My daughter whispered, “Dad, help,” and the line went d.ead. I drove at 100 mph to her in-laws’ mansion. My son-in-law blocked the porch, gripping a baseball bat, sneering, “This is a private family matter. Your daughter needed discipline.

Doris looked up at the old gardener she had always looked down on. But when our eyes met, she froze.

“You can’t touch me,” she spat, waving the scissors. “We’ll sue you. You’re a broke old man. You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

I lifted Emily into my arms. She was burning with fever, light as a child. I stared into Doris’s eyes.

“No, Doris. You have no idea who you’re dealing with. I’ve killed men far more dangerous than you with my bare hands on three continents. And today, I didn’t come here to trim roses.”

I pulled out my old flip phone. “Colonel. Code Black. My daughter’s location.”