DeMarco knew he should leave. Just get his ass out of this fuckin' chair, walk out, and never look back. He also knew if he left before finding out what was going on, Mahoney would flay him.

Before DeMarco could decide one way or the other, Banks picked up an index card lying on the blotter in the center of his desk. He held it gingerly, by one corner, as if it was coated with anthrax, and handed it to DeMarco.

"This is what started it all," Banks said. "That's not the original but that's what it said, verbatim. I sent the original to . . . Never mind. Just read it."

DeMarco read: "Eagle One is in danger. Cancel Chattooga River. The inside ring has been compromised. This is not a joke." The note was signed: "An agent in the wrong place."

Excerpted from The Inside Ring by Michael Lawson, pages 5-11 of the hardcover edition. Copyright © 2005 by Michael Lawson. Excerpted by permission of Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.