Act of War (45 page)

Harvath had marveled at how President Porter had handled everything. Combined with the intelligence gathered by the SEALs in North Korea, the President had assembled an airtight case against the Chinese. Though he was outraged that any administration would secretly issue collateralized bonds and keep it from the American citizens, he had found a loophole.

The Chinese had conducted an act of war against the United States. Their goal was to force America’s collapse so that China could collect on the resources it so desperately needed. The President found it only fitting
that America’s debt to the Chinese, all of it, be nullified. The Chinese were apoplectic, but there was absolutely nothing they could do about it. They had lost legitimacy and they had lost face. The President intended to press his advantage for every economic and diplomatic benefit he could reap.

For its role in helping to develop the EMP weapons, knowingly delivering them to the Chinese, and allowing Chinese soldiers to train for an American invasion on their soil, the President imposed crippling concessions on the North Koreans.

President Porter was particularly moved by the story of Jin-Sang, the little boy the Gold Dust team had rescued from the North Korean labor camp. In addition to a multitude of demands on the DPRK economically and militarily, President Porter had forced the North Korean government to accept all types of inspectors, including the IAEA, Amnesty International, and the Red Cross. It was that or face total annihilation.

Before the President had even picked up the phone to inform the Chinese and North Koreans of the consequences of their actions and the restitution they would be forced to make, he had consulted with America’s allies. Each of them knew that the same plot could have been carried out against their country, and they stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States, agreeing to back them on anything they chose to do. It was good for them to be reminded of who their friends and enemies were from time to time. They seemed to get the two mixed up on a disturbingly regular basis.

As for the Chinese, the United States had one final demand. And until that demand was satisfied, the princelings would remain as guests in the United States.

•  •  •

Colonel Jiang Shi stepped to the window and watched the snow that had begun to fall outside. The seasoned logs in the fireplace snapped and popped as they gave off a bright orange flame. The opulent mountain retreat did little to lessen his dislike of China’s political class.

The General Secretary and the rest of the PSC blamed him, of
course, for the failure of Snow Dragon. He had thought about fleeing. He had money, contacts. Yet he knew eventually they would find him. While it wouldn’t be Tai Cheng, it would be someone just like him. Someone born with a predator’s instinct who knew nothing but the hunt. It would have been pointless to run. So he had gone to work, waiting to be summoned, waiting for a speedy trial and a bullet to the back of his head, with the bill sent to his wife. But neither the trial nor the bullet ever came.

As it turned out, the General Secretary and the PSC were more concerned about coming up with a trump card, something they could give the Americans that would stave off the inevitable. They didn’t care what it was. They would throw any other country to the wolves in order to save themselves. Shi had never seen them so convinced that the Americans would unite the world against them in war.

The Second Department worked around the clock, trying to develop a plan. On top of figuring out a way to avert war, contingencies were being made in case they did go to war. It was in this arena that the PSC wanted Colonel Shi focused. Despite the failure of his Snow Dragon operation, they had finally come to appreciate his talent in unrestricted warfare. If war were to come, the PSC, the PLA, and the Second Department needed a concise plan for how to win it. The stakes had never been higher, especially as the PSC was convinced that the new American president was so incensed that he fully intended to launch a full-scale nuclear attack.

That was why Colonel Shi had been invited to the PSC’s mountain retreat. The Chinese had agreed to unconditionally release the Americans from their debt obligations, but that hadn’t been enough. The United States had a bloodlust that couldn’t be sated. China needed a plan, a brilliant plan, and Jiang Shi had been told to have multiple options for them by the time they arrived.

Turning from the window, Shi walked to the fireplace and added another log. His dinner sat on the table. He hadn’t had much of an appetite, but knew he needed to eat.

Sitting down, he placed the elaborately folded napkin in his lap. As he did, he noticed a small, wooden gift box had been placed underneath.

He opened the box and inside was a tiny figurine. It was a snow dragon
that had been hand-carved from a small piece of ivory. With it was a crisp, white note card.

Shi’s name had been beautifully written on one side in Chinese characters. Part of him wondered if this was a symbol of recognition from the PSC for everything he had done, or perhaps from the General Secretary himself—a man known for giving such exquisite gifts.

Turning the card over, Shi felt his heart stop as he read words just as beautifully written, but in English:

America bows to no one.

Before Shi had any idea what was happening, Harvath had swung the garrote wire over the man’s head, pulled back as hard as he could, and crossed his hands.

Colonel Jiang Shi struggled as the blood spurted from his neck, but only for a moment. The last thing he saw as he died was the snow falling just outside his window.

•  •  •

As Harvath exited the retreat and walked downhill to the limousine the PSC and the General Secretary had provided, he removed his cell phone and texted the President:

The Snow Dragon is dead.

I
n an author’s life, there are so many important people to thank when a new book is published, and I always start with you, my incredible
readers
. Thank you for all of your support and all the great word-of-mouth you generate. I could take out billboards around the world and they would never have the power of when you turn to a friend, colleague, or a family member and say, “You have to read this Brad Thor book . . .” I cannot thank you enough for being the best ambassadors a writer could ever have.

Without amazing
booksellers
, you wouldn’t be holding this in your hands. I am very grateful for all they do to sell my novels and introduce new readers to my work every day. Wherever you buy my books, please know that you are interacting with a very special group of people.

