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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

Barrett swerved to the left, which was just enough to avoid a direct hit, and the RPG struck the road. The explosion shook the vehicle, and the right tire disintegrated. The Explorer turned to the right in a big arc, even as Barrett tried to regain control. The only thing he managed to do was accelerate the destruction, and a second later, the SUV slammed into the base of a light pole, which disintegrated under the impact. The top half of the pole smashed onto the roof of the SUV as the Explorer fell into the ditch on the side of the road and buried its nose in the ground in an explosion of dirt and grass.

As Griffin faded into blackness, he thought, Things haven’t gone this poorly since Malta. I should’ve known this would happen someday. And then, temporary nothingness.

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter
FORTY-ONE

“Jesus Christ, Zack, with all of this chaos and suburban combat, I totally forgot about the real reason we were supposed to get together this morning,” Nick said as the brake lights of the SUV lit up several hundred yards ahead of them.

“Funny how that happens,” Zack commented, and then added absentmindedly, “What the hell is he doing?”

The gate was less than twenty yards ahead of them when the ground began to vibrate. “What the . . .” Nick muttered, realization dawning as he spoke.

Zack accelerated, and Nick said, “I hope your homeowner’s association is going to pay for this.”

“It’s got to be good for something,” Zack replied as the Explorer exploded through the gate, which was constructed to be more of a deterrent than an actual security barrier. The gate was torn off its rails and flung to the side of the road.

“Do you see it?” Zack asked, referring to the helicopter both knew was hovering somewhere close by.

“Not yet, but it can’t be far away,” Nick said, just as the brilliant white beam on the hovering helicopter illuminated the fleeing SUV like an alien ship spotlighting its next abductee. A moment later, the RPG raced toward the SUV and exploded near the vehicle.

As the destruction unfolded in front of them, Nick couldn’t resist, and added drily, “Hey, I see it.”

“No kidding. You must have eyes like a hawk,” Zack said. He aimed the SUV at the wreckage of Griffin’s Explorer, and with less than a hundred yards to go, he said, “Get ready. You can have Barrett, Griffin’s right-hand man, but the big guy is mine.”

“Roger that, but what about our new friends up in the sky?” Nick asked, referring to the black Bell UH-1 Huey helicopter that had slowly come into view in their headlights.