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Black Flag

David Ricciardi
Chapters (96)
  1. Cover
  2. Berkley titles by David Ricciardi
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. CHARACTER LIST
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. FIFTY-THREE
  60. FIFTY-FOUR
  61. FIFTY-FIVE
  62. FIFTY-SIX
  63. FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. FIFTY-NINE
  66. SIXTY
  67. SIXTY-ONE
  68. SIXTY-TWO
  69. SIXTY-THREE
  70. SIXTY-FOUR
  71. SIXTY-FIVE
  72. SIXTY-SIX
  73. SIXTY-SEVEN
  74. SIXTY-EIGHT
  75. SIXTY-NINE
  76. SEVENTY
  77. SEVENTY-ONE
  78. SEVENTY-TWO
  79. SEVENTY-THREE
  80. SEVENTY-FOUR
  81. SEVENTY-FIVE
  82. SEVENTY-SIX
  83. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  84. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  85. SEVENTY-NINE
  86. EIGHTY
  87. EIGHTY-ONE
  88. EIGHTY-TWO
  89. EIGHTY-THREE
  90. EIGHTY-FOUR
  91. EIGHTY-FIVE
  92. EIGHTY-SIX
  93. EIGHTY-SEVEN
  94. Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation
  95. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  96. What’s next onyour reading list?

Cover

Cover for Black Flag

Berkley titles by David Ricciardi

WARNING LIGHT

ROGUE STRIKE

BLACK FLAG

Dedication

To Henry and Claudia, my inspiration for the second half.

Epigraph

In the era of square-rigged sailing ships, a black flag was flown by pirates to warn other vessels that an attack was imminent, but mercy would be shown if the crew surrendered without a fight. However, if the target refused to comply, the pirates would then hoist a red flag. The “bloody flag,” as it was known, was a signal that no mercy would be shown and no quarter would be given.

CHARACTER LIST

Badeed (“Shark Food”), Hawiye clan warlord

Cawar (“One Eye”), largest arms dealer in Africa, Isaaq clan

Clap, CIA Special Activities Center, Ground Branch team leader

Peter Clements, CIA, associate deputy director, intelligence

Farida, director of the Hawiye clinic

Gadhka Cas (“Red Beard”), boss of the Bakaara Market

Ted Graves, CIA Special Activities Center, chief

Jake Keller, CIA Special Activities Center, paramilitary operations officer

Masaska (“Snake”), disfigured Darood enforcer

Nacay (“Detestable”), son of Yaxaas

John Pickens, CIA, operations officer

Robleh, Hawiye clan elder, owner of Caafi water company

Athena Romanos, Greek shipowner (daughter)

Giánnis Romanos, Greek shipowner (father)

Steve, major, U.S. Army Special Forces

Saahid and Mahad, in INTERPOL’s Global Maritime Piracy Database

Yaxaas (“Crocodile”), Darood clan warlord

PROLOGUE

IT WAS A bad week for peace on earth.

Born the scion of a Greek shipping dynasty, the young man was said to have seawater running through his veins, but he cared not for the wheeling and dealing of the industry or the megayachts and private jets that came with it. His relationship with his family was strong, but its enormous wealth brought him neither pride nor shame—it simply did not define his existence. When he graduated from high school and the time came for him to choose between college and the family business, he decided instead—as he would for the rest of his life—to chart his own course.

The young man ventured 1,400 miles northwest, to the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, where he found work as an ordinary seaman at a competing line. He signed on under an alias—eager to prove to himself that he had earned his position—and was soon scraping paint, cleaning heads, and scrubbing decks. He worked hard, learned quickly, and moved rapidly through the ranks on everything from 150-foot tramp freighters to 1,200-foot oil tankers. Soon there wasn’t a crewman’s job aboard any ship, anywhere, that he couldn’t handle.

So he left the industry.

But he wasn’t finished.

He was just getting started.

The young man moved to Belgium and attended maritime college, where he spent four years studying navigation, load handling, and engineering before returning to the sea as a ship’s officer.