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The captain grabbed the handset. “Charlie Three Four Five, this is the Coast Guard. What is your location?” He paused, waiting for a response. When there was none, he repeated the message.

“That sounded like an American to me,” said the Mountie.

“Yeah, definitely a yank,” added the captain. “Ma’am, what was the last location of your dog?”

Ali showed him the phone.

“That’s due west of here,” he said. “Let’s check it out. You’d better stay on board,” he told the Mountie as he gave the command to cast off.

A few seconds later, the craft’s twin diesels were rumbling, and they were heading back out to sea with their backs to the faint glimmer of dawn.

“Please, God, let them be safe,” Ali prayed softly as she dialed TJ’s number.

“You can’t think that this is a good idea.” Mike aimed his comment at the North Korean who’d spoken to Kane. “Picking up some dogs is one thing. Kidnapping citizens of the most powerful country in the world is another altogether. You do know they’ll send people worse than SEALs to rescue us.”

The man’s face remained expressionless.

“Mike, talking is a waste of time,” said Rick. “I saw a documentary on these guys; their government completely brainwashes them.”

“Shut up,” snapped the English speaker, waving his submachine gun at the men.

The guy who was clearly the team leader snapped out orders in Korean. Immediately, the coxswain throttled back the engines, and another man pulled lengths of nylon rope from a locker along with spare anchors.

“Fuck,” whispered Rick as one of the men made to bind his legs.

Mike glanced at the cages and saw that Axe’s eyes were open. The dog was slowly coming to.

A cry of alarm drew Mike’s attention to the stern of the boat, a few miles distant; there looked to be a raging fire. Suddenly, flickering blue and red lights appeared from the flank.

“Cavalry,” said Mike as the Koreans killed their running lights. “Rick, we’ve got to move now.”

The hulking corpsman jumped to his feet and kicked the man in front of him. Mike was a split second behind and lashed out at the English speaker. The Korean dodged Mike’s front kick and snapped up his machine gun as the SEAL dove forward and smashed his head into his nose. The Korean fell against the wheelhouse, triggering a burst of gunfire that narrowly missed Mike before the weapon jammed.

Rick’s kick had sent his opponent reeling, but it had also put the corpsman off balance. He stumbled sideways, fell against the rail, and toppled overboard.

“Rick!” Mike bellowed. He lunged for the rail as the Korean he’d injured swung his jammed weapon as a club. The stock caught the SEAL a glancing blow above his eyebrow. He collapsed over the rail and hit the icy water with a splash.

“Forget them,” the Korean leader yelled in his native tongue. “The dogs are our priority. We need to go.”

The coxswain hauled back on the throttles, and the engines roared, pushing the craft forward. With the boats’ running lights dimmed, no one saw that Axe had woken. He attacked the cage’s door like an animal possessed. In a matter of seconds, he’d ripped a hole open the size of his head. A few more brutal attacks, and he could fit through the gap. Charging across the deck, he cleared the rail in a single leap and disappeared into the ocean.

Mike coughed up a lungful of water as he came to. He had a moment to suck in a mouthful of air before his face was underwater again. Exhaling slowly, he tried to remain calm. His hands were still taped behind his back, but his legs were free. He scissor-kicked just as he felt a tug at the back of his shirt. Something hauled him up and back to the surface and barked.

“Axe, hands, free my hands.” He trod water with his hands as far up his back as he could reach. He felt Axe’s teeth grab the tape, and the dog pulled, shaking his head vigorously as Mike strained against the tape, kicking to stay afloat. It took Axe two attempts, but finally the tape tore and Mike was free.

“Where’s Rick?” he asked the dog.

Axe let out a bark and started swimming. Mike grabbed hold of his collar and swam with him. “Rick, where are you?”

“Over here,” Rick spluttered.

They found the SEAL desperately treading water a hundred yards away. Mike quickly ripped the tape from his wrists. Both men grasped Axe’s collar as the dog instinctively headed for the shore, miles distant.

“Well, at least we know where the puppies are,” Rick joked, darkly.

“Yeah, but we gave the bastards Saber,” replied Mike, his voice heavy with guilt. “What we need now is a strike force.”

“What we need to do is keep moving,” said Rick. “This water is fucking freezing, and we’re not going to last long if we don’t keep warm.”