It had been a good day for Russia.
The door opened and he rose, surprised to see the President’s number two man, Ivan Churilla, enter the room with several others. “Comrade Churilla! It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person!” It had been Churilla who had given him his marching orders over the phone with the implicit understanding that they came from the top man himself.
A man he hoped to soon meet in person.
Churilla frowned, sitting at the head of the table, the others standing behind him like an impassive wall.
“You did poorly, Dimitri.”
Yashkin’s chest tightened and he suddenly felt lightheaded. Of all the words to come out of Churilla’s mouth, those were the furthest from what he had imagined.
“I’m sorry? I don’t understand.”
“You have embarrassed us on the international stage.”
“But I followed your orders! You said you wanted to create confusion, to have the Americans blamed and to ensure anything or anyone who might interfere with that conclusion be eliminated.”
“And you failed.”
“Only because I was betrayed. We were betrayed by that bastard Sarkov!”
“A man under your command while you were there.”
Yashkin didn’t know what to say, the man’s statement true. Sarkov had been under his command. He should have had him arrested instead of sending him home. It had just never occurred to him that the man would actually have the balls to disobey his orders, he seeming so soft.
“I sent him home as soon as I realized he might be a problem,” he said, his voice devoid of the confidence he had had only moments ago.
“Yet he didn’t go home. Instead he found the people you were supposed to find, on his own, with no resources to assist him. Clearly he is the superior man.”
Yashkin bristled at the very idea, but bit his tongue. “What is to become of me?” he asked, his voice subdued, his eyes lowered.
Churilla rose, Yashkin jumping to his feet as the door was opened by one of the aides. Churilla stepped out of the room without answering.
“Sir, Comrade, what is to happen?”
But Churilla continued to walk away, followed by his aides. Yashkin rounded the table to follow him but was blocked by two soldiers, one carrying a pair of handcuffs.
“No! Oh please no!” he cried, backing away. “Please, sir, everything I did, I did for my country!”
Churilla stopped and turned.
“And now the best thing you can do for your country is accept blame for your independent and unauthorized actions.”
The handcuffs were slapped on his wrists and he knew then that the tables had turned. He was the patsy now, the patsy who would be blamed for the crimes committed by his superiors, he merely their minion ordered to carry them out.
And the harshness of the punishment, the swiftness of the justice, the efficiency with which the entire affair was swept under the proverbial rug, reminded him of the glorious days of the Soviet Union.
And the irony was lost on him.
Valley of the Red River, Vietnam
Three weeks later
“You’ve got mail, Grandmother.”
Ly looked up as her grandson, Duc, entered the humble family home. They still led a simple life in the valley, farming and fishing, the busy life of modern day Vietnam a distant curiosity. Her husband had died years ago but she was surrounded by half a dozen of her children and dozens of grandchildren.
Her life was full, her life was happy.
And in all her seventy years, she had never received a letter.
Her grandson handed her the envelope, sitting down beside her as her shaking fingers took it. “It’s postmarked from the United States!” he said, his voice clearly excited, pointing at the corner of the envelope.
“The United States? But who do we know in America?”
Duc laughed. “Grandmother, we know lots of people there.” He was bouncing with excitement. “Come on, Grandmother, open it!”
She smiled. “You young ones are so impatient.” She carefully tore the end of the envelope open and looked inside. “Curious.” Inside there was another envelope. She pulled it out to find it too was addressed to her, and when she read the return address in the corner she gasped, her hand darting to her mouth as tears filled her eyes.
“Phong!”
THE END
Acknowledgements
For some time now I’ve had the idea of one or more of the Delta boys being falsely accused of something and the rest of the team powerless to help them. Enter Acton and Laura to save the day for a change. Of course things never turn out exactly as I plan (because I rarely plan) so finding out what happens is just as fun for me as it hopefully is for you.
The history surrounding the death of Buddha is actually based on historical accounts excluding of course the mob. There were some who thought he had been poisoned, and the simple man who provided him his final meal was blamed by some, including himself. The Buddha did send a message through his trusted man Ananda, thanking him for the meal and to assure him he had already been sick.
