CHAPTER 2: ROUTINE ASSIGNMENTMICHAEL SURVEYED HIS SURROUNDINGS WHILE the whir of the chopper grew quieter as it flew off into the distance. He scanned the trees, brush and hills for any signs of trouble. He wasn’t expecting any, but he looked for it nonetheless. It was a skill and habit borne of years of practice, and it had saved his hide on more than one occasion.
But a thorough inspection satisfied his innate suspicions—there was no sign of trouble anywhere in sight. And that was precisely why the mission irked him. There was no reason for his team to be there. It was an uncomplicated civilian extraction that could have been executed by the clumsiest group of petty officers. But the target happened to be the only daughter of Admiral Woodward, and the man was in poor condition—worse tha
