Burnished Rows of Steel

Most who read the Declaration of Independence find three foundational liberties promised to our citizens: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. An increasing number of citizens seem to be discovering the fourth: the right to alter or abolish a form of government that leads invariably to tyranny. Since leaving the military and his security contracting work behind, Dave has been preparing himself for the time when exercising the right to alter or abolish may become necessary. When he is approached on behalf of some powerful men who are prepared to risk their fortune to strike a blow against the political tyranny embodied by the president, Dave is prepared to accept the role of assassin. As he prepares to accept the mission of a lifetime, an alternate narrative begins to unfold. He struggles to discover whether the hit will be on behalf of a besieged gun maker or whether it has been orchestrated by members of the president’s own party, who feel that his death would rescue the chances of their party heading into an election. As the motive becomes clear, so does Dave’s course of action. He is caught in a race against time to thwart their plans, not for the leader of a country but for the life of a friend.