The clay bowl of course was my invention.
Or was it?
One thing about the Internet I love is reviews. No, this isn’t a plug for book reviews, though yes, I do love those. This is a plug for other review sites. In this case the story about the KFC in Hanoi that Niner hides in is actually based upon a customer review on one of the hotel and restaurant review sites. A tourist actually experienced this odd first floor ordering, second floor pickup, with the staff on the second floor playing tag rather than making the food.
Yet another Acton story torn from the headlines!
As usual there are people to thank. Brent Richards for some weapons info, Ian Davidson for some motorcycle info (and for proving I know nothing about these things), Fred Newton for some car racing advice, Marc Quesnel, my Dad for researching as usual, and my wife, daughter, mother and friends for their continued support.
The Dong Son Drum Design used on the cover is copyrighted by Truong Viet Quoc and is licensed under fair use of copyrighted material via Wikipedia.
To those who have not already done so, please visit my website at www.jrobertkennedy.com then sign up for the Insider’s Club to be notified of new book releases. Your email address will never be shared or sold and you’ll only receive an occasional email from me as I don’t have time to spam you!
Thank you once again for reading.
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James Acton returns in the international bestseller Blood Relics, now available everywhere!
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
Check out the new Delta Force Unleashed series and get to know Bravo Team some more.
Get started with the international bestseller Payback (Delta Force Unleashed #1) today!
Why not try the Special Agent Dylan Kane spin-off series? Dylan Kane is a former student of James Acton and before being recruited into the CIA, served and trained under Burt "Big Dog" Dawson with Delta Te
am Bravo. Acton has a cameo in Rogue Operator, and Dawson and the boys appear in Containment Failure, Cold Warriors and Death to America.
Get started with the international bestseller Rogue Operator (Dylan Kane #1) today!
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author J. Robert Kennedy has been ranked by Amazon as the #1 Bestselling Action Adventure novelist based upon combined sales. He is the author of over twenty international bestsellers including the smash hit James Acton Thrillers series of which the first installment, The Protocol, has been on the bestseller list in the US and UK since its release, including occupying the number one spot for three months. He lives with his wife and daughter and writes full-time.
Visit Robert's website at www.jrobertkennedy.com and sign-up for the Insider's Club to be notified of new book releases.
Books by J. Robert Kennedy
The James Acton Thrillers
The Protocol
Brass Monkey
Broken Dove
The Templar's Relic
Flags of Sin
The Arab Fall
The Circle of Eight
The Venice Code
Pompeii's Ghosts
Amazon Burning
The Riddle
Blood Relics
Sins of the Titanic
Saint Peter's Soldiers
The Delta Force Unleashed Thrillers
Payback
Infidels
The Lazarus Moment
The Special Agent Dylan Kane Thrillers
Rogue Operator
Containment Failure
Cold Warriors
Death to America
The Detective Shakespeare Mysteries
Depraved Difference
Tick Tock
The Redeemer
Zander Varga, Vampire Detective Series
The Turned
The Protocol
A James Acton Thriller - Book #1
For two thousand years the Triarii have protected us, influencing history from the crusades to the discovery of America. Descendent from the Roman Empire, they pervade every level of society, and are now in a race with our own government to retrieve an ancient artifact thought to have been lost forever.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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Brass Monkey
A James Acton Thriller - Book #2
A nuclear missile, lost during the Cold War, is now in play--the most public spy swap in history, with a gorgeous agent the center of international attention, triggers the end-game of a corrupt Soviet Colonel's twenty five year plan. Pursued across the globe by the Russian authorities, including a brutal Spetsnaz unit, those involved will stop at nothing to deliver their weapon, and ensure their pay day, regardless of the terrifying consequences.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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Broken Dove
A James Acton Thriller - Book #3
With the Triarii in control of the Roman Catholic Church, an organization founded by Saint Peter himself takes action, murdering one of the new Pope's operatives. Detective Chaney, called in by the Pope to investigate, disappears, and, to the horror of the Papal staff sent to inform His Holiness, they find him missing too, the only clue a secret chest, presented to each new pope on the eve of their election, since the beginning of the Church.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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The Templar's Relic
A James Acton Thriller - Book #4
