CHAPTER 4

Not exactly as smooth as my jet Houston thought to himself as the C-2A Greyhound hurtled through more turbulence. He looked around the cargo bay at the others on board. His reception at the base had been less than enthusiastic and the attitude certainly hadn't improved during their time in the air. Cdr. Merker walked back to where Houston was seated.

"You do realize this isn't the Wild West we're going to be dealing with here, don't you, Tex? " he said with a sneer. "No Jesse James or Billy the Kid. Just crazy extremists who have nothing better in mind than terrorizing and tormenting the rest of the world. They don't care how much money you have or what kind of car you drive. They want you dead. Period."

"Believe it or not, Commander, I do know that. And I left my horse at home." Houston shot right back at him.

"Hmph. We'll see how you like hanging out with the SEALs soon enough. The admiral was telling me all about your medals and how you were a Ranger. Well I've got some news for you: Rangers don't make a pimple on a SEAL's ass. And I don't intend to waste my time or that of my men to babysit some past-his-prime-wanna-be. You will do as you are ordered and that's that." Merker stalked up to the forward section of the bay.

One of the younger SEALs moved down next to Houston. "Sir, don't let him get to you. He's tough on all of us, especially us younger guys. Guess maybe we're too much competition for him." He shook Matt's hand. "Name's Joey DiMaggio – Slugger for short. Guess you can figure that one out easy enough, huh?"

Houston smiled. "Most folks just call me Houston. Nice to meet you. How about these other fellas? It helps to know a little something about the folks you're gonna be working with."

"Well, let's see. That guy all the way forward there is Jerry Kutsik – we call him Kutter. Next to him is Brandon Bybee – Surfer Boy. Then that fellow there that's asleep – that's Mike Nathan. Call him Hotdog. He's our corpsman." Slugger looked back at Houston. "I heard the Commander say you were a Ranger. So was my dad. He was kinda disappointed when I joined the SEALs."

Houston smiled and replied, "I doubt that."

The red light came on overhead. "Looks like we're fixing to land. Better hold on tight."

Matt checked the harness and waited. He had been thinking a lot the whole time he had been in the air – going from California to Virginia, then from Virginia to Germany, then after a short refueling stop they were now landing in the Middle East.

As Matt exited the Greyhound, he looked around him. It didn't look any better here than it did the day he left several years ago. He followed the line of SEALs into the hangar and then loaded himself and his gear into the back of a truck. They were taken to the mess hall. As Matt went through the line he remembered what it had been like the last time he was here and the words of his commanding officer. "Better eat good, boys. It may just be your last meal." He had heard those words every time before an operation. It had reached the point where he and his fellow Rangers had considered those words to be good luck.

He sat down at a table with Slugger and Kutter. Neither man said much except for, "Pass the pepper". Matt wolfed down the meal and laughed to himself as he thought how proud Mama Novelli would be if she could see how fast it disappeared. He felt bad that he and CJ hadn't been able to spend more time with the Novelli family after finishing the blackmail case that had taken them to the islands, but Uncle Roy had just confirmed that the location that Matt had found with the old satellite had indeed been "Enemy Number 1's" hideout. Since they knew he was there it was best to strike quickly.

Roy Houston had approached some of his contacts in the government and told them what they had found. These were the same contacts that wouldn't give him and Matt access to a US satellite. After Matt had spent $5 million of his own money on a used Russian satellite and he and Roy had spent countless hours watching, panning the pile of dirt and rock where the terrorist was rumored to be in hiding, it had paid off. Now they were ready for the ultimate payday: taking him out.

Matt thought about his uncle and how much he wanted to be there for the operation. But even Roy admitted that he was too old for this kind of mission. He had given Matt a big hug right before he boarded the plane. Never one for being overly sentimental, Matt was having a hard time leaving. He had asked his uncle to please take care of CJ - just in case. Roy's reply: "I'll take care of her until you get back, Matt." He nodded and got on the plane. It had been one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. Matt was almost certain that CJ was pregnant. He was just glad that he had left her at home – or he might not have been able to board the plane.