A rock struck his boot. He lifted his pistol to the left and flipped down his night vision goggles. Two infrared blips appeared in his display.
He returned the signal. “Cave, nine o’clock. Activity,” he said to his team.
“Roger,” Owens replied.
The team closed ranks around Mahegan, facing outward as they protected one another. O’Malley walked side by side with Mahegan as they ducked into the cave.
Mahegan switched from infrared to flashlight as he lifted his night vision device.
Eyes were peering at him like animals caught in the headlights. They’ve been through hell, Mahegan thought as he counted four men. An inert form lay to their rear as if they had protected the person.
“I’m American,” Mahegan said.
“We are with the Jordanian team,” one man said. “We need ammo, food, and water.”
Mahegan continued walking until he knelt next to the soldier in the prone. He saw her blond hair, matted with blood. Her skin was cold, but it was a cold night. The others were shivering.
He ran his hand across the cheek facing him. Her eyes were closed. Placing his hand on her back he felt for wounds. He pressed his fingers against her neck, but got nothing in return. Perhaps it was a bad angle.
“We tried,” one of the men said.
His comment set off a fuse in Mahegan’s mind. Opened a gate that should never be opened. He felt the primal fury of anger and loss well inside him.
As he was about to scream, Cassie’s hand clasped his and she muttered a dry throated, “Jake.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, thanks to the great team at Kensington Books: my editor, Gary Goldstein, publicist, Karen Auerbach, publisher, Lynn Cully, and president Steven Zacharius. They all worked hard to make Dark Winter a better book and I’m grateful for this team every day.
Likewise, Scott Miller and the team at Trident Media Group continue to prove they are the best in the business.
Thanks to Rick French of French/West/Vaughn, the national powerhouse in public relations. A huge shout out to Charles Upchurch, who continues to do a great job for Team Tata.
A special shout out to Kathie (and Roy) Bennett and Susan Zurenda of Magic Time Literary Agency. Quite simply, the best with whom I’ve had the privilege to work. They do indeed make magic happen, every day. Also, thanks to Nina Miolane, who walked me through the details of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
Thanks to Thad Trapp of Raleigh, NC, Nancy Langevin (via Mike McCarley) of Wilmington, NC, and Luiz Yamashita of Charleston, SC for making donations to the Wake County Heart Association, North Carolina Hero’s Fund, and Charleston Literary Council, respectively, to be named as a character in the book. With each book, we raise thousands of dollars for charitable causes and I appreciate everyone’s support. Hope you like your characters!
And finally, thanks to my beta reader and friend, Kaitlin Murphy, who makes me a better writer with every book. You’re the best, Murphy.
As always, research continues to be a favorite aspect of my writing and I hope you enjoyed the story. I look forward to delivering the next Jake Mahegan novel to you.
AJT
Dark Winter Page 33