The Vault must be sealed, but a construction accident leads to a miraculous discovery--an ancient tomb containing four Templar Knights, long forgotten, on the grounds of the Vatican. Not knowing who they can trust, the Vatican requests Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer examine the find, but what they discover, a precious Islamic relic, lost during the Crusades, triggers a set of events that shake the entire world, pitting the two greatest religions against each other. At risk is nothing less than the Vatican itself, and the rock upon which it was built.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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Flags of Sin
A James Acton Thriller - Book #5
Archaeology Professor James Acton simply wants to get away from everything, and relax. A trip to China seems just the answer, and he and his fiancée, Professor Laura Palmer, are soon on a flight to Beijing. But while boarding, they bump into an old friend, Delta Force Command Sergeant Major Burt Dawson, who surreptitiously delivers a message that they must meet the next day, for Dawson knows something they don’t. China is about to erupt into chaos.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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The Arab Fall
A James Acton Thriller - Book #6
An accidental find by a friend of Professor James Acton may lead to the greatest archaeological discovery since the tomb of King Tutankhamen, perhaps even greater. And when news of it spreads, it reaches the ears of a group hell-bent on the destruction of all idols and icons, their mere existence considered blasphemous to Islam.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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The Circle of Eight
A James Acton Thriller - Book #7
The Bravo Team is targeted by a madman after one of their own intervenes in a rape. Little do they know this internationally well-respected banker is also a senior member of an organization long thought extinct, whose stated goals for a reshaped world are not only terrifying, but with today's globalization, totally achievable.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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The Venice Code
A James Acton Thriller - Book #8
A former President's son is kidnapped in a brazen attack on the streets of Potomac by the very ancient organization that murdered his father, convinced he knows the location of an item stolen from them by the late president. A close friend awakes from a coma with a message for archeology Professor James Acton from the same organization, sending him along with his fiancée Professor Laura Palmer on a quest to find an object only rumored to exist, while trying desperately to keep one step ahead of a foe hell-bent on possessing it.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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Pompeii's Ghosts
A James Acton Thriller - Book #9
Two thousand years ago Roman Emperor Vespasian tries to preserve an empire by hiding a massive treasure in the quiet town of Pompeii should someone challenge his throne. Unbeknownst to him nature is about to unleash its wrath upon the Empire during which the best and worst of Rome’s citizens will be revealed during a time when duty and honor were more than words, they were ideals worth dying for.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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Amazon Burning
A James Acton Thriller - Book #10
Days from any form of modern civilization, archeology Professor James Acton awakes to gunshots. Finding his wife missing, taken by a member of one of the uncontacted tribes, he and his friend INTERPOL Special Agent Hugh Reading try desperately to find her in the dark of the jungle, but quickly realize there is no hope without help. And with help three days away, he knows the longer they wait, the farther away she’ll be.
To
sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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The Riddle
A James Acton Thriller - Book #11
Russia accuses the United States of assassinating their Prime Minister in Hanoi, naming Delta Force member Sergeant Carl “Niner” Sung as the assassin. Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer, witnesses to the murder, know the truth, and as the Russians and Vietnamese attempt to use the situation to their advantage on the international stage, the husband and wife duo attempt to find proof that their friend is innocent.
To sample or purchase, please visit Amazon: US, UK, Canada, Australia, or click here for additional purchase options.
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Blood Relics
A James Acton Thriller - Book #12
A DYING MAN. A DESPERATE SON.
ONLY A MIRACLE CAN SAVE THEM BOTH.
Professor Laura Palmer is shot and kidnapped in front of her husband, archeology Professor James Acton, as they try to prevent the theft of the world’s Blood Relics, ancient artifacts thought to contain the blood of Christ, a madman determined to possess them all at any cost.
The Riddle (A James Acton Thriller, Book #11) Page 29