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Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

Cormack picked his head up from the books on his desk and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just after eleven thirty. It would be good for Cookie to get a break tonight—get home early and have a bit of a rest. He’d known the bartender for more than fifteen years, and the man was one of the hardest-working people he’d met. He’d never uttered a complaint and never asked for a raise. He didn’t play the game, but he knew enough to keep his eyes and ears to himself, and Cormack had no doubt that if he ever needed to depend on someone, Cookie would be at the top of his list. He was the kind of a man who would gladly give up his own life for a friend. Men like that were few and far between, in Cormack’s experience, and not to be taken for granted.

Cormack made a mental note to find a way to express his appreciation. He wasn’t sure how to do that; after all, what do you get for a man who wants nothing? He was sure he could figure out something, though. He had time.

ELEVEN

T’phong Soh stood at the base of Pier Six, looking out at the Mariner. Juan Suarez, his chief lieutenant, stood beside him. A group of Greek infidels had just passed them coming from the bar, their voices raised, their gait unsteady. For a moment, as they passed, Soh thought they might be spoiling for a fight—a complication for which he had no contingency. One of the tall, fat Greek sailors looked at Soh with malevolence, and Soh could feel the man’s desire for confrontation. Under other circumstances Soh would have welcomed the opportunity to make clear what a mistake it was to underestimate a smaller man. Soh’s hand was in his pocket, and he rubbed his thumb lightly across the curved blade. It would have taken him less than two seconds to gut the Greek from pelvis to Adam’s apple. He imagined with pleasure the look that would cross the man’s face as his guts spilled across the pier. And yet it was not an option. Not tonight.

“He is still there?” Suarez asked in Spanish. He was from El Salvador, and therefore considered more loyal to the organization than Soh, who was thought of as a foreigner. He’d been sent by the MS-13 captains from his prior assignment in Los Angeles nearly two years ago to keep an eye on Soh for the organization. In less than six months, Soh had come to trust Suarez as much as he supposed he would ever trust anyone.

“That is what my informant has said.”