THE QUIET PROFESSIONALS | BOOK 3

A n Impr int of B ar bour P ublishing, Inc.

TXT_Falcon.indd 1

2/17/15 9:40 AM

 2015 by Ronie Kendig

Print ISBN 978-1-62416-319-7
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-379-8
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-380-4
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews,
without written permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
either products of the authors imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity
to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
For more information about Ronie Kendig, please access the authors website
at the following Internet address: www.roniekendig.com.
Cover Design: Kirk DouPonce, DogEared Design
Published by Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O.
Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.shilohrunpress.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional
value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.

TXT_Falcon.indd 2

2/17/15 9:40 AM

DEDICATION
To those who serve in the intelligence community,
protecting Americans and their freedoms.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My husband, BrianThank you for letting me pester you with
one scenario after another, enduring my irritation when you didnt
magically produce a perfect scenario or when I didnt like one you
suggested. Youre my hero!
Keighley KendigMy darlin girl whose passion for all things anime and
manga helped me create a unique history for my characters. Thank you!
Ryan & ReaganThanks for enduring many on-your-own meals while
I fought to get this book done!
My agent, Steve LaubeYou encouraged and protected me so I could
get this story written. Thank you, Agent-Man!
Robin MillerThank you, dear friend, for being a champion, cheering and challenging me as I worked feverishly to finish this novel. God
blessed me with you!
Narelle Mollet and Shannon McNearYou ladies have tirelessly read
every word Ive written, encouraged me through waning courage, and
cheered me on to the finish!
Rapid-Fire Fiction Task ForceMy own team of warriors and champions. You ladies make all the difference in the world.
Ironmance GroupThank you for your prayers, your support, encouragement and wisdom! I treasure you ladies!

TXT_Falcon.indd 3

2/17/15 9:40 AM

LITERARY LICENSE
In writing about unique settings, specific locations, and
invariably the people residing there, a certain level of risk is
involved, including the possibility of dishonoring the very
people an author intends to honor. With that in mind, I have
taken some literary license in Falcon, including renaming some
bases within the U.S. military establishment, creating sites/
entities that do not otherwise exist, and other aspects of team
movement/integration. Also, some elements of the story are
pure entertainment and, as with any work of fiction, demand a
level of suspension of disbelief. Writing about a potential threat
to our American military personnel can be tricky, and those
experts within that field cannot divulge too much information.
Therefore, to protect our heroes, some elements of the story
about the cybersecurity threat have been left intentionally and
partially vague. I have done this so the book and/or my writing
will not negatively reflect on our military community and its
heroes. With the quickly changing landscape of the combat
theater, this seemed imperative and prudent.

TXT_Falcon.indd 4

2/17/15 9:40 AM

Glossary of Terms/Acronyms
ACUArmy Combat Uniform
AHODAll Hands On Deck
ANAAfghan National Army
CECOMCommunications-Electronics Command
CIDCriminal Investigations Department
DIADefense Intelligence Agency
IEDImprovised Explosive Device
ISAFInternational Security Assistance Force
KlickMilitary slang for kilometer
M4, M4A1Military assault rifles
MARSOCMarine Special Operations Command
MRAPMine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle
MREMeals Ready to Eat
MWDMilitary Working Dog
NVGNight-Vision Goggles
ODAOperation Detachment Alpha
OEF/OIFOperation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom
PCSPermanent Change of Station
RPGRocket-Propelled Grenade
RTBReturn To Base
SASSpecial Air Service (Foreign Special Operations Team)
SATINTSatellite Intelligence
SCIFSecure computer used by the military
SitrepMilitary abbreviation for situation report
SOCOMSpecial Operations Command

TXT_Falcon.indd 5

2/17/15 9:40 AM

CHARACTER LIST
Brian Hawk Bledsoe (Staff Sergeant)Raptor team member;

coms specialist
Brie Hastings (Lieutenant)General Burnetts administrative
officer
Cassandra Walker (Lieutenant)works for DIAs National

Military Joint Intelligence Center
Chris Riordan (Lieutenant Commander)Navy SEAL officer
DdrakeExplosives Detection Dog; German shepherd
Dean Raptor Six Watters (Captain)Raptor team
commander
Eamon Titanis Straider (SAS Corporal)Raptor team

member; Australian; engineering specialty
Grant Knight (Sergeant)Ddrakes handler; temporarily

assigned to Raptor team
Kiew Tangexecutive assistant to Daniel Jin
Lance Burnett (General)Raptors commanding officer;

attached to Defense Intelligence Agency
Meng-Li Jin /Daniel JinChinese businessman
Mitchell Harrier Black (Sergeant First Class)Raptor team

member; combat medic
Ramsey (General)Brigadier general; commander of U.S.

