You asked for it..Here it is…Phoenix Rises!!!

And so it began…

The four men standing together in the gate concourse at Logan International Airport in Boston looked like exactly what they were —seasoned, battle-hardened veterans. Friends who had grown up together, they had gathered to celebrate the end of their military service in different Special Ops groups, although over the years there were times when their teams performed joint operations. This was their last week of service. Their destination was a cabin on the coast of Maine where they could finally relax and talk about what came next in their lives, whether they did it separately or together.

They had just started toward the gate area when Dan Romeo’s phone rang. He pulled it out, looked at the screen and frowned.

“It’s Clay Osborne,” he told the others. “I thought he was off at some conference.”

Clay had grown up with them in Michigan and tried to enlist when they did. But after failing his physical he’d become a highly sought-after expert in designing computerized weapons. He then moved to Boston when a plum job opened for him and he was hired by top company HD Designs.

Despite the constraints of military service, they had all kept in touch. And the bond of friendship was still as strong as ever. They’d actually hoped to get together with him and his wife, Holly, before going to Maine. Their schedules didn’t connect so they planned to do it on the return trip. What was going on?

Dan punched the Accept button and because it was Clay, he put the phone on speaker.

“Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Holly’s been kidnapped.” Clay’s voice was heavy with pain and fear.

Shock washed over Dan, and he saw the same reaction on the others. Who would kidnap Holly Osborne? She was an event planner, for god’s sake. This had to have something to do with Clay.

“What the hell? When? How? What happened?”

“She left for work this morning and never made it to her office.” His voice was ragged and rough, and Dan could tell the man was barely holding his shit together. “Her secretary called me at work, frantic, and I attacked the phone like a maniac. I checked every possible place she could have stopped. But even then, I knew she’d never not just show up for work. I even called the police to see if there’d been any auto accidents.”

“So you’re saying no one has seen her? There’s no trace of her anywhere?”

“No, it’s worse than that. Shit!”