Thank you for taking the time to read this far. Don’t be a slacker now. Hell, you may just be mentioned in my acknowledgments.
I first want to thank Beth Davey, my agent, and Kevin Lake for encouraging this project. Thank you to Glenn and the whole staff at BenBella Books for taking a chance on me, a virtual unknown. You could have picked anybody. (Of course, because of your good judgment, you’re gonna get even richer than you already are.) Karen Lacey, you got me in the door. Laurel Leigh, the stars aligned for me and this book when you agreed to edit my book. In my humble opinion, you took a good book and turned it into a great book.
To all my ATF brothers and sisters, thanks for letting me be part of a great team. What can I say about the RatSnakes? This book is for you, about you, and because of you. You ARE my family.
To my kids, thank you for giving me a reason to push harder every day.
Mom and Dad, there is nothing I can say that would equal your unconditional love and devotion. I miss you.
To Hanna Boys Center and all of the juvenile justice professionals for never giving up on me. To the Athens Police Department and all of the officers, detectives, and staff who raised me in this business and taught me that being a cop is about being a guardian of our communities and not just a cool ass job. To Lou and Mac, Joe, Larry, Bill, Joyce, Uncle Ron, Bob, and all those who taught me how to be a special agent and a UC operator, thank you. To all my partners, Bird, Darren, Bob, Steve, Butch, I love you guys. Thanks for keeping me alive and probably out of jail.
Chuck Mote, you saved my ass. To Gary and the boys at Polk Springs, thank you for taking me in. To Mary Lynn, you will always be the boss of me.
And finally, to all of you who have purchased this book, thank you from the bottom of my heart.