I'm excited to announce that the third book in the Nathan Grant thriller series, The Berlin Connection, is now available for pre-order on Amazon! I love what my designer for this series, Damonza.com, has done with the cover:
This episode finds Nathan settling down to a quiet life in the south of France. We all know that won't last, though, right? When an old Army Ranger buddy shows up to visit, it sets off a chain of events that uncovers yet another vast conspiracy, and only Nathan Grant can uncover it. This book is now set for release on November 18th. To check out the first chapter, read on!
The Berlin Connection - Chapter One
The
sweet scent of sawdust filled the air as Nathan Grant stood at his
lathe, wearing safety goggles and leather gloves while he carefully
set a 4X4 block of maple into place on the spindle and then flipped
the switch. The machine whirred to life, spinning the block in
motion as it carved down the last of four table legs for his latest
creation. Nathan had long thought of starting his own wooden
furniture business, but this piece was for himself. Instead of
scouting locations for a workshop in Alexandria, Virginia, as he
planned, he’d had a change of heart. After a brief foray as a
hired gun for the CIA, he decided to dial things back and check
himself out of the madness that was modern life in this day and age.
He was fortunate that the value of his Arlington condo had
skyrocketed over the previous few years. It meant that when he sold
it, he was able to take the proceeds and plow them into a very quaint
fixer-upper in the charming little village of Aureille in the south
of France, complete with a wooden shed that was perfect for a
workshop.
For
the previous six months, Nathan had put nearly every waking moment
into making his new home habitable. That meant renting a small
apartment nearby while he worked with the help of a local contractor
to replace the roof and all of the windows, re-stucco the walls and
install new wood floors. He had all-new kitchen cabinets, sink and
appliances installed as well, along with a shower and toilet in the
master bedroom suite. This was a lightning pace for this part of the
world, but it helped that Nathan was doing the bulk of the work
himself. It also helped that he was willing to pay his contractor in
cash, at twenty percent above the going rate. He’d closed the deal
in January. By mid-June he’d moved in, buying a new couch and a
pair of chairs for the living room, along with a new mattress for the
bed that the old owners left behind. He was also using their warped
kitchen table and chairs as a temporary measure. Now it was all
about fine-tuning the details. The house still needed a fresh coat
of paint, inside and out. Wallpaper in the second bedroom needed
stripping. He planned to install a new bathroom sink and tear out
the fireplace to update it with a new one. For the time being,
however, he wanted to begin filling the place with some of his own
hand-crafted furniture. Nothing would make the place feel like home
more than that. Eventually, Nathan still hoped to make a business
out of it, selling his pieces to local homeowners, or more likely
British ex-pats in Provence, renovating homes of their own. Nathan
unclamped his table leg from the spindle and held it up to take a
look, brushing off some extra sawdust and blowing on it before
turning the leg around in his hands, examining it from all angles.
Next, he held it up beside one of the finished legs to compare.
Perfect. Once he’d completed this kitchen table, he planned to
build a coffee table for the living room and then a bureau for the
bedroom. Lastly would be a sideboard buffet with a mahogany finish
for the dining room. Not only would these pieces add a quiet
sophistication to his home, but
they
would also act as samples of his work. Nathan set the finished leg
down and lifted a piece of sandpaper to smooth off any rough edges on
this last and final leg. His mind was lost deep into the flow of his
work when a ping from his cell phone on a nearby work bench brought
him back to the present moment. He placed the leg and sandpaper down
onto the bench, wiped his hands on a rag, and checked the phone. It
was a text from an old Army Ranger buddy, Lieutenant Colonel Martin
Grau.
Stopped
for gas in Arles. ETA your place thirty minutes.
Nathan
typed out a response. Perfect.
See you soon. He
hit send
and then slid the phone into a pocket and left the workshop, closing
and locking the door on his way out. Thirty minutes gave him just
enough time to change out of his work clothes and take a quick
shower.
It
was shortly before seven on a pleasant July evening when Nathan heard
the sound of car tires making their way up his gravel drive. He
walked out his front door to see a compact white Ford pulling up with
Lieutenant Colonel Grau behind the wheel. The car stopped in front
of Nathan’s garage door and Grau shut off the engine and stepped
out.
“Good
evening, Lieutenant Colonel,” said Nathan. “Welcome.”
