by David Poyer
But they wouldn’t listen to her. Oh, she knew why. When four stars gave an order, that was the burning bush. All the regulars had to salaam. But it wasn’t just that. Even she had to admit that.
For just a moment she wondered if it could be true. She knew Doctor Rihab Taha. She was smart and she was cold. But could she do something like this? Could any physician? No, it was bullshit. It had to be bullshit.
But with a million innocent lives at stake—men, women, and children—you couldn’t take a chance. Not with something like that.
When they asked her, she had to say she’d try.
And horrible though it had been so far, it was getting worse now. Something was going on outside. A terrifying roar came through the tortured howl of the engine. Light played through the canted windows, throwing flickering shadows across the greasepainted faces around her. She flung her arms out instinctively as the nose pitched up, as gay bright Independence Day sparklers she recognized after a horrified instant as tracers burned past the door gunner. Then the flame was in with them, a jolt and a deafening bang cracked through the metal around her. And God help her, she hadn’t meant to, but that was her screaming as they went down.
* * *
The team leader reached out and grabbed the two people closest to him. They weren’t restrained. If the helo went in they’d all ballistic through the cockpit windshield a fraction of a second after the pilots. But that was what you did, held on to those closest to you. Because that was all there was to do.
The M60 gunner was firing, not bursts like you were trained to, just a steady clatter. The muzzle was outboard the aircraft and it sounded distant, like it was in a far room. Another round came through the fuselage, blinding bright and loud as a stun grenade in a close room. Blinded, deafened, he braced for the impact. So this was the end. They were right, the ones who’d said it was too risky. He’d pulled the team together in haste, and only half-trained it. He’d told the CO he didn’t think it would work. If what they wanted him to find even existed. But the boss had said do it, and Semper Fi. Hey diddle diddle, right up the middle.
And now they were heading for the desert floor, and bodies were sliding toward him and then lifting off the deck as the aircraft nosed over and headed down again.
Clamping his teeth together, holding tight to the men he’d hoped to lead, he closed his eyes and waited for the end.
ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS YITLES BY DAVID POYER
THE THREAT
THE COMMAND
BLACK STORM
CHINA SEA
TOMAHAWK
THE PASSAGE
THE CIRCLE
THE GULF
THE MED
BLOCKBUSTER PRAISE FOR DAVID POYER AND CHINA SEA
“Poyer’s characters are as good as ever, and the action scenes lively.”
—Library Journal
“The battle scenes are scintillating and satisfying … Poyer displays a fine sense of pace and plot.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Action, realism, and exotic locales … an absorbing, exciting, and thought-provoking experience.”
—Chesapeake Life
“An exciting story … The author’s vivid descriptions of life on a ship show us not only the ‘Anchors Aweigh’ honor and dedication, but also the boiler-room sweat and frustrations of naval life.”
—Virginia Times
“Poyer springs plenty of action on us … his narration and dialogue ring true.”
—Jacksonville Times-Union
“Poyer brings the courage, honor, and commitment of sea duty to life in this vivid portrayal of life aboard a Knox-class frigate … the details describing life at sea are captivating as the action is continually rolling along, and each page pulls a new twist into the architecture of the story. In the end, the reader is treated to a fantastic battle that pulls each of the story threads together as a tightly woven yarn … the scales of intrigue, from murder, piracy, and battle to international diplomacy, capture the imagination with lifelike characters of heroes and villains most naval readers can link to real people met during their own world travels … China Sea belongs in the library of avid fiction readers.”
—Shipmate
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.
CHINA SEA
Copyright © 2000 by David Poyer.
Excerpt from Black Storm copyright © 2001 by David Poyer.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-055067
ISBN: 0-312-97450-7
EAN: 978-0-312-974503
St. Martin’s Press hardcover edition / March 2000
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / May 2001
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
eISBN 9781466848245
First eBook edition: June 2013
