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Back The Neighborhood Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. Part I Reconnaissance
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Part II Incursion
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Part III Under Siege
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Part IV Course Correction
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Part V Balance of Power
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Chapter Twenty-Four
  30. Chapter Twenty-Five
  31. Chapter Twenty-Six
  32. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  33. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  34. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  35. Part VI Spy versus Spy
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Part VII Winds of War and Flame
  41. Chapter Thirty-Four
  42. Chapter Thirty-Five
  43. Chapter Thirty-Six
  44. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  45. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Part VIII Strong to the Finish
  50. Chapter Forty-Two
  51. Chapter Forty-Three
  52. Part IX Spy Games
  53. Chapter Forty-Four
  54. Chapter Forty-Five
  55. Chapter Forty-Six
  56. Part X What Goes Around
  57. Chapter Forty-Seven
  58. Chapter Forty-Eight
  59. About the Author

Charles remained silent for a moment. Listen to your moral compass, he heard his father whisper to him. It’s the only thing you can rely on to guide you through this life. He sighed, placed his hands on the HK416 assault rifle, and said, “I understand,” although he wasn’t sure whom he was responding to, Griffin or the ghost of his father.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter
THIRTY-TWO

“Drive faster, Noah. We only have four minutes,” Zack said, and gripped the handle above the window as he felt the speeding Range Rover accelerate. The end of the road that ran parallel to Triq tal-Prajjet raced toward them, and Zack wondered if Noah would kill them both before they even reached the ambush site.

“One more right turn, a short straightaway to the main road, and we’re there. We got this,” Noah said with more confidence than Zack felt.

The SUV decelerated rapidly, and Noah navigated around the corner at forty-five miles per hour. The weight of the B7-level armor, which could stop 7.62mm rounds, kept the SUV on all four tires. Zack looked past Noah and through the driver’s side window and felt a brief moment of triumph.

Due to the relatively flat landscape and barren plains on this part of the island, Zack was afforded an unobstructed view of the road adjacent to them. Two black SUVs moved quickly along the main road, Triq il-Mellieha, which intersected Triq tal-Prajjet and the dirt road they were on more than three hundred yards ahead.

The relief was replaced by a slight sensation of panic as Zack realized the two-vehicle convoy was going to reach the coastal road ahead of them. “I hope your PIT-maneuver skills are current. This is going to get ugly fast.”

“Already on it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride,” Noah said, his Texas accent rising to the surface.

As the Range Rover raced toward the intersection, the other two vehicles grew closer as the three SUVs reached the point of convergence. Jesus Christ. They still don’t see us, Zack thought, and prayed for several more seconds of situational unawareness on the part of Belyakov’s security detail.

The two Mercedes SUVs reached the intersection, barreled through while maintaining their speed, and raced up Triq tal-Prajjet. Seconds later, the Range Rover replicated the maneuver only fifty yards behind the second black Mercedes. A short zig to the left, followed by a short, straight patch of road and then a zag to the right led to the final straightaway that stretched all the way north to Popeye Village and the kill zone before it.

The two SUVs slowed down as they hit the first turn, and Noah accelerated, taking advantage of the convoy’s deceleration. The Range Rover gained ground as the two Mercedes moved away to their left, traveling the short distance to the next turn to the right. Noah slid the Range Rover through the first turn, straightened out, and accelerated once again.