Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
The boat slowed, and after a moment, I got to my feet, my ears still ringing from the blast. Jing turned to look at me, opening and closing her jaw, trying to get her ears to work. We’d been knocked around, and we were bloodied and bruised, but nothing catastrophic. The other good news was that the bullet-ridden boat was still seaworthy.
Jing shook herself all over, needing to get her bearings, then took control of the boat again. I had Nam take a seat on the cushioned area in the rear of the boat with Garland, and I heard him praying in gratitude. Garland was right behind him, crossing himself before shooting me a smile.
“You guys at Torus always have this much fun, Colonel?”
“Oh fuck yeah,” Jing assured him. “You should see our New Year’s Eve parties. Those get really wild.”
His laughter was good to hear, and Nam had a bemused expression on his face as he looked at him. The day had just infinitely improved.
As Jing turned the craft toward Koh Kret and sped away, I felt better than I had since we arrived in Bangkok.
EIGHT
“The manmade island of Koh Kret was populated by the Mon people after the fall of the Ayutthaya kingdom, and compared to Bangkok, it’s like another world,” I told them as the Demon followed the Chao Phraya River toward our destination. “The island’s delicate remoteness and fairy-tale small, rustic fishing-village quality makes the polluted urban megacity living of Thai Krung Tep seem a million miles away.”
“Really?” Jing whined, squinting at me, stopping me from saying any more. “You always have to do the history thing?”
“Don’t you want to know these things?”
“Sure, Dad, yeah,” she said sarcastically, and Nam’s laughter was nice to hear.
There were no major roads where we were and no cars on the Koh Kret, making the safe house accessible only by water and tactically perfect. Jing easily found the house’s private jetty and sped into a small berth, then cut the engine. Slowly, moving gently, the powerboat drifted on the calm river to the mooring, and I jumped onto the dock, taking the line to tie up.
“Holy shit,” Chris said, coming down the dock to meet us. “How many bullets are in this thing, and how is it still floating?”
“I have no idea,” Jing muttered, getting off the boat quickly but giving it a pat. “It’s a good one, though. I’m gonna get one with my bonus,” she said, glaring at me.
“Duly noted,” I groused at her.
“I’m so calling Hasana and giving her shit,” she snapped, charging by Chris.
“Really,” Chris said, gesturing at the boat. “How?”
“Krit!” His family ran down the dock to greet him as he scrambled off the boat.
It was nice to see the happy reunion, the hugging and kissing. I didn’t speak the language, so I didn’t know what was being said, but I heard Garland’s name, and when he reached them, he returned Nam’s family’s effusive greetings with a stream of flowing Thai.
“Seriously?” I said irritably as I passed by him. I, of course, had not kept my eye on Nam for the entirety of our trip down the river, so I must have missed Garland saving his life. The way Nam was holding his arm, and the way his family hugged him, I was thinking it had been epic.
Walking toward the safe house, I was met by George Hunt.
“Hey,” I greeted him, offering him my hand. “Thank you for the assist on the street earlier.”
“You’re welcome, Colonel,” he said with a grimace.
I knew the look. “You need to go.”
“Yessir, and I apologize, but I need to rejoin my unit. We’re being deployed to Syria.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” I assured him, stepping back to offer him a salute. “Thank you, soldier. Travel safe and get home.”
He immediately returned the salute. “Rangers lead the way, sir.”
“They do,” I agreed.
I was certain he was about to be choppered out, but I didn’t ask as he jogged down the dock, away from me, his duffel bag slung over one shoulder, the rifle bag over the other.
“This is excellent news,” Dante greeted me, coming down the dock, looking like he’d just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. “You’re not dead.”
I gestured at him. “How do you always stay so clean?”
“Because I never take the ride of terror on the river,” he answered, scowling at me. “Why do you always look so terrible? And didn’t you have a shirt when you started?”
I ignored him, smiling at Arden, who rushed up and flung herself into my arms. She was weeping, clearly happy to see me.
“Are you all right?” I asked her when she eased back to look at my face.
She nodded and pointed over her shoulder. “What did you do to Jing?”
“It was maybe a little dicey out there.”
“I think she’s throwing up.”