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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

“Sit back, Mr. Belyakov,” Zack said emphatically in proficient Russian. “You’re not going to die today—not if I have a say about it. But from here on out, speak English. I know you know it, just as I know your native tongue.” The surviving Mercedes had a head start, and Zack floored the accelerator. “And you might want to buckle up. It’s going to get a little bumpy.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

ChapteR
THIRTY-THREE

Griffin was livid, his pulse pounding in his head as he watched the mutiny unfold at the beginning of Triq tal-Prajjet. He cursed himself for believing Noah would never turn against him, not out of loyalty, but out of fear for what Griffin might do. He’d made an error in judgment and been forced to watch the cost of that error play out before his eyes. I’m going to kill Zack for this, one way or another, he promised himself.

Once Belyakov’s SUV had been disabled, Charles had packed up the laptop and slung the black Oakley backpack across his back. The two men knelt behind the boulders on the short, steep rise above the road, preparing to move once the IEDs were triggered. “What now?”

The two vehicles raced toward them and the ambush site, and Griffin realized instantly what Zack intended to do. He’s trying to capture both of them alive. Oh no you don’t. “We stick to the plan. We trigger the IEDs and make sure Moretti and Belyakov are dead. And then we get back to the farmhouse and wait until the commotion from the day’s events dies down before we leave this lovely island.”

Charles Davis stared at his team leader, comprehension and anger forming as one. “You can’t be serious? We cannot trigger the ambush, not with Zack and Noah in the kill zone.”

Griffin looked away from the approaching vehicles to confront Charles. He was finished masking his feelings and intentions, and his conviction shone through from within like a dark sun. “Of course we can. They betrayed us. They betrayed the mission. And they betrayed our country. I won’t let that stand.”

He turned back to the road. The Range Rover had closed the distance on the remaining Mercedes, but Griffin wasn’t sure there was enough pavement left for Zack to dodge his fate one more time. In less than fifteen seconds, he’d know for certain.

“I’m not going to let you do this. They’re our teammates, no matter what,” Charles replied, resolve in his voice.

Griffin turned back one more time and was greeted by the barrel of Charles’s Glock, inches from his face.

“We never kill our own,” Charles said.