finish him.

“Listen,” Mark Swann said. “This is ridiculous. You guys don’t have to do this.”

Luke gestured with his head. “Talk to him.”

They were standing in a small stone courtyard. A fountain had once been in this courtyard, but at some point the Americans had ripped it out and paved it over with cement. That seemed a shame, but now it made a perfect little fighting square.

Across the courtyard was Ed Newsam. From here, he looked almost impossibly large, formidable, as invulnerable as a mountain. It would be hard to take him down. He was dressed just the same as Luke—khakis, boots, and a T-shirt.