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Dogs of War

Page 54

by Jonathan Maberry


  7.

  On the first of July, I flew back to Baltimore to see my brother and his family.

  Em seems to think it was all a dream. She hardly ever has nightmares anymore. Ali has enrolled her daughter in jujutsu classes. She studies, too. So does Sean.

  My brother and I have had a lot of long talks since this began. They started at Uncle Jack’s funeral, and we’ve talked almost every day since. I thought all of this would drive him away. Drive us farther apart. That’s not what happened, though. I think Sean got to see enough of what I do to understand how it’s changed me. And I see him—the cop, the husband, the father, the man—and I respect him more than I ever did. Maybe this whole “brother” thing will work out for us. Time will tell, but I like our odds.

  And Lefty?

  Mr. Church has a lot of friends in the industry.

  A lot of them.

  It was a long road, and there’s a chance that Lefty won’t ever pitch in the major leagues.

  But then again he might.

  Kid throws a hell of a fastball. Even I can’t hit it. Even when I try.

  ALSO BY JONATHAN MABERRY

  NOVELS

  Kill Switch

  Predator One

  Code Zero

  Extinction Machine

  Assassin’s Code

  King of Plagues

  The Dragon Factory

  Patient Zero

  Joe Ledger: Special Ops

  Dead of Night

  Fall of Night

  The Wolfman

  Mars One

  The X-Files Origins: Devil’s Advocate

  The Nightsiders: The Orphan Army

  The Nightsiders: Vault of Shadows

  Deathlands: Ghostwalkers

  Bits & Pieces

  Fire & Ash

  Flesh & Bone

  Dust & Decay

  Rot & Ruin

  Bad Moon Rising

  Dead Man’s Song

  Ghost Road Blues

  Dark of Night

  ANTHOLOGIES

  V-Wars

  V-Wars: Blood & Fire

  V-Wars: Night Terrors

  X-Files: Secret Agendas

  V-Wars: Shock Waves

  Out of Tune

  X-Files: Trust No One

  X-Files: The Truth Is Out There

  NONFICTION

  Wanted Undead or Alive

  They Bite

  Zombie CSU

  The Cryptopedia

  Vampire Universe

  Vampire Slayer’s

  Field Guideto the Undead

  (as Shane MacDougall)

  Ultimate Jujutsu

  Ultimate Sparring

  The Martial Arts Student Logbook

  Judo and You

  GRAPHIC NOVELS

  Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine

  Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher

  Marvel Universe vs. The Avengers

  Captain America: Hail Hydra

  Klaws of the Panther

  Doomwar

  Black Panther: Power

  Marvel Zombies Return

  Rot & Ruin: Warrior Smart

  V-Wars: The Crimson Queen

  V-Wars: All of Us Monsters

  Bad Blood

  COLLECTIONS

  Whistling Past the Graveyard

  A Little Bronze Book of Cautionary Tales

  Beneath the Skin:

  The Sam Hunter Case Files

  BOARD GAMES

  V-Wars: A Game of Blood and Betrayal

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jonathan Maberry is a New York Times bestseller and multiple Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Kill Switch, Predator One, Code Zero, Fall of Night, Patient Zero, the Pine Deep Trilogy, Mars One, and The Nightsiders. His work for Marvel Comics includes The Punisher, Wolverine, Black Panther: Doomwar, Marvel Zombies Return, and Black Panther. His Joe Ledger series has been optioned for film. You can sign up for email updates here.

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  CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Notice

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Author’s Note

  Part One: Small Monsters

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Part Two: John the Revelator

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Part Three: Watching the Detectives

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Part Four: The Education of Zephyr Bain

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Chapter Seventy

  Chapter Seventy-One

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  Chapter Seventy-Four

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  Chapter Eighty

  Chapter Eighty-One

  Chapter Eighty-Two

  Part Five: Havoc

  Chapter Eighty-Three

  Chapter Eighty-Four

  Chapter Eighty-Five

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  Chapter Ninety

  Chapter Ninety-One

  Chapter Ninety-Two

  Chapter Ninety-Three

  Chapter Ninety-Four

  Chapter Ninety-Five

  Chapter Ninety-Six

  Chapter Ninety-Seven

  Chapter Ninety-Eight

  Chapter Ninety-Nine

  Ch
apter One Hundred

  Chapter One Hundred and One

  Chapter One Hundred and Two

  Chapter One Hundred and Three

  Chapter One Hundred and Four

  Chapter One Hundred and Five

  Chapter One Hundred and Six

  Chapter One Hundred and Seven

  Chapter One Hundred and Eight

  Chapter One Hundred and Nine

  Chapter One Hundred and Ten

  Chapter One Hundred and Eleven

  Chapter One Hundred and Twelve

  Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen

  Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen

  Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen

  Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen

  Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen

  Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen

  Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Two

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Three

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Four

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Six

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Seven

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Eight

  Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred and Thirty

  Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-One

  Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Two

  Epilogue

  Also by Jonathan Maberry

  About the Author

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  DOGS OF WAR. Copyright © 2017 by Jonathan Maberry. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

  www.stmartins.com

  Cover design by Rob Grom

  Cover photographs: man with gun © Aaron Amat/Shutterstock.com; robotic dog © Ociacia/Shutterstock.com

  The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

  ISBN 978-1-250-09848-1 (trade paperback)

  ISBN 978-1-250-09849-8 (e-book)

  e-ISBN 9781250098498

  Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.

  First Edition: April 2017

 

 

 


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