Chapter 1
They laughed when the base hairdresser walked into the command room.
Then she pointed at one shadow on the screen and saved four Navy SEALs from execution.
Linda Carter was not supposed to be there.
Not in a gray hoodie.
Not with a messy ponytail.
Not with hair dye still faintly staining two fingers on her right hand.
The emergency lights inside the command center were flashing red.
Phones rang.
Officers shouted over each other.
A giant screen showed four Navy SEALs on their knees in a rocky valley thousands of miles away.
Their wrists were tied behind their backs.
Their faces were bruised.
Around them stood more than thirty armed men.
The sunrise was less than ten minutes away.
And everyone in that room knew what happened at sunrise.
The broadcast would go live.
The executions would begin.
Linda stepped forward.
Her face went pale when she saw the men on the screen, but she did not cry.
She did not scream.
She only stared at the valley.
Like she recognized it.
A young intelligence officer turned and blocked her path.
Lieutenant Ethan Cross.
Twenty-eight years old.
Sharp uniform.
Sharper ego.
“Ma’am,” he snapped, “this isn’t your salon. Step back.”
The room went quiet for half a second.
Then several officers looked away, embarrassed for her.
Linda’s jaw tightened.
She kept her eyes on the screen.
“They’re not dead yet.”
Ethan gave a cold little laugh.
May you like
“You cut hair,” he said. “We run operations.”
Read Part 2 to see why Linda refused to step back when everyone else thought the SEALs were already lost.
