"The sun went down behind the storm clouds, and stained them with its blood, then the rain fell upon the ship in torrents. Solid sheets of water hammered the wooden decks so hard that the din drowned the men's voices and blotted out their vision." They leave as brothers. They must return as men. Famed sailor Hal Courtney is now a man of land and family. But when the King orders him to sail to Madagascar and stop the pirates responsible for looting...

An adventure set in the violent world of modern piracy and terrorism follows the kidnapping of an oil heiress's daughter for a multi-billion-dollar ransom and the efforts of Cross Bow Security head Hector Cross to secure her release.