“There must be someone over there who you know? Someone worth leaving here for?” O’Rourke said it quietly.
“There is.”
“Girlfriend?”
“A little boy I once helped, and the woman who is looking after him.”
“They’ll want to see you, and you’ve earned it.”
Rossett looked over at the ship and changed the subject.
“How did you get this in here?”
“One navy cargo ship looks pretty much the same as another, especially when it was donated by the Americans at the start of the war.” O’Rourke pointed to the numbers painted on the bow. “A splash of paint to convert it back to U.S. markings, a few American or Canadian officers on deck in case anyone gets curious, and a local consul who is sympathetic to what we are trying to do.” He paused. “And the right amount of bribery, of course.”
“The gold?”
“Enough of it to pay for this operation and one hundred more like it.”
A sailor came jogging over to O’Rourke and saluted.
“Captain is ready to sail, sir.”
O’Rourke acknowledged him with a halfhearted salute. The sailor glanced at Rossett, then jogged back to the ship, where the cargo gangway was being pulled back on board.
“What’ll it be, John? We don’t have long. The river pilot is waiting, and the tide’s turning.”
Rossett looked up at the sky. The morning sun was breaking through the clouds over the city center to his left. Voices were shouting orders on the ship. A gull whirled on the breeze, then became a white arrow as it swooped down and away across the muddy River Mersey.
Rossett noticed for the first time that the rain had stopped. He shivered in his damp clothes and felt the pain of his injuries rattle through his body.
He was tired.
He nodded, just once, to himself, and then looked at O’Rourke.
“I think it’s time to go.”
O’Rourke stood up and held out his hand.
“Come on, Lion. Let’s take you home.”
Acknowledgments
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
Just because there’s only one name on the jacket of a book, doesn’t mean only one person wrote it.
A team put these pages in front of you, and as far as I am concerned, I have the best team there is to have.
Starting with Nat Sobel, my patient agent. He’s the one who keeps me going, has my back, lifts me up, but somehow manages to keeps my feet on the ground.
This book wouldn’t exist without him, so if you meet him, thank him. He deserves it.
Next up is the manager of the team at HarperCollins: David Highfill.
When I started doing this sort of thing for a living, someone told me that writing was a cutthroat business, one in which everyone was looking out for number one.
I’ve got to be honest, I was a little intimidated, and then I met David.
He’s a gentleman. Old school, like the kind of guy your mother told you to be when you grew up. He’s trustworthy, honest, strong, believes in doing things the right way, and is in serious danger of giving publishing a good name. David backed me when there was nobody else, and always worked as hard as he could to make John Rossett a star. I’ll always be grateful, and it has been a pleasure working with him. I dearly hope that this isn’t the last book we make together.
Every good general like David lives and dies on the strength of his lieutenants, and David has been blessed in that department like no other. Ashley, Julie, Katherine, and the wonderful Chloe have all played their part in bringing these pages to you, so remember them please as you close them for the last time.
The team at Harper360 in the UK have also stood by my side throughout this journey, and I owe them a debt of gratitude.
Along with the bookmakers, a fair few booksellers have been along for the ride too. To them, especially Sarah Hughes, for all the amazing work that they do in putting books in front of you, I say thank you, and keep up the good work.
Now we come to friends and family.
I need to thank my sister, Denise, for the long coffee chats about nothing. They seem to go by so fast, and make me so grateful for having her, and her wonderful family, Jim, Ellen, Alex, and Paul, in my life.
Then there is my brother, Philip, and his boys, David, Karl, and Martin, who I don’t see often enough, but think about often.
Now it is time for friends old and new. Terry, Shirley, Tony W., Eddie M., Brian C., Mick W., plus Gina, Donna, and Lisa, et al. Thanks so much for all your support, it means a huge amount to me. St. Aloysius would be proud if he was around to see how we all turned out.
As always, there’s a shout out to Jane Buchanan, the woman with the wonkiest spare bed in New York, and whose name has been in more books than Chairman Mao. Mary and Kenny, dear, dear, supportive friends who mean so much to me. Then there are the two Ians, Mitty and Gauckwin, whose efforts to convert me to real ale go beyond the call of duty. Then there are the boys from ’Spoons, who I don’t get to see as often as I should: Graham, Rob, Andy, John, Ian, Fran, the dear departed Russ and Cleggy, plus Andy D. and Steve B., I love you all.
I can’t forget Tracey Edges, Jo Hughes, Dave Bidwell, Ian Collins, Clare Tiptaft, and Lembit Opik either. You’ve all helped so much. Thank you.
Now I have to thank you, the loyal followers and friends of John Rossett.
Your support has always brought me joy and made me grateful. I love you all whether we have corresponded or not. Those with whom I have been lucky enough to chat, people like Jacob Perry, Darcia Hale, Elise Cooper, Mark Rubenstein, and the wonderful Barbara and Ron Chennisi. Your efforts to spread the word about John Rossett will always be warmly remembered, and you aren’t just readers and reviewers, you are friends.
Now there is Sweeney.
You’re a pest. Honestly, you drive me up the wall. I’ve often thought about a restraining order but I can’t see the point, as I’m not sure you would be able to read it. I suppose I’ll just have to keep on putting up with you like a bad smell, same as I have done for the last forty-six years. While I am here, I would also like to take this opportunity to say to you that I was right about Kurt Russell and that you owe me a million pounds.
Then there is BooBoo the cat, who purrs on my lap, and keeps me and John Rosset company when all the world has gone to bed. There’s only been one other animal who could sleep through the sound of my typing, and BooBoo fills his big shadow beautifully.
Finally, I come to Anna.
The woman I love, and the woman who brought me home.
You've tied up all the loose ends of my life, and given it a happy ever after. I love you.
P.S.
Remember, where you are now isn’t where you’ll stay, it’s just another stop on the road to where you are going to end up.
Keep moving, keep trying, keep fighting, and like John Rossett, never give up, because you don’t know what’s around the next corner.
Lots of love,
Tony
About the Author
Tony Schumacher is the author of The Darkest Hour and The British Lion, and was twice a finalist for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History. He has written for the Guardian and the Huffington Post, and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio and London’s LBC Radio. He has been a policeman, stand-up comedian, bouncer, jeweler, taxi driver, perfume salesman, actor, and garbage collector, among other jobs. He currently lives outside Liverpool.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Tony Schumacher
The Darkest Hour
The British Lion
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
an army of one. Copyright © 2017 by Tony Sc
humacher. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
first edition
Cover design by Richard L. Aquan.
Cover photograph: © Roy Bishop/Arcangel (St. Paul’s Cathedral); © Joanna Jankowska.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Schumacher, Tony, 1967- author.
Title: An army of one : a John Rossett novel / Tony Schumacher.
Description: First edition. | New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2016055361| ISBN 9780062499875 (hardcover) | ISBN 0062499874 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780062499905 (ebook) | ISBN 0062499904 (ebook)
Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Suspense. | FICTION / Thrillers. | GSAFD: Alternative histories (Fiction)
Classification: LCC PR6119.C3865 A88 2017 | DDC 823/.92--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016055361
Digital Edition AUGUST 2017 ISBN: 978-0-06-249990-5
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-249987-5
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An Army of One: A John Rossett Novel Page 37
