Chapters (96)
- Cover
- Berkley titles by David Ricciardi
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- CHARACTER LIST
- PROLOGUE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- EIGHTY-FOUR
- EIGHTY-FIVE
- EIGHTY-SIX
- EIGHTY-SEVEN
- Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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“Don’t flatter yourself. I figured out the danger had returned after my brother disappeared,”
“Of course, what I meant—”
“I know what you meant, but it doesn’t change the fact that he’s gone and I can protect these men by turning that ship around.”
“But you know that turning the ship around will make the pirates suspicious, and they’ll talk to the banker in Mogadishu, and he’ll call the intermediary in Switzerland, and he’ll phone your shipping agent, who will say that, coincidentally enough, Athena Romanos was just in his office for the first time ever . . . Then the pirate leader will go to ground and we’ll spend five years searching for him while he escapes justice.”
“I could alter the Symi’s course. I could divert it a hundred miles west of the route they’re expecting.”
“I have no idea if the pirates are targeting the Symi, but I don’t want you to delude yourself that altering course would stop them. They’ve been tracking their targets using the automatic identification system. They’re going to find whatever ship they’re looking for.”
Athena put her hands in her face again, displeased with all of her options.
“When will you arrest him?”
“As soon as we get approval from Washington.”
“What could they be waiting for?”
“It’s a bureaucracy,” Jake said. “I’m sorry.”
“I should call INTERPOL. They would arrest him immediately.”
“INTERPOL doesn’t have an enforcement arm. They’ll just pass the information to the Somalis and the pirates have sources inside the government. There’s a one hundred percent chance that he’ll get a heads-up and maybe a five percent chance that the authorities will even look for him. It will only make him harder to catch.”
Athena looked out over the sea again. Moonlight was breaking through the clouds.
“We don’t know that they’re targeting the Symi,” Jake repeated.
“They are.”
Jake hesitated. “It’s possible, but they could be working with other agents too. There could be dozens of potential targets.”
“And yet you’re convinced that turning one ship around will ruin your whole plan? ‘Either your men die or many more will.’ Isn’t that what you said the first time we met?”
“I only meant that—”
“I’m sorry. I know you’re trying to help.”
The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes.
“Does the Symi have a citadel?” Jake said.
“All of our ships do. We installed them after my brother died.”
“Then remind the crew to follow procedures and get everyone into the citadel at the first sign of trouble. They’ll be safe there.”
THIRTY-ONE
THE GENERAL ALARM was wailing throughout the ship.
The crew had been alerted to something—probably all of their electronics turning to mush at the same time.
Shit happens, thought the pirate commander.