Chapter 47

"Mitchell was a big kid, even a year ago. He was well over six feet tall and well-muscled, as I'm sure you ladies have noticed. His dad was an older version of Mitchell. One had only to look at Nate once, to know that he was a very capable man. We shared stories over dinner, including the fact that we were going north the next day and leaving our families in the capable hands of the Afghan military, along with four American Marines."

Christine had been holding Mitchell's hand under the table and she felt it tense up as Patrick O'Leary got deeper into his story. Mitchell was very still, and a fine bead of sweat appeared on his brow.

"As I now recall the situation, Nate's jaw seemed to tighten up when I explained the security plans. I later learned that he was very concerned about the lure of American VIP's to terrorists. He didn't want to alarm us, nor did he want to cause an incident between governments by making statements that insulted or demeaned the Afghan government," concluded t