Read Online The Cover of War by Travis Stone - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Travis Stone
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never
came to Saigon ,' Amai said.
Then she
realized that had she not, she would never have meet Danny.
An awful feeling
of guilt swamped her.
Cam said: 'You're under pressure. Think clearly. Use your intuition, it
will guide you.'
Amai wiped her
eyes. 'I just want to be a good person.'
Then it sank in:
guilt would accompany whichever course of action she chose; she would never be
free of it.
She needed to
nullify the guilt.
She needed to
close her mind, not open it. She needed to start the process of shutting the
doors to her soul, if she was to get through tonight's sordid task.
Cam said: 'You are a good person. I love you my sister.'
Then they just
held each other.
In Cam 's embrace, Amai began to accept her
fate, and with acceptance came tenacity.
I won't fail
Nhu An, she thought. I won't fail the children.
12
T he base surgeon wrapped a bandage around Nash's calf and fastened it
with metal clasps. 'You've got some stitches, Captain. Keep the wounds clean -
and for God's sake - rest it.'
Nash had no
intention of resting. His ass felt like a pin-cushion and his leg throbbed, but
he'd just been tipped-off on Amai's whereabouts and was desperate to follow it
up; unfortunately he had to spar with Colonel Hitchcock first. Hitchcock wanted
to shut him down.
A gentle eddy of
nerves started in Nash's gut and he checked his watch: 4:45pm . He
smoothed his non-regulation forelock back into his brylcreemed fringe, mounted
his crutches, and vaulted to the waiting jeep. Corporal Jessup was driving.
'To the MI
compound, Corporal. Move it.'
Hitchcock
might look old and weak, Nash thought. But he
bends men to his will like a blow-torch bends steel. The jeep pulled away. Hitchcock
won't bend me .
Hitchcock wanted
to shut down his surveillance operation and re-assign him to Death-Squads.
Delta-squads would mean a return to the vils and hamlets to sweat old folk and
take mothers away from their children. Nash preferred the city. He liked the
bustle, the Oriental customs, the bright colors, the lively bars, and the
groups of smiling women with their slim bodies and perky titties. And it was
the city where Nash would win his renown, because unlike his superiors, he knew the Viet Cong were planning a large scale attack in Saigon ; he just had to convince Colonel Hitchcock to let him continue
pursuing Amai - even for just a few more days.
But Hitchcock
could shut him down in a second. Nash's problem was that the old-school Colonel
thought of him as a juvenile waster of resources. Hitchcock expected results,
and so far Nash had failed to deliver concrete proof of his theory.
For success,
Nash needed to find Amai, and now, after the botched surveillance, his hand had
been forced - he would have to arrest, and torture her.
She will give
me The Ghost.
Ashamed of his
failure, Nash's forehead was crimped into V. The failure had rocked his ego.
The humiliation of being beaten by a girl hurt far more than the bullets, and
he was sure that the Intelligence fraternity was talking about it behind his
back. He was sure his driver was suppressing a grin.
Nash thought of
his father: he had been a big, strong, and highly devout man, who expected
everyone around him to meet his high expectations. Nash's father had only
beaten him eight times, but Nash remembered every one of them. Nash remembered
the fear and guilt he had felt whenever he made a mistake.
Nash suddenly
feared that Amai would make a fool of him again.
Then he
remembered the moment when he had stood up to his father, and he felt the
impact of the punch in his fist, and saw his father's stunned face before his
knees buckled, and he slumped to the kitchen floor. His father had never
bullied him again, and every time someone had tried to bully Nash, he had
punched him in the face. Nash wished he could punch Hitchcock in the face; but
he couldn't - here Nash had to play Hitchcock's game.
He banged the
leg of a crutch on the jeep's dash.
Nash had put
came to Saigon ,' Amai said.
Then she
realized that had she not, she would never have meet Danny.
An awful feeling
of guilt swamped her.
Cam said: 'You're under pressure. Think clearly. Use your intuition, it
will guide you.'
Amai wiped her
eyes. 'I just want to be a good person.'
Then it sank in:
guilt would accompany whichever course of action she chose; she would never be
free of it.
She needed to
nullify the guilt.
She needed to
close her mind, not open it. She needed to start the process of shutting the
doors to her soul, if she was to get through tonight's sordid task.
Cam said: 'You are a good person. I love you my sister.'
Then they just
held each other.
In Cam 's embrace, Amai began to accept her
fate, and with acceptance came tenacity.
I won't fail
Nhu An, she thought. I won't fail the children.
12
T he base surgeon wrapped a bandage around Nash's calf and fastened it
with metal clasps. 'You've got some stitches, Captain. Keep the wounds clean -
and for God's sake - rest it.'
Nash had no
intention of resting. His ass felt like a pin-cushion and his leg throbbed, but
he'd just been tipped-off on Amai's whereabouts and was desperate to follow it
up; unfortunately he had to spar with Colonel Hitchcock first. Hitchcock wanted
to shut him down.
A gentle eddy of
nerves started in Nash's gut and he checked his watch: 4:45pm . He
smoothed his non-regulation forelock back into his brylcreemed fringe, mounted
his crutches, and vaulted to the waiting jeep. Corporal Jessup was driving.
'To the MI
compound, Corporal. Move it.'
Hitchcock
might look old and weak, Nash thought. But he
bends men to his will like a blow-torch bends steel. The jeep pulled away. Hitchcock
won't bend me .
Hitchcock wanted
to shut down his surveillance operation and re-assign him to Death-Squads.
Delta-squads would mean a return to the vils and hamlets to sweat old folk and
take mothers away from their children. Nash preferred the city. He liked the
bustle, the Oriental customs, the bright colors, the lively bars, and the
groups of smiling women with their slim bodies and perky titties. And it was
the city where Nash would win his renown, because unlike his superiors, he knew the Viet Cong were planning a large scale attack in Saigon ; he just had to convince Colonel Hitchcock to let him continue
pursuing Amai - even for just a few more days.
But Hitchcock
could shut him down in a second. Nash's problem was that the old-school Colonel
thought of him as a juvenile waster of resources. Hitchcock expected results,
and so far Nash had failed to deliver concrete proof of his theory.
For success,
Nash needed to find Amai, and now, after the botched surveillance, his hand had
been forced - he would have to arrest, and torture her.
She will give
me The Ghost.
Ashamed of his
failure, Nash's forehead was crimped into V. The failure had rocked his ego.
The humiliation of being beaten by a girl hurt far more than the bullets, and
he was sure that the Intelligence fraternity was talking about it behind his
back. He was sure his driver was suppressing a grin.
Nash thought of
his father: he had been a big, strong, and highly devout man, who expected
everyone around him to meet his high expectations. Nash's father had only
beaten him eight times, but Nash remembered every one of them. Nash remembered
the fear and guilt he had felt whenever he made a mistake.
Nash suddenly
feared that Amai would make a fool of him again.
Then he
remembered the moment when he had stood up to his father, and he felt the
impact of the punch in his fist, and saw his father's stunned face before his
knees buckled, and he slumped to the kitchen floor. His father had never
bullied him again, and every time someone had tried to bully Nash, he had
punched him in the face. Nash wished he could punch Hitchcock in the face; but
he couldn't - here Nash had to play Hitchcock's game.
He banged the
leg of a crutch on the jeep's dash.
Nash had put
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