Army Joint Special Operations Command
Sajjan TakkarCEO of Takkar Corp.
Salvatore Falcon Russo (Warrant Officer)Raptor team

member; aka team daddy; expert in ops/intel
Todd Eagle Archer (Staff Sergeant)Raptor team member;

weapons expert; team sniper
Tony Candyman VanAllenformer Green Beret on Dean

Watterss team

TXT_Falcon.indd 6

2/17/15 9:40 AM

SUNDRY CHARACTERS
Boris Kolcekiexpert computer hacker
Fariz Al-Bayatiteen caught up in combat zone
Fekiria HaidaryANA helicopter pilot; Zahrah Zarricks cousin;

Hawks girlfriend
Nina Laurens TakkarSajjans wife; Timbrels mother
Phelps (Lieutenant General)Associate Director for Military Affairs
SchmidtNavy SEAL on Riordans team
Timbrel VanAllenTonys wife
Zahrah ZarrickFekirias cousin; Deans girlfriend; missionary teacher
Zmaray: The Lion/Lee Nianzuassassin, terrorist

TXT_Falcon.indd 7

2/17/15 9:40 AM

Special Forces Soldier

(Au t h o r U n kn own )
I was that which others did not want to be.
I went where others feared to go,
and did what others failed to do.
I asked nothing from those who gave nothing,
and reluctantly accepted the thought
of eternal loneliness should I fail.
I have seen the face of terror,
felt the stinging cold of fear,
and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moments love.
I have cried, pained, and hoped,
but most of all, I have lived times
others would say are best forgotten.
At least someday, I will be able to say
I was proud of what I was. . .
A Special Forces Soldier

TXT_Falcon.indd 8

2/17/15 9:40 AM

Chapter 1
Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan
25 March1705 Hours

ire ruptured the black veil of night. A pillar of orange and yellow
roared upward, thirty meters, leaving a trail of smoke, ash, and debris
in its wake. Metal groaned and heaved, collapsing in exhausted defeat.
Screams ripped the air, their primal howl propelling him across
Kandahar Airfield.
Warrant Officer Salvatore Falcon Russo sprinted with every ounce
of strength he had toward the burning inferno that had been the U.S.
Armys Communications-Electronics Command building. The very
building that held the key to unearthing the mole and those responsible
for the attacks against the U.S. militarys super-secure network.
Gunfire popped amid the crackling growl of the blaze. Behind him
the thud of boots reassured him that Raptor team was hot on his heels.
He shoved past a group of soldiers and airmen ogling the scene.
Irritation skidded through him.
Stop staring and start helping! he shouted and kept moving toward
the garish scene.
Hastily abandoned vehicles, debris, and moaning victims turned the
parking lot into an obstacle course. Sal navigated through it, gaze locked
on the facility. Injured stumbled from sections not yet fully consumed by
the fire or decimated by the initial blast. A soldier hustled from amid the
flames, his arm hooked around another soldier.
Whats the sitrep? Sal asked.
After helping the woman to the ground, her hands bloodied an
angry red, the man straightened, his ash-smudged face shaded with
shock as he studied the burning structure. Uh. . .not good. He swiped
9