“Come
on, you son-of-a-bitch, it’s Martin and you know it!” Grau
stepped close and wrapped in a bear hug. The man was tall and
sturdy. He kept himself in shape, even after retiring from the Army
two years earlier. After nearly squeezing the air out of Nathan, he
stepped back and took a look around. “Nice spread you got here.”
“I
like it.”
“I
never would have pictured you, retiring to a quiet life in the
country.”
“Who
not? I’m a country boy at heart. You know that.”
“So
you say. After the life you’ve led, I’d have thought you might
need a little more excitement.”
“This
works fine for me, and anyway, who says I’m retired?”
“That’s
right. Furniture, isn’t it?”
Nathan
nodded and then cocked his head to one side. Come on, let me show
you around.” He took Grau inside and gave him the full tour, which
didn’t take long, then showed him the workshop and finally the five
acres of fruit trees out back. “I’ve got apples, pears,
cherries… Even a couple of plum trees here.” Nathan reached up
and
picked a plum, wiped it on his shirt and handed it across. “Go
ahead, give it a try. We’re just about at peak season on these.”
Grau
took a bite and nodded in appreciation as a bit of juice ran down his
chin. “Not bad. You planning to pick these, or just let them go
to waste?”
“I’ve
got a local co-op coming by to pick them tomorrow. You got here just
in time.”
“This
does seem like a pretty sweet life, I’ll give you that.”
“Let’s
go into town and grab some dinner. I’ve got reservations at a
great little bistro. You can tell me what brings you to this part of
the world.”
“Sounds
good, my man.” Grau patted Nathan on the back. “It’s good to
see you.”
“You,
too. I haven’t had a lot of visitors here. It will be nice to
catch up. We can walk if you don’t mind stretching your legs.
It’s not far.”
“Perfect,
show me the way.”
The
two men headed up the drive, turning to the right when they reached
the road. Years had passed since Nathan spent time with any of his
former brothers in arms. He and Lieutenant Colonel Grau served
together in the 3rd
Battalion of the 75th
Ranger Regiment. When they met, Grau was a First Lieutenant with a
few years of seniority on Nathan and leading a platoon. Nathan was
fresh out of Ranger School and joining the regiment as a Second
Lieutenant. He’d looked up to Grau from the start, gaining much
wisdom from a man who had already served one tour in Afghanistan that
included some hair-raising tales of derring-do. Eventually, Nathan
spent six years in the service and then bowed out with the rank of
Captain before shifting to the CIA. Grau was career Army, sticking
around until he’d had his 20 years in and then separating in part
to save his faltering marriage. It hadn’t worked. He soon found
that his wife preferred him to
be
overseas and out of sight. With Grau hanging around home all the
time, they divorced within six months. Now he was single and retired
at the age of forty-three.
“What
brings you to Provence?” Nathan asked as they strolled down a lane
bordered by carefully trimmed hedges. They stepped aside as a
Citroen moved past. “Having a little vacation?”
“Something
like that.”
“I
hope you can hit the Riviera while you’re here. It’s the perfect
time of year for it, if you don’t mind the crowds.” They
continued on and around a bend, where the village came into view for
the first time, with its red-tile roofs and cobblestone streets
tucked up against a rocky escarpment.
“I’m
not much of a beach guy, to tell you the truth, but this is damn nice
country out here, I’ll tell ya.”
“I
can’t say that I disagree. The place tends to grow on you.”
“What
do the locals think about some Yankee carpetbagger come to invade
their little town?”
“I
think they’re getting used to the idea. They haven’t run me out
yet, anyway.”
“It’s
damn scenic, that’s for sure. Don’t you get a little bored,
though? Tell me the truth. Seems like a nice fantasy on the face of
it, but I’d be climbing the walls after two weeks. A guy with our
kind’a background? We need some action, just to keep our sanity.
Am I right, or am I right?”
Nathan
laughed lightly. “You’re not altogether wrong, I’ll give you
that. A man can’t spend his entire life pumped up on adrenaline,
though, you know? There comes a point where you need to dial things
back.”
“I
hear you. Like they say about the pilots, right?”
“What’s
that?”
“There’s
old ones, and there’s bold ones, but no old bold ones.”
This
time Nathan chuckled a little louder. “Something like that.”
They
entered the village and wound through the narrow alleys until they
reached a center square, with a church on one side and a quaint
little restaurant called Francine’s Bistro on the other, whose
outdoor tables stretched out beneath an awning.
In the center of the square, a small group of children kicked a ball
around while a few adults sat watching them from the church stairs.
Nathan and his guest took a seat in the restaurant.