James Ryan
,
Rodney Cox
, and
Sean F.
are exceptionally talented men who have never once let me down personally or professionally. No matter how hard a challenge I throw at them, they always come back with the perfect solution. Thank you, gentlemen, for your professionalism, your patriotism, and your friendship.

Pete Scobell
,
Jeff Boss
,
Peter Osyff
, and
Jon Sanchez
are not only a terrific group of men, but they contributed overwhelmingly to the verisimilitude of this novel. My thanks to them go far beyond their selfless contributions herein. America is a better place because of them.

An additional thank-you goes out to good friends
Chad Norberg
,
Frank Gallagher
,
Jeff Chudwin
,
Robert O’Brien
,
Steve Adelmann
of Citizen Arms, who created the Hoplite carbine,
Tony Williams
, Government Sales Manager at Aimpoint,
Steve Tuttle
, Vice President of Communications TASER International, Inc., and two other friends who are also two of my favorite must-read authors:
James Rollins
and
J. L. Bourne
.

I would also like to thank knife designer
James Williams
of CRKT,
Heidi A. Fedak
of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp, and
Nate
of Grumpy’s Bail Bonds in Nashville.

There are others who contributed to
Act of War,
but who, out of security concerns, have asked that their names not be listed here. To them, and all the men and women with whom they work, I say thank you for your assistance and for your selfless service to our great nation.

The characters
Stephanie Esposito
,
Jimi Fordyce
,
Lester (Les) Johnson
,
Anne Reilly Levy
, and
Heidi Roe
were so named in the novel because of generous contributions made to worthwhile causes in their honor. I hope everyone enjoys how the names were used. My thanks to all involved for their generosity.

Great publishing happens because you have an outstanding team. From the phenomenal
Carolyn Reidy
and the extraordinary
Louise Burke
, to the marvelous
Judith Curr
, I am with the
absolute best
in the business. Thank you to everyone at
Simon & Schuster
for all that you have done and continue to do for me.

At the center of my amazing team is the most incredible editor and publisher an author could ever have, the remarkable
Emily Bestler
. There is a reason we have been together since Day 1. She is not only the best at what she does, she is also an absolute pleasure to work with. She always has my back, and for that I am eternally grateful. Thank you, Emily.

My magnificent publicist,
David Brown
, is a force to be reckoned with. He is not only one of the nicest men you will ever meet, he is also one of the hardest-working and most dedicated. David, thank you for everything.

In addition to David, the tremendous
Cindi Berger
and
Cara Masline
of PMK continue to help us shatter records with each book we publish. Thank you, ladies.

If you’re very fortunate, you get to go to war with an army you love—and
that’s definitely the situation in my case. At
Simon & Schuster
, it is my pleasure to say thank you to everyone at
Emily Bestler Books/Atria
and
Pocket Books
, including
Michael Selleck
,
Ben Lee, Kate Cetrulo
,
Megan Reid
,
Irene Lipsky
,
Lisa Keim
,
Valerie Vennix
,
Ariele Fredman
, the
Emily Bestler Books/Atria and Pocket Books sales team
, including
Gary Urda
,
John Hardy
, and
Colin Shields
,
Jeanne Lee
, and both the
Emily Bestler Books/Atria and Pocket Books Art Departments
,
Al Madocs
, and the
Emily Bestler Books/Atria Production Department
,
Chris Lynch
,
Tom Spain
,
Sarah Lieberman
,
Desiree Vecchio
,
Armand Schultz
, and the
Simon & Schuster audio division
.

I am pleased to announce that upon completion of
Act of War,
I signed a new contract with
Simon & Schuster
and that you will be seeing a lot more of Scot Harvath well into the future.

That contract happened because of
Heide Lange
of
Sanford J. Greenburger Associates
. Heide is the best literary agent on the planet, and I have learned more about publishing and business from her than I could ever hope to learn in two lifetimes. She is a brilliant negotiator, a fabulous advocate, and the dearest of friends.

Rounding out Heide’s team are the awesome
Stephanie Delman
and
Rachel Mosner
. I thank you and everyone else at SJGA for all that you do, day in and day out for me. You are all very much appreciated.

Out in Hollywood, my longtime friend and extraordinary entertainment attorney,
Scott Schwimer
, continues to work his very special kind of magic. Thank you for everything, Scottie.

At Thor Entertainment Group,
Yvonne Ralsky
continues to be an absolute genius, who brings creativity and ingenuity by the truckload. We are in the most exciting phase of our company to date and you are a huge part of that. Thank you, YBR.

Happiness in life is all about three things—something to do, someone to love, and something to look forward to. The most important component to me is having someone to love. It was my gorgeous wife,
Trish
, who encouraged me to pursue my dreams of becoming an author. It was also Trish who brought our two incredible
children
into this world. A life without love is a life not fully lived, and that makes me so thankful for
my family. They keep me grounded and happier than I ever believed possible. Thank you for all you put up with while I am writing. I love you all more than you will ever know.

In closing, let me say that I am constantly striving to create new and more exciting ways to add to your enjoyment of my novels. Please consider signing up at
BradThor.com
for my fast, fun, easy-to-read monthly newsletter, where I offer exclusive contests, prizes, bonus content, and special features that bring the locations in my novels to life.

Thank you for all of your support. I’ll see you with a new adventure soon!