TXT_Falcon.indd 9

2/17/15 9:40 AM

RONIE KENDIG
a hand along his forehead, leaving a dark streak. Blood. Probably ten or
twenty still. . .inside. . .inside our area. I ddont know about the other.
He swayed.
Eamon Titanis Straider appeared behind him, catching the guy by
the shoulders and easing him down. Careful, mate. You took a blow to
the head. The Australian SAS corporal knelt over the man, cradling his
head as the man relaxed on the ground.
Sal pivoted, gauging the best way to help. He spotted a fire tech
grabbing some gear from a water tanker and rushed over to him. What
can I do?
Stay out of the way! Its too hot. The buildings unstable.
But there are people in there.
Our men are on scene. If you go in there, thats just one more body
were digging out later. Three sets of firefighters struggled against the
blaze that felt angry and personal.
Turning away, Sal bit back his frustration. Able to help yet unable to
help. A shriek of pain drew his attention to the field of injured. Triage.
Ambulances loaded wounded. He heard medics talking about sending
some off base to the NATO hospital because they were quickly maxing
out medical capabilities here.
Across the base, a chopper descended as an ambulance raced toward
it. Para-jumpersPJswere responsible for providing emergency and
life-saving services to airmen, soldiers, and civilians in both peacetime
and combat environments.
Captain Dean Watters jogged toward him with a thrust of his chin,
asking without words what was happening.
They dont
A loud cracking mingled with a tinkling sound that snapped Sals
gaze toward the building. Near the fully engulfed area, a chair clattered
across the ground. Sal looked to the window, which was now shattered.
A man teetered precariously on the sharp glass, trying to haul himself
free.
He stumbled.
Sal launched himself toward the injured airman. Even before he
reached him, the bloody situation knotted Sals gut. Amputation by
10

TXT_Falcon.indd 10

2/17/15 9:40 AM

Falcon
explosive. Below the knee, the guys leg was missing. Blood pooled
around the guys stump.
On his knees, Sal ripped out his combat application tourniquet.
Hey, Dean shouted. Weve got an Alpha over here! He bent over
the man. Stay with us. Okay?
The airman groaned.
Im going to check on him, Dean said, pointing to another person
laid out a few yards away.
Sal continued working, sliding the C-A-T up around the guys leg,
tightening the strap, and securing it back on itself, blocking out the
sticky warmth coating his hands now. He then used the free winder
and tightened it until the blood flow slowed. With a hemorrhaging loss
like this, it didnt surprise him that the flow didnt completely stop. He
tugged off his belt and used it as a secondary tourniquet.
The airman let out a feral howl then bit down and arched his back.
He slumped like a limp rag with a pitiful moan.
Hey, Sal said, checking for more injuries. Where are you hurting?
Only another low moan.
Hey. Sal shook his shoulder. Whats your name?
JJason.
All right, Jason. Tell me where youre hurting.
Everywhere. . .my leg. Jason rolled his head side to side, now
whimpering. Give me something and knock me out, man.
That was exactly what they didnt want. Had to keep him conscious
till the PJs or medical staff took over. What happened, Jason? Do you
know?
Boots pounded toward them.
Jason, can you tell me what happened?
The airman whimpered. Blue on Green. . .blue. One of. . .ours
His eyes rolled.
Jason! Hey!
Two PJs moved in with a stretcher, and Sal backed away to let them
do their job and get Jason to the hospital within the golden hour. He
glanced at his hands then wiped the blood on his tac pants. Not the
most sanitary method, but in combat situations, time was against them.
11

TXT_Falcon.indd 11

2/17/15 9:40 AM

RONIE KENDIG
He squatted before the woman. Hey, where are you hurting?
She sighed, tears trickling down her cheeks, marking dark rivulets
against her skin. She shook her head. More tears sped down.
Shock.
Hey. Sal touched her shoulder then let his hand slide down her
arm to surreptitiously assess her for injuries and a blood check. Whats
your name?
Unblinking, she stared at the building.
Sal cut into her line of sight. But she still wasnt seeing him.
She injured?
Depended on the definition of injured. Some wounds werent
visiblethe notorious kind that inflicted more trauma on the mind than
the body. Sal looked up at Mitchell Harrier Black, Raptors medic, and
shook his head. Shock.
Harrier moved on.
A clipped, incessant cracklingnot hard like the fire, but softer
sifted through the chaotic night to Sals awareness. The womans moans
pulled his attention back. He wrapped his arms around hers and tried to
draw her up. Lets move you to safety. Away from the gruesome scene.
The staccato noise broke into his awareness again. This time louder.
More insistent.
Sal glanced over his shoulder. Twenty feet away, he spotted Sergeant
Grant Knight running after his military working dog, Ddrake, an
impressive German shepherd who worked off-lead. Ddrake vanished
around the side of the CECOM building.
Suddenly Knight pulled up straight. Drew his weapon and aimed in
the direction his dog had vanished.
Knight and Ddrake needed backup. With one last look to the
woman, Sal touched her shoulder. Move to the fence. He pointed her
toward safety then took off toward the MWD/handler team.
On your knees, on your knees, Knight shouted, his weapon trained
on someone. Now or I will give my dog the command to take you.
In a wide arc, Sal rounded the corner, pulling his M4 up. There, not
more than fifteen feet away, a man wearing an Afghan National Army
uniform stood in a standoff, half poised to run.
12

