BooksBarbecue
Back Point of Contact Save as PDF
Chapters (83)
  1. Cover
  2. ALSO BY TOM CLANCY
  3. PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. What’s next onyour reading list?

And sure as hell, there would be a next time. This was the life he chose. Duty, honor, country.

Come what may.

—

The Kia’s windshield wipers couldn’t keep up with the downpour. Daniel Lim, the Uber driver—a long-haired college junior studying logistics, he told Jack, with glasses as thick as the windshield—cursed the water-blurred red lights in the windshield. A traffic jam from hell.

“Stupid drivers! Just a little rain!” He pounded the horn.

The blaring horn shot through Jack like an electric shock. The Tylenol he’d chewed had taken some of the edge off his headache, but not all of it. He needed the kid to calm down.

“I heard on the radio last night a cyclone had formed in the Java Sea. Is that what’s causing this?”

“Cyclone one, very low level. No worries for us! Lah,” Daniel said. “Just a big storm. Lots of rain.”

“And the rain is causing all the traffic?”

“Maybe. More like nervous. If the storm gets too big, big problems. Lots of flooding.” He pushed his glasses back up on his nose and hit the horn again, cursing.

Jack knew the Uber driver was paid only based on the destination, not time spent in the car like a regular taxi. It’s one of the reasons the gig-service was so popular.

“Look, Daniel. I know it’s taking us a long time to get to my place. I’ll pay you double for your trouble. So don’t worry about anything, okay?”

The driver whipped around, a big smile on his thick lips. “Okay! Thanks! It helps a lot.” He looked at Jack again. “You sure you okay?”

Jack could only imagine what he looked like, soaked to the bone, unshaven, and roughed up. He pointed at the windshield. “Better keep your eyes on the road.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

They crawled along for a few more minutes. Jack used the time to send Gavin an encrypted text message, along with photos and fingerprints of the men he’d just killed.

Up ahead, Jack saw police emergency lights flashing on the side of the road. The right lane was closed. Bright red flares burned. Between wiper blade swipes, Jack made out two cars crunched together. Traffic tried to merge left, including Daniel.

“Stupid drivers make a big wreck! Lah.”

“Any chance that cyclone will reach Singapore?” Jack asked.

“Here? No way. A cyclone can’t reach here. We’re on the equator. There isn’t a Coriolis effect. That’s what makes the winds spin like a funnel. Typhoons and cyclones can’t form below five degrees north or south latitude. Singapore is one-point-three-five latitude north. No problem.”

“That’s good to know.”