Michael Lukson, my first reader, partner in crime, and Web guru has come to my rescue countless times. Leah Wilson’s keen insight and suggestions helped the manuscript reach its full potential. Sarah Wang has provided outstanding legal counsel to me, as well as to Black Management, and her keen eye for detail has made this book a much smoother read.
My editor, Eric Raab, has worked diligently and tirelessly to champion this novel and to ensure it was not only the best book it could be, but that it was published well. Tom Doherty has my gratitude for his preserving belief in my work. The staff at Tor, including Linda Quinton, Kathleen Fogarty, Elena Stokes, Tom Espenscheid, AJ Murphy, Mike Rohrig, Patricia Johnson, Christine Jaeger, Patty Garcia, Edwin Chapman, and others behind the scenes, have done truly exceptional work.
Scott Miller, my literary agent, has a gift for making just the right observation at the right time, one of which was the springboard for the structure of this novel. He is golden. My thanks also go out to Holly Root and others at Trident who’ve worked diligently on the project. Sarah Self’s enthusiasm and hard work are greatly appreciated. My publicists at PTA-Brian Feinblum, Jessica Church, and Peter Horan-are exceptional.
This is the point where an author usually thanks a spouse for processing endless scenes, plot, and character ideas, but instead I have to thank my dogs LynnDy, Jordan, and Suzie-Q for listening to these ramblings-even if it did take many boxes of biscuits to ensure their rapt attention. I am so blessed that my partner gives me a book-free space, where I can get away from the shadowy world I’m writing about so I can focus on the people, things, and dogs that really matter. My deepest love and appreciation are for Cynthia Curatalo, who makes it all worthwhile.
Glossary
240-Golf or 240G
a medium, belt-fed machine gun
4th Generation Warfare
conflict involving stateless ideologically-based actors using unconventional warfare techniques such as terrorism; the classic example is the global War on Terror
5.11s
reinforced tactical shirt and pants made by Royal Robbins, originally for mountain climbers, that feature many cargo pockets; the pants, an Under Armour T-shirt and a photographer’s vest is the preferred uniform of most contract soldiers in Iraq
Abraxas
a private intelligence corporation that, among other services, creates and maintains non-official cover alias identities for case officers
adhan
call to prayer (Arabic)
the Agency
slang for the CIA
AK
AK-47; Soviet-designed assault rife
AK-102
Russian-built short assault rifle; shorty AK
Allahu akbar
Allah is great (Arabic)
Anbar
province in western Iraq
Babylon
Iraq
backstop
to provide backup evidence for a cover identity
bingo
fuel state of an aircraft at which return-to-base must be initiated
black
secret, off-the-books; as in black ops, black units; opposite of white or unclassified
Black Hawk
UH-60 utility helicopter widely used for a variety of missions by US military
black site
a secret CIA prison outside US legal jurisdiction; see also rendition
Bushmen
nickname for members of Force Zulu
CAS
Close Air Support
case officer
CIA personnel responsible for recruiting and handling agents
chalk
designation for the troops making up an aircraft load for a specific mission
Christians In Action
slang for the CIA
Christmas tree
an airplane flying on a secret mission without lights flashes its red and green lights on and off for quick identification
Claymore
directional antipersonnel mine
click
one kilometer
collective
one of the primary helicopter controls that governs the pitch of the main rotors
Combat Talon
MC-130 special operations aircraft used by the CIA and military Special Forces for helicopter air-to-air refueling on deep penetration missions over hostile territory
comm
communications
Cougar
state-of-the-art blast-resistant troop transport
crawl, walk, run
mission rehearsal, usually using a sand table; a small terrain mock-up
cyclic
one of the primary helicopter controls that governs direction; similar in appearance to a large joystick
Delta Force
popular name for the Army’s elite counter terrorism unit (SFO-D)
Dragunov
Soviet-designed semiautomatic sniper rifle
ECM
Electronic Counter Measures
egress
exit, escape; opposite of ingress
EOD
Explosive Ordnance Disposal-bomb experts
flash-bang
grenade that emits a bright flash of light intended to temporarily blind and distract
FLIR
Forward Looking Infrared
Force Zulu
a deep-cover espionage and covert action unit that combines elements of espionage along with commando tactics; part of the Pentagon’s Strategic Support Branch (SSB); the real-life designation of the unit is highly classified and changes frequently; also referred to as Task Force Zulu
frag-o
fragmented operations order; an on-the-fly order that answers the basic questions about the operation-who, what, where, when and how and sometimes why
ghillie suit
sniper’s camouflage outfit
green badger
private contractor working for the CIA
Green Zone
government district of downtown Baghdad protected from the rest of the city by eight miles of blast walls, razor wire, and armed guards
grid
GPS coordinates
haji
military slang for terrorist/insurgent; a Muslim who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca
halal
permitted (Arabic)
haram
forbidden (Arabic)
HE
High Explosive
helo
helicopter
hootch
sleeping quarters
HVT
High Value Target
IED
Improvised Explosive Device
ingress
entrance, approach; opposite of egress
insh’allah
Allah willing (Arabic)
inside the bubble
inside the Green Zone
inside the wire
inside the camp
IR
infrared
joker
fuel state above “bingo” at which event termination must begin
JSOC
Joint Special Operations Command, a branch of SOCOM specializing in counterterrorism that commands all Special Mission (SMU) or black units, including Delta Force, DEVGRU (former SEAL Team 6), the various incarnations of Task Force(s) 11, 20, 121, 5-25, 6-26, 145, etc.
KIA
Killed in Action
Langley
slang for the CIA because of its headquarters in Langley, Virginia
legend
cover identity
LIGHTNING SIX
Stella/Camille Black’s call sign