“Monsieur
Grant, good evening to you!” A server handed them each a menu.
“Good
evening, Pierre. Why don’t you start us off with a couple of
Stella’s?” Nathan looked to Grau. “That sound all right?”
“You
know me, I’ll never say no to a beer.”
Nathan
tossed his menu on the table. He already knew it by heart. As for
the Lieutenant Colonel, he struggled with the French for a while
before giving up and letting Nathan order for them both. He opted
for a classic. It was hard to go wrong with Coq au Vin, the
delectable chicken stew in a wine and brandy sauce, along with a
bottle of Pinot Noir. Nobody did it better than Francine’s. As a
starter, they opted for
Gougères,
the cheese puffs made with gruyère that went perfectly with their
beer.
For
most of the dinner, they talked about old times, and some of the
hair-raising situations they’d faced on the battlefield. Grau told
Nathan what he knew about some of the other men they’d served with,
including promotions, retirements, and more than a few deaths. To
Nathan, that was a seminal period in his life, and he was deeply
proud of his service, but he wasn’t one to dwell on the past. The
same could not be said for Lieutenant Colonel Grau. Without the
structure and the sense of belonging that he found in the Army, Grau
seemed a little lost. Reminiscing provided him with some obvious
measure of joy, but Nathan sensed a sadness underneath. “What are
you up to, now?” he tried to steer the conversation to the present
as he dipped a piece of bread into the last of his stew and washed it
down with a sip of wine. “Just bouncing around France, or are you
here for a reason?”
For
the first time since the Lieutenant Colonel arrived that evening, a
shadow of anxiety came across his face. “To tell you the truth,
I’m on my way to Berlin, but I thought I’d stop and see you along
the way, you know, to check in and see how you’re doing.”
“I
appreciate that. I’m doing just fine. What’s going on in
Berlin?”
“Now
that is something I wanted to talk to you about,” Grau placed both
hands on the table and sat up straight.
Nathan
drank another sip of wine. He wasn’t so sure he liked where this
conversation was headed. It seemed that the real reason for Grau’s
visit was about to be revealed, and that it involved him wanting
something that Nathan was unlikely to provide, whatever it happened
to be.
“I’ve
decided that I’m really not cut out for this retirement thing after
all. The boredom is just killing me, day by day. I don’t know how
you can stand it.”
“Are
you asking for advice?”
“No.”
Grau sat back in his seat. “I’m asking you to join me.”
Nathan
knew from the get-go that his answer was no, but he couldn’t deny
his curiosity. Part of him wanted to know what his old friend was up
to, even as another part felt it was better to leave well enough
alone.
“I’m
starting my own business,” Grau went on. “Security contracting.
I thought maybe you’d like to come on board. The money is good, or
at least it will be when I get things ramped up.”
“I
see. How far along are you with this plan?”
“I’m
making good progress. The potential is enormous. The world these
days is a scary place. People will pay very well for protection.”
“You
want me to be a mercenary.”
“You
make that sound like a bad thing.”
“Come
on, Grau. I’ll put my life on the line for my country any day of
the week. For the almighty dollar? No thanks. Count me out.”
Grau
seemed almost relieved by Nathan’s answer. “All right, my man.
I can respect that. I had to ask. I hope you won’t hold that
against me.”
“Of
course not. Tell me, though, you’ve got your first gig lined up?
Is that what Berlin is all about?”
“Well,
you could say so. This one is more of an international detective
kind of thing. Follow the money. I’m not at liberty to say any
more about it at this stage, if you ain’t gonna be part of the
team. I will say that it’s a start.”
“All
right, then, let’s celebrate that. What do you say about some
apple cake and a cognac?”
“These
French, man, they know how to live.”
“There’s
a reason so many Brits retire here.”
“I
still don’t see you sticking it out. Six months from now, you’ll
be begging me for a job, you’ll see.”
“And
then you can say I told you so.” Nathan flagged down the server
and put in their dessert order. When the cognac arrived, he raised
a glass in the air. “What’s the name of this new company of
yours, anyway?”
“I
was thinking Grau and Grant, but I guess that’s out.”
“Grant
and Grau has a nicer ring to it.”
“Just
say the word, buddy!”
Nathan
held up one hand as he shook his head. “No, no, you do your
thing. I’m happy here.”
“All
right, well if you’re going to leave me hanging, how about
Bridgewater Consulting? Connecting the world. What do you think?”
