Vulnerable
By David Edward
A Special Forces operative, stripped of everything, leads a ragtag team through the Caribbean and into the jungles of Guyana. When shadowy forces turn allies into enemies, survival becomes a brutal game where trust is the deadliest weapon.
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OverviewDirk Lasher emerges from the hospital to find his world systematically dismantled - bank accounts frozen, allies scattered, and enemies circling. With only a stolen Cuban gunboat and three unlikely companions, he navigates treacherous Caribbean waters where every port harbors betrayal. His team includes Wade, an unstable Vietnam veteran off his medication; Brick, a former Soviet Spetsnaz with divided loyalties; and Trudy, a wounded Delta Force operator questioning everything she believed about duty and honor. As they race through Jamaica's corrupt ports and Colombia's lawless coasts, a larger conspiracy unfolds involving FARC rebels, rogue US Special Forces, and a mysterious organization called NEXUS. Each encounter strips away another layer of civilization, forcing the team deeper into moral darkness. The jungle rivers of Guyana become a battlefield where modern military tactics collide with primal survival instincts, and where the distinction between ally and enemy dissolves in the humid air. When government sanctions prove meaningless and official channels turn hostile, Lasher must embrace the monster he's always feared becoming. In the remote interior of South America, where international law holds no sway and violence is the only currency, the final confrontation approaches. Here, stripped of resources and reinforcements, warriors painted in mud and blood will determine whether redemption exists for those who've crossed every line - or if some transformations can never be undone. |
Questions this book answers
- How does a decorated soldier rebuild when the system that created him becomes his greatest enemy?
- What drives a man to choose between military honor and personal loyalty when they become mutually exclusive?
- Can warriors trained for conventional warfare adapt when the battlefield has no rules and no boundaries?
- What happens to elite soldiers when their medication runs out and their demons return in hostile territory?
- How do shadow organizations manipulate global conflicts through individual actors who believe they're fighting for their own causes?
- What price does a person pay when they must become the very evil they once fought against?
Selected quotes
"I wanted to find out if I could shoot someone when I didn't have to. The response was along the lines of, 'You're crazy.' After that, I never told them the truth again. They won't understand if they haven't been there."
"The work we'll do is good work. But first, before I can see the future, I have to fix the past. I'm going to brutally kill all of them."
"You're doing this like you're on your own... I know exactly what I'm starting."
Why it matters
In an era of proxy wars and deniable operations, Vulnerable exposes the human cost of shadow conflicts where soldiers become expendable pieces in games they never fully understand. This isn't another glorification of special operations - it's a raw examination of what happens when elite warriors are pushed past their breaking points and forced to operate in moral darkness. Readers seeking authentic military fiction that doesn't shy away from the psychological toll of violence will find a story that challenges every assumption about honor, duty, and redemption.