Story felt the added weight on his shoulders and let out a puff of air. “Madam President, I’ll do my absolute best.”
“I know you will,” said Ortega.
A second later, with the president’s last words resonating, General Story heard the line go dead. Leaning back in his chair, he imagined Las Vegas and the prepared desert battlegrounds east of the city. He pictured his son at the Canadian border struggling to cross while around him fires raged and people screamed. Shaking off the images, he focused instead on the task at hand.
Standing up, Story folded his arms and looked around the room at the many good people, all of them there to protect the Republic of American States. Seated next to him, his aid, Andrea, kept her head down, scanning incoming data. These were good, decent people, worthy of his respect, and he was proud to serve with them.
He made a vow. If the ROAS was overrun, he’d die protecting his son and the nation that adopted them. On the morrow, Operation Heavy Metal and his destiny awaited. Determined, he turned to his aid and issued orders. The Battle of Las Vegas awaited.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David Pope lives in Folsom, CA. with two cats and the love of his life, Sharon. After spending four years in the US Air Force achieving the rank of staff sergeant and earning an Air Force Commendation medal, he started a career in information technology. David held a variety of IT technical and executive positions across thirty-five years. Tired of being on-call twenty-four seven, with his two children Katie and Matthew all grown up, he decided it was time to pursue new opportunities. When not writing, David enjoys baseball, golf, history, a nap with the cats, and chardonnay.
WHAT’S NEXT?
If you made it through the book, as a first-time author, I’m humbled and I thank you for investing the time. Please leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads and or my Facebook page. As a first-time author, your feedback will help me to improve!
Based on how the Battle of Mesquite ended, you can see I’ve teed up a second book, the Battle of Las Vegas, for publication next year. Afterward, if all goes well, I expect to deliver a third book, wrapping up the US Reunification War series. Just depends on how I hold up with the process and if I improve enough to keep you, the reader, interested.
A word on the series: I’ve tried to picture a not so distant future that is far beyond what I or anyone may consider likely. More than anything, it represents the extremes of our current times. The series is supposed to be ‘dime store’ fiction, something to read that might engage, and in no way should be taken too literal. My desire is that you found parts of the story intriguing and entertaining, and I have earned the right to keep you engaged as the series continues. I hope so.
Lastly, I want to give a special thanks to Rebecca Prokop and the team at Spellbound Self-Publishing. As a first-time indie author, she guided me through the entire process and brought in skilled beta readers, editors, and artists to assist with the project. I wouldn’t have made it this far without their help. Thank you, Becky!
KEEP CONNECTED
Keep in touch to see the latest updates about the US Reunification War series, ask questions or provide feedback. Thanks!
Website: www.popeitsentio.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/popeitsentio
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Copyright
Battle of Mesquite
© 2018 by David Pope. All rights reserved.
No portion of this book, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without the written consent and permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, dialogues, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, whether living or dead, businesses, locales, or events other than those specifically cited are unintentional and purely coincidental or are used for the purpose of illustration only.
The publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein. The author and publisher assume no responsibility or liability whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials. The publisher and author do not have any control over and do not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
First edition.
Cover by Dusan Arsenic @ Spellbound Self-Publishing
Print ISBN: 978-0-9876424-0-0
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9876424-1-7