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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

“Here’s the deal. Get your shotgun, and if he wakes up before I get him secured, shoot him in the knee. Just don’t hit me. And be glad you have those earbuds in,” Zack said, pointing to her hearing protection. “My head is still ringing.”

“That’s because guns are loud, Mr. C. Very loud.”

Tell me about it, kiddo, Zack thought, and started to secure their captive’s wrists to the wooden railing, reflecting on the recent years of civilian life that had just been swept away like the remaining chess pieces of a lost game. Except this game is just beginning.

Part IV Course Correction

Part IV
Course Correction

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter
FOURTEEN

malta

six years ago

With a population of nearly half a million and a land area just less than twice the size of Washington, DC, the rugged Republic of Malta lay in the middle of the Mediterranean, its location a strategic military asset throughout its colored history. An archipelago comprising three main islands and several smaller ones, its terrain consisted of mostly rocky, dissected plains that resulted in sharp coastal cliffs along the perimeter of the islands. The country had been conquered by one nation after another for centuries until the British gave the island state its independence in 1964, allowing it to join the Commonwealth of Nations, the UN, and most recently the EU and Eurozone, which allowed Malta to prosper as a financial center and tourist destination.

The first time Zack Chambers had flown into Malta International Airport, he’d had the strange sensation that he was flying backward in time to some ancient medieval period where he might need a sword instead of a Glock. Within the first week, after tours of the ancient walled city of Mdina, Fort Ricasoli, the Red Tower, and several freestanding megalithic temples, he was certain of it. It was also why over one hundred movies and several episodes of Game of Thrones had been filmed at various locations on Malta.

While time had changed the island, its traditions steeped in religion had blossomed and were still a critical part of the daily lives of the Maltese people, who were almost all Roman Catholic.

One of the critical facets of daily life that Zack had learned almost immediately was that there were over 360 churches, and each one was the focal point of its parish, as evidenced by the festivals, special masses, and even fireworks displays. The second fact that had struck Zack was that most of the population spoke English—officially the second language of the country and taught in school—which was a good thing for Zack, who’d only thought of Maltese as a cute breed of dog barking above its weight class.