“Not
too bad.” They tapped their glasses. Nathan saw two men he didn’t
recognize enter the square, take a quick look around, and walk across
to Francine’s. “To Bridgewater Consulting,” he said and then
took a drink as the two newcomers sat at a table on the opposite side
of the patio. Two strangers in and of themselves shouldn’t have
put Nathan on guard, but these two raised a few red flags. For one
thing, these were guys who spent a lot of time in the gym. They
weren’t the type to sit behind a desk somewhere. In their mid-30s,
they were too old to be a couple of college grads backpacking around
Europe. They also seemed a little out of place in their tailored
suits and the way they looked around, seeming to take in everything
but Nathan and his guest. One man wore his dress shirt unbuttoned
enough to show a gleaming gold necklace. The other had hair shaved
tight on the sides, with a greased-back pompadour on top. They’d
arrived as the dinner hour was winding down. Pierre would not be
keen on serving them at this time, not for a full meal anyway.
Nathan couldn’t help but wonder what these two were doing in a
village like Aureille. “They usually finish with cheese around
here, but I’m not sure you’re ready for that,” he said to Grau,
whose back was to the newcomers.
“Cheese?
What kind of a dessert is that?”
“Exactly. Fortunately, Francine makes a terrific apple cake.”
Nathan watched as Pierre approached the two men, waving a finger in
the hair.
“Non, non, nous sommes fermés. We are closed,” Pierre said.
“We would like coffee,” said the man with the gold necklace.
“Nothing more.” He spoke English with a thick German accent.
“Cake,” said the other man. “Chocolate cake.”
Pierre scowled for a moment but then replied. “Bien sur. Of
course.” He moved away, stopping by Nathan’s table to clear the
dishes.
“Two apple cakes for us, Pierre,” said Nathan before looking to
Grau. “Coffee?”
“Sure, I’ll have a coffee. It’ll keep me awake on the drive
back.”
“I told you, you’re welcome to stay over. I know the place is a
work in progress.”
“I’d love to stay, I really would, but duty calls.”
“What duty is that?”
“I told you, I fly to Berlin first thing in the morning.”
“All right, let’s make that two coffees, would you Pierre?”
“Oui, deux gâteaux aux pommes et deux café.”
“Merci beaucoup.”
When Pierre had gone, Nathan couldn’t help but put two-and-two
together. Grau was heading to Germany to see a client. Two shady
characters with German accents appeared to be stalking them here in
the restaurant. Coincidence? Or was Nathan letting paranoia get the
best of him? Plenty of German tourists made their way to Provence,
after all, though these two didn’t look anything like tourists. If
they did have ill intentions, Nathan couldn’t show concern. He had
to stay calm and avoid tipping them off. That meant under no
circumstances could he mention them to Grau. Instead, he’d have to
carry on having a pleasant dessert with a friend and only then make a
break for it, when they were well out of sight. Nathan didn’t make
a habit of carrying a weapon around this picturesque little village,
and why would he? Now, however, he wondered if Grau could say the
same.
Pierre brought the cakes and coffee, and served the two other men as
well. The last of the couples and families in the restaurant slowly
cleared out until it was only the two pairs of men left. “Well,
buddy, I better get going,” said Grau. “It’s been a real
pleasure. If you change your mind, we could always go with Grau and
Grant.”
“Grant and Grau.”
Grau laughed. “You decide to join me, we’ll talk.”
“I wish you the best in your endeavor, I really do. I hope it’s
a great success.”
“Thanks, Grant. That means a lot.”
When Pierre came by, Nathan picked up the tab and he and Grau stood
to go. “Thank you, Pierre!”
“My pleasure, Monsieur Grant. I hope to see you soon.”
“I’m sure you will. Take care of yourself.” As Nathan and his
friend headed off across the square, he took a last look at the two
men, who paid them no attention. That didn’t put his mind at ease.
When they reached the far side of the square, they headed up the
main road out of the village. “We’re taking the scenic route.
Follow me, double time.” Nathan hurried left, down a dark alley.
“This ain’t too scenic at night, buddy, what’s up?” Grau
trailed after as they wound right, then left again.
“I’m assuming you didn’t make those two guys in the
restaurant.”
“What guys?”
“Germans, snappy dressers, awful taste in hair and jewelry?”
“I saw them, sure. So?”
Nathan looked back over his shoulder. As far as he could tell they
weren’t being followed. “It’s probably nothing. Maybe I’m
just paranoid.”
