by Larry Bond
“I kinda thought we were friends,” Zeus told him.
Setco smirked at him, then extended his hand. They shook.
“I’m ready to go,” said Zeus.
Setco led him outside to the car he’d secured. The agency had assigned him to stay in the capital for a few days to “tie up loose ends.” What those loose ends were, Zeus could only imagine.
The city was relatively quiet, perhaps still not believing the war was truly over. Traffic moved slowly on the battered streets.
The closer they came to the embassy, the more nervous Zeus became. It had taken him the better part of two days to get in contact with Major Chaū. Anna was safe, the major assured him, and free. They had arranged to meet at the embassy this afternoon.
It had only been a few days since he saw her, but so much had happened—it was enough danger for several lifetimes. And now suddenly he couldn’t remember her face. He couldn’t remember anything about her, the way she looked or walked, her voice, her perfume.
What if she wasn’t as beautiful as he remembered? What if her touch didn’t heal?
The more he thought about it, the more overwhelmed he became—the more he didn’t want to face anything, or anyone, let alone her.
He folded his arms and lowered his head, exhausted, wanting to fall into a cocoon.
Setco stopped at the gate. Zeus’s heart jumped. The guards checked the IDs quickly and they were waved past.
Zeus lowered his head again. He couldn’t face her.
He couldn’t. It was just too much.
They stopped. “I’ll see you around, Zeus,” Setco told him. “I gotta go use the phone.”
“Thanks for the ride,” said Zeus.
He slipped out of the car.
She was there when he turned around.
“Zeus?”
She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered, every bit as inviting. And when their lips met, it was as blissful and energizing beyond anything he could have hoped.
And though there were no equations that took war and death and love, and put them into balance, and though there was no way to justify any number of chances he’d taken or things he’d done, and though there was no romance in risking your life for love, any more than there really was in war, her kiss reached deep into him, and for that moment, he felt peace.
It would be a moment that guided him for the rest of his life.
Authors’ Note
What’s in a name?
Some sharp-eyed readers have pointed out that the name of the destroyer in the South China Sea off Vietnam inexplicably changed from book two of the series to (some editions of) book three. They’ve wondered if it was indeed a different ship, some sort of action to confuse the Chinese, or a deliberate ploy to see how many readers are paying attention.
None of the above—it was a mistake on our part.
We’d started with one name and then, very late in the process, decided to change to another name for reasons that are now obscure. And for reasons that are even more obscure—no heavy drinking was involved, we promise—the original name apparently remained in book two. We should have checked when it was published and made everything conform, but alas …
We apologize for the confusion, but thank all the readers who have pointed it out (including those who have had a bit of fun at our expense). We’ve returned in this edition to the original name, hoping that it will create less overall confusion. We appreciate your support, and help.
Forge Books by
Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice
Larry Bond’s First Team
Larry Bond’s First Team: Angels of Wrath
Larry Bond’s First Team: Fires of War
Larry Bond’s First Team: Soul of the Assassin
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Shadows of War
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Edge of War
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Shock of War
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Blood of War
About the Authors
Larry Bond is the author of numerous New York Times bestselling thrillers, including Vortex, Cauldron, and The Enemy Within. He previously worked with Jim DeFelice on the Larry Bond’s First Team series. A former naval intelligence officer, warfare analyst, and antisubmarine technology expert, he makes his home in Springfield, Virginia.
Jim DeFelice is the author of many military-based thriller novels and is a frequent collaborator with Larry Bond, Dale Brown, and Richard Marcinko, among other New York Times bestselling authors. His solo novels include Leopards Kill, Threat Level Black, Coyote Bird, War Breaker, and Brother’s Keeper. He lives in New York.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously.
LARRY BOND’S RED DRAGON RISING: BLOOD OF WAR
Copyright © 2012 by Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice
All rights reserved.
Cover photographs by Jeff Atherton, Cassandra Thompson, Steve Acuff/United States Navy Visual News Service
A Forge Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
www.tor-forge.com
Forge® is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Bond, Larry.
Larry Bond’s Red dragon rising: blood of war / Larry Bond and Jim DeFelice.—1st ed.
p. cm.
“A Tom Doherty Associates book.”
ISBN 978-0-7653-2140-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4299-9603-7 (e-book)
1. International relations—Fiction. 2. Military intelligence—Fiction. 3. Undercover operations—Fiction. 4. Vietnam—Fiction. 5. China—Fiction. I. DeFelice, Jim, 1956– II. Title. III. Title: Red dragon rising: blood of war. IV. Title: Blood of war.
PS3552.O59725L386 2013
813'.54—dc23
2012024909
e-ISBN 9781429996037
First Edition: January 2013