Sheâd given up everything for her country
A family and a husband, not to mention children, were not in her future and they never would be. Sheâd traded those things for adrenaline and power, and it was way too late to go back and make changes.
If sheâd ever had a chance at having any of those things, it would have been with Haden. Heâd been wild, but under the craziness there had been a rock-solid man sheâd come to care for more than sheâd expected. More than anyone sheâd ever cared for beforeâor since. Heâd been special and rareâone of those guys who caught you unaware when youâd decided no one else could possibly surprise you.
For a single second she wanted to walk away and ignore the decision sheâd wrestled with for the past five hours, but she knew that wasnât a real option.
If she didnât take the job, then someone else would.
Haden was a dead man walking.
Dear Reader,
In philosophical circles around the world, debates have raged since Aristotleâs times over the âgreater goodâ versus the rule of self-interest. What is best for society as a whole can sometimes differ from what is best for an individual. In other words, if the city wants to put a new highway through your backyard, the commuters will be thrilled, but you might not be quite as happy.
Extrapolate this argument into a life-and-death situation and you have the basis for THE OPERATIVES series and especially for Not Without Cause. The question I wanted to examine was this one: If a war could be ended by killing one individualâand thereby saving the lives of thousandsâwhat should be done? Just to complicate matters, since I write love stories, I added another issue to the mix, as well. What if the someone who had to be killed was someone you loved?
Not Without Cause is the story of how two people come together, despite their opposition, and work to achieve what is best. In the process, their love grows even stronger and they realize how deep their feelings for each otherâand for their countryâreally run. When the choices are this tough, nothing is easy.
I wanted the final story in THE OPERATIVES series to be a special one. I needed to write something that was entertaining but at the same time presented some questions that would make everyone think a bit. Our world is changing dailyâhourly, in factâand some very hard choices are being made. The sacrifices those decisions entail arenât easy ones because they touch the rights and truths we all hold dear.
Meredith and Haden understand that emotions come with a price, and their willingness to pay that price is a testament to the power of love, be it their love for each other, their love for freedom, or their love for their country. Sharing their story with my readers is my way for sharing that love, as well. I hope you enjoy Not Without Cause.
Kay David
This book is dedicated to the men and women who have served in the United States military forces, present, past and future.
Thank you for your courage, your sacrifice and your dedication.
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Guatemala City, Guatemala
May 2006
JACK HADEN HAD the taxi driver drop him three blocks from his rented villa. Walking down the dimly lit sidewalk, scanning the gloom, his weapon handy, he found himself wondering how it would feel to have a regular job with two kids and a dog and a wife all waiting for him in a nice little home on a nice wide street.
What would it be like not to worry about someone following you and shooting you in the back? Haden had a hunch heâd never know, but more and more lately, the question had been on his mind.
The idea plagued him for a second longer, then he wondered why he was even wondering. He was forty years old and heâd lived on the edge since the day heâd left his motherâs home. If things ever did change, heâd probably end up restless, screw the nanny and start drinking like a fish.
Either way, he wasnât going to have a chance to find out so why was he even thinking about it?
He turned down the street one block south of his house. Shadows clung to the houses and lay across the walls like woven chamarras. Guatemala City was always dark, even when the street lamps were on. Back in the nineties when the political situation had been even crazier than it was now, the powers that be had kept it that way for a reason, and although things had changedâslightlyâthe place was still blacker than hell, literally and metaphorically speaking.
Even in Zona 10.
Divided into sectors for ease of reference, Guatemala City had a personality of its own and each area had a unique flavor as well. Zona 10, where heâd had dinner, was upscale all the way and it housed the offices and shops the foreigners frequented. The restaurants were typically more expensive, the streets were generally cleaner and the neighborhoods were usually safer. A lot of the diplomats lived in Zona 10. Heâd attended a party there last week at the French ambassadorâs home. Haden wasnât quite sure why heâd been includedâexcept his name had gotten on a list when heâd first moved to Guatemala City and the list had been passed around. For years heâd had somewhere to go every night if he wanted. No one knew what, or who, he actually was and most of the time he passed on the invitations, but that night heâd been ready for some company, his mood overtaking his usual reluctance to mingle with expats who had little to do and even less to say.