“Sometimes paranoid can help keep a man alive, but there’s got to
be a whole lot of Germans visiting a nice little village in Provence.
Ain’t I right?”
“Come on, we’ll cut across the fields just in case.”
“Lead the way.”
When they came to a gate, Nathan unlatched it and let them through.
They continued across a fallow field in the dark, with a quarter moon
lighting their way. Nathan said no more and neither did Grau. They
were both in combat mode now, stealthy and quiet with all senses on
alert. “You carrying?” Nathan whispered as they drew near the
house.
“Glove box, in my car.”
“No good.” Nathan didn’t want anybody to hear the chirp of an
alarm, or see the dome light come on. “Come with me.”
They entered the back door of Nathan’s house and crept through with
the lights off until they came to his gun safe, where he used his
phone to illuminate the dial.
“You always this careful when you go out to dinner?” said Grau.
“Only when I have guests in town.” Nathan opened the safe.
“To tell you the truth, you’re starting to worry me just a little
bit. You sure you’re all right, buddy?”
“Humor me.”
“Whatever you say.”
Inside the safe, Nathan had two guns. One was a hunting rifle he’d
obtained in France legally, after gaining residency and then applying
for the proper permit and waiting for what seemed an eternity. This
was a Weatherby Vanguard .30-06 SPRG. The other gun was a pistol, in
this case a SIG Sauer 9mm that he’d lifted off a dead arms smuggler
the last time he was mixed up in something unfortunate. He lifted
the pistol and handed it to Grau, followed by two magazines. Nathan
took out the rifle and ammo for himself.
“Sure, you get the rifle. Don’t forget, I outrank you,” said
Grau.
“Not in my house, you don’t.”
“Fair enough. What’s the plan, boss?”
“We find a quiet place to hide outside in the dark and see if any
uninvited visitors show up.”
“After you, Captain.”
Before Nathan exited the house, he closed the front curtains in the
living room and then switched on a lamp, to make it look like they
were home. Then, he moved just as quietly out the rear door and led
Grau around the side of the house and back toward the front. There
was still no sign of the Germans, but that didn’t put Nathan’s
mind at ease. On the right-hand side facing away from the house, a
hedge ran from a garage and out along the gravel drive, where Grau’s
car was parked. To the left was an open space with some fruit trees
surrounding Nathan’s workshop shed. He and Grau moved around the
shed and then positioned themselves prone on the ground in a dark
patch, shaded from the moonlight by the shadow of a tree. And now
they would wait. It didn’t take long before they heard a car
approaching slowly down the road, lights off. Nathan saw it come
into view as it moved past the hedge and slowed further, with the
occupants taking a nice long look at the house. “Still worried
about me, Colonel?” Nathan whispered.
“No. Now I’m starting to worry about us both.”
Nathan trained his rifle on the tinted driver’s side window as he
waited to see what would happen next. The rear window on the same
side began sliding down. Nathan didn’t see an occupant. Instead,
he saw the business end of a military rifle poke out, with a grenade
launcher attached. “Holy hell!” he said nearly out loud just
before the occupant fired a burst of rounds at his house from a
distance of 20 meters, shattering the front window. Next came a
grenade, hurtling through the frame and into his living room before
rocking them with an explosion that tore through all of the new coats
of paint he’d only just applied, and the crown molding, the wood
floors and the new couch he’d only just ordered. Nathan was pissed
now.
“Damn, these guys mean business,” Grau seemed shocked by the
whole episode.
Nathan wanted to see his target before he fired back, so he waited.
“They’ll want to make sure they finished the job,” he
whispered, as orange flames flickered from somewhere inside his
house. Sure enough, both doors on the left side of the car opened
and the two men from the restaurant popped out. The man with the
awful haircut was in back, with what appeared to be an M16. The
driver, with the gold necklace, held a pistol. Together they rushed
toward the house, guns aloft. Nathan and Grau waited until the men
were passing by at 5 meters away, oblivious to their fatal
miscalculation. The retired Army Rangers opened fire, mowing down
the assassins in a hail of lead. The men continued a few more steps
on sheer momentum before dropping to the ground with a thud like
sacks of potatoes. “Check them!” Nathan said to Grau, before
hurrying to the house. He had to put that fire out. Around the side
of the house was a garden hose, and in the dark he was able to turn
it on and then drag the nozzle around and through the broken window,
where he was able to hose down the burning debris, including books,
and shelves, and a section of his brand new couch. When he was
satisfied that the fire was out, he threw the hose back out through
the window and returned to Grau, who stood over the two men.
