My father-in-law and his eight sons b/ea/t my pregnant wife until she lost our baby… then laughed outside her ICU door, mocking me as a “worthless, broke soldier.” They had no idea I wasn’t just any soldier-I was the commander of a black-ops hit squad. As my phone buzzed with a message reading “Target confirmed,” I looked at them and whispered…

my calloused hand protectively over hers. “Right before the storm hits.”

As if acting on a theatrical cue, the heavy, encrypted satellite phone resting on the cedar porch table violently vibrated, flashing a stark, piercing blue light. It wasn’t the Department of Defense attempting to reach me. I had formally surrendered my commission four months prior.continue reading …