In this heart-pounding sequel to Threat Level, Special Forces operators Ed Storey and Lee Troy uncover an Al Qaeda network funneling smuggled cash from South America to the Middle East. In Los Angeles, FBI Special Agent Beth Royale investigates another network turning criminal profit into terrorist capital. As the two investigations link up, it becomes clear that their mission is not identifying and halting Al Qaeda's financing; it's tracking and stopping Al Qaeda as they move through South America toward the US-Mexico border as the US presidential election draws near. And this time, the odds are stacked in the terrorists' favor: Help comes from someone inside the US government and from Los Zetas, the lethal gang of Mexican drug cartel enforcers.