TXT_Falcon.indd 12

2/17/15 9:40 AM

Falcon
Sal took a bead on the hostile. Whats going on? he asked Knight,
backing him up.
Ddrake hit on him. Knight hadnt relaxed. Hes PEDD.
Somethings wrong.
Patrol Explosives Detection Dog. That meant Ddrake detected the
scent of explosives on this man. Or a similar chemical scent.
A secondary hit? Sal tightened his shoulders. Considering the
burning building beside them. . .
Blue on Green. . . Jasons earlier words speared his mind. The code
for attacks on American troops by their trained allies, the ANA. Like
this man in front of them.
His heart shoved into his throat. Down! Down on your knees,
hands up, Sal shouted in Pashto, Dari, then Farsi.
The man reached for something.
Sal couldnt wait any longer. Couldnt risk another attack. He coiled
his finger against the trigger.
No shoot, the man shouted, thrusting his hands in the air.
No way hed relax. Not now and end up in a billion pieces. Hands!
Sal inched closer.
The man pitched forward, a tiny explosion ripping through his chest.
Shooter! Taking fire!

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan

25 March1735 Hours
Suffocating and fierce, a wave of heat roiled across her shoulders.
Lieutenant Cassandra Walker cried out and pressed lower to the
cement floor, living her childhood nightmares of dying in a fire. She
coughed against the thick smoke clogging her lungs. Might as well
have sandpaper in her eyesthe ash rubbed and burned, forcing her to
blink rapidly. She tried to see. Futile against the blanket of smoke. The
inferno seemed to have a demonic presence, pursuing her as she sought
escape.
Eyes closed, she let her fingers direct her as she probed the floor,
which was still a bit cool. She crawled forward, listening not to the
13

TXT_Falcon.indd 13

2/17/15 9:40 AM

RONIE KENDIG
thundering panic of her own pulse but to the howl of the fire and the
cackle of the flames. As if they mocked her. Shed rushed over here away
from him. Away from the searing truth Sal had thrown at her. Right into
this scalding nightmare.
Nothing needs to be said. You know what you did. So do I. . . I never
want to hear anything from you again. . .
She pushed forward, but her fingers grazed the warmed surface of
a filing cabinet. Scrambling around it, she kept moving. Had to get out.
A few more paces and she hit a wall. Fear morphed into panic as a deep
groaning vibrated against the floor.
Cassie hesitated, listening. Daring to look up. Like some Hollywood
CGI image, the roof glowed beneath the power of the flames. A center
section bowed inward. Oh snap. Her stomach dropped as the ceiling
seemed to grope for her.
She threw herself to the side, struggling to remember the layout.
Where the doors were. Where the exits had been located. Cmonyou
got here because of your wits. Now, use them!
Whoosh! The beams impact blasted hot air across her face. Fanned
the flames, which rushed up the walls, surrounding her.
She scrabbled backward.
Thumped into something. She glanced down, but the thick black
smoke proved an impenetrable barrier. Fingers tracking across the
hands! Someones hands. Hey! she shoutedinhaling a lungful of
smoke. A coughing fit wracked her. She doubled over, leaning to the
persons chest. She shook them and shifted around. Something thumped
against her hand. Instinctively, her fingers coiled around it. A water bottle!
Grabbing it, she started untucking her shirt. Ripped a stretch off.
Doused it with water and tied it around her face. Itd buy her a little time.
She bent to the person again. Hey, she said, more carefully this
time, nearly pressing her nose to theirs.
Only then did she register the eyes. The brown eyes. The dead
brown eyes.
With a cry, she clambered backward. Lowered her face to the floor,
fighting back a pitiful sob. God, I gave this to You back then. Will I never
live it down? Shed hoped to talk to him, at least ask his forgiveness, but
14