“They’re dead,” he said.
“Anything in their pockets?” Nathan asked.
“Two wallets, cash, no IDs.”
“Let’s check the car.” Nathan moved to the vehicle at the end
of the drive and went through the glove box and the center console.
Nothing.
“I’m sorry, Colonel, but the time for being cagey is over. You
need to tell me what the hell this is all about.”
“Yeah. Right,” Grau answered, but the whole episode seemed to
have left him in some mild state of shock. He was used to combat,
they both were, but he wasn’t used to being hunted down by
assassins.
“Come on, Colonel, you’re going to have to get yourself
together.”
“They can’t be after me. No, they can’t be. It must be you!
They’re after you, Nathan, not me! No way!”
Nathan had to admit, it wasn’t entirely out of the question. He’d
made plenty of enemies in his day, both with the CIA and afterward.
Any number of former adversaries might be out for a little payback,
to cut short his idyllic little retirement in the south of France.
“I can’t get tied up in this thing,” Grau went on. “I’ve
got my client to think about, Grant, I need to be in Berlin!” Grau
began to pace anxiously. He held out the pistol, handle first.
“Take this, I want nothing to do with it.”
Nathan took the pistol. Whatever this was all about, it was a mess.
Nathan had two dead bodies in his front yard, the guns that killed
them in his hands, and his newly-remodeled living room was destroyed.
One of his neighbors would be calling the municipal police right
about now, if they hadn’t already. It was only a matter of time
before the first officers arrived and the explaining would have to
begin. “What if it was you, Grau?” said Nathan. “Who is your
client? You owe me that much.”
“It’s a nothing job. Just something to start with, you know? To
put on the resume. Pro bono.”
“Then you won’t mind telling me.”
“She’s like a one-woman show. A non-profit. Nothing.”
“Who is she?”
“Hannah, just a girl named Hannah. A nobody, I’m telling you.
Look, Grant, I don’t have time for this. These guys were after
you, not me. You’re going to have to clean up the mess. I need to
go.”
“Fine. Go.” Nathan was peeved, even while he couldn’t
entirely blame Grau for wanting to bug out. The thing was, even if
Nathan spun this as self-defense against two very motivated
intruders, how was he going to explain why there were two different
types of rounds in the bodies of the deceased? And the fact that
they were armed with military weapons? Besides all of that, he
didn’t have a permit for the SIG Sauer at all. This was going to
be a huge mess, and in the end there was still the question of who
these guys were actually after.
“Sorry, buddy. Thanks for dinner.”
“Yeah. Right.” Nathan watched Grau walk to his rental car,
parked a short distance away.
The Colonel climbed in behind the wheel, shut the door, and rolled
the window down. “I’m sorry, man. I just… this is not what I
was expecting.”
Nathan didn’t respond, but that alone spoke volumes. A fierce
anger swelled in his chest. Grau was his comrade in arms, a fellow
Ranger. He owed Nathan more clarity than this. They should have
been in it together. Instead, Nathan was being abandoned with the
whole thing in his lap. At this point, he couldn’t even look at
Grau any longer. He just wanted him gone already. Nathan turned and
walked toward his house. When he reached his front door, he heard
Grau call after him.
“Hey, Grant!”
Nathan turned to look back.
“I’m sorry, man. I really am.”
“If you leave now, don’t come back. Ever.”
“Take care, buddy.” Grau reached forward and hit the starter
button in his rental car. The last Nathan saw of him, Lieutenant
Colonel Martin Grau was sitting upright in the driver’s seat with
his eyes on the rear view mirror. Next came a massive explosion as
the car was enveloped in a blinding fireball and lifted off the
ground. The concussive blast knocked Nathan backwards off his feet
and through his front door, his eardrums nearly bursting. His first
reaction was to scramble left, behind the wall. He rose to his knees
but stayed low, rocking back and forth as his ears rang and he saw
the yellow light of flames reflected off the back wall of his living
room. He’d been through this before. It was the same way they’d
killed his wife, two years earlier. Now he was having flashbacks as
he struggled to process what was happening. He realized one thing,
above all else. It wasn’t Nathan they’d been after, it was Grau.
Thanks for reading this sample of The Berlin Connection! I hope you've enjoyed it. I'm still hard at work on this one, but if you'd like to be among the very first to read the completed book, feel free to head on over to Amazon to pre-order your copy now. Take care!
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