TXT_Falcon.indd 14

2/17/15 9:40 AM

Falcon
Sal wouldnt talk to her. Now, shed die with his anger following her into
the grave?
Walker, came a distant voice.
She lifted her head. Where had that come from? Here!
A form swam amid the smoke, on all fours.
She didnt care who it was. As long as it was someone. Someone alive.
When the familiar face solidified, Cassie froze. What are you
doing? It was ludicrous to look around. But she did. You cant be here.
He hooked her arm around his shoulder and held her wrist as he
guided her to the right, away from the dead body.
Exhaustion and smoke inhalation weighted her limbs. If they see
you
Dont talk.
She let her head lob against his shoulder, surprised to find him
wearing a fire-resistant jacket. Where had he gotten that from? Though
it felt like an eternity, they finally navigated into a hall that had less
smoke. When he lessened his hold, she stumbled.
His grip tightened, hoisting her up. Twenty feet ahead, she could
barely make out a door. Oh! And abovean exit sign. Her heart leapt.
Almost there! Almost able to feel the cool breeze on her face. Filling her
lungs. She shot him a look as he reanchored his arm around her waist.
He nodded. Took a step.
A steel joist crashed through the ceiling, delivering a greedy stream
of fire.
Pain spiked through Cassies temple. Blazed across her shoulder,
followed by a trail of strange warmth. She felt herself falling backward.
Thrust out a hand to steady herself, but only met hot air. She landed with
a soft thud against him. He grunted but was already coming back up.
On her feet, she followed his lead, clambering over the hot joist.
An electrical wire hissed and popped at them like an angry copperhead.
Hurry! he shouted.
Cassie threw herself forward, terrified of being buried alive in this
burning furnace. As she launched toward him, a prick of pain sliced up
her leg. She ignored it and caught his hand. He hooked her closer and
barreled into a door.
15

TXT_Falcon.indd 15

2/17/15 9:40 AM

RONIE KENDIG
Momentum carried her face-first into a sidewalk. She shoved her
hands out to break her fall. Rocks and pebbles dug into her palms. She
hauled in a deep breath. Air! Sweet air! Her lungs seized, still struggling
with the smoke that had filled them. Another gagging-coughing fit
pitched her to the ground.
Walker! someone shouted from her left. Boots thudded toward
her. Oxygen! We need oxygen! A hand came to her back. We didnt
know you were in there.
Captain Watters.
She clutched her chest, willing it to loosen its fist hold on her
breathing as she looked up at him.
He cupped her elbow. Lets get away from the building.
Cassie nodded and pushed to her feet. The world tilted and swayed.
He lifted her and hurried her to a wall. With more care than she
expected from Sals captain, he guided her to the ground as an airman
rushed up behind him with an O2PAK.
Watters went to a knee and extended the mask toward her. Careful,
youre bleeding.
Cassie blinked, barely remembering the pain after the joist. She
touched the throbbing spot above her right temple then to the stinging
in her shoulder. Both sticky with her blood.
Where do you hurt? the medic asked, opening his kit.
Just my head and shoulder.
Who came out with you? Watters looked around, his brow etched
with concern.
Surprise spiraled through Cassie as she followed his gaze, not
entirely shocked that her rescuer had vanished. She shook her head.
A firefighter, I think, she spoke around the mask. He had onshe
waved her hand at her torsoa protective jacket. That much was
true. But he wasnt a firefighter. And nobody could know hed been on
this base.
You didnt see him?
She shook her head again, though his knotted brow and scowl
warned that he didnt believe her. Too much smoke.
The airman reached into his med kit. Let me check that cut.
16

TXT_Falcon.indd 16

2/17/15 9:40 AM

Falcon
Grateful for the diversion, Cassie nodded. Angled toward him.
He has to be around here somewhere, Captain Watters said.
Think he went back in? another soldier askedonly then did she
see Sergeant Brian Hawk Bledsoe join them.
Cassies gaze struck the building. He hadnt gone back inside, had
he? That would be. . .idiotic. Hed die. But even as she looked at the
burning building, she couldnt shake the horrible feeling that hed done
just that. Hes not that stupid.
With only one wall remaining upright, the CECOM building
resembled a steel giant kneeling in defeat.
If he did, Captain Watters said, hes not coming out.
As if to prove his point, the giant collapsed in on itself, surrendering
with a hot breath of fury.
Taking fire! someone shouted from across the parking lot. Were
taking fire!

17

TXT_Falcon.indd 17

2/17/15 9:40 AM