As the Cessna Citation X jet raced toward Anchorage, Harvath tried to forget everything that had happened, and instead look forward to what was coming.
Pouring himself a large glass of Woodford Reserve, he put the cork back in the bottle and sat back down in his seat.
As he sipped his drink, he tried to let go. He had done his best. Whatever happened now was beyond his control. Like his mother had said over and over again to him, you can’t always control the situation you find yourself in, but you can control how you react to it. It was a nice saying, though he doubted whether his mother had envisaged this kind of situation.
That said, the disease, by all accounts, was slowing. That was a good thing.
In the United States, the government had adopted a duck-and-cover posture. Every effort was being made to take care of the sick, while a quarantine remained in effect in the hopes that the virus would finally burn itself out. All Harvath cared about at this point, though, was getting to Lara.
He slept for a while, but not near enough to kill the time. After watching a movie, he tried to go back to sleep, but it was fitful.
When the jet finally landed in Anchorage, he couldn’t wait to jump out of it and onto the floatplane that would fly him up to Lara and Marco.
Bag in hand, he thanked the pilots and charged down the airstairs, hurrying toward his next leg.
Halfway down, he was surprised to see her standing there, waiting for him. She had never looked more beautiful.
As he moved toward her, he was knocked out of the way by Nicholas’s hounds, Argos and Draco, as they raced down the stairs toward Nina, who was also standing on the tarmac, waiting.
“Kids,” the little man said as he brushed past Harvath. “They never listen.”
Harvath smiled and walked down the last few stairs.
When he reached the bottom, Lara ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m so glad you’re back.”
“Me too,” he said, kissing her.
“Thank you,” she said.
Harvath looked at her. “Thank you for what?”
“For doing what you do. As hard as it is, and as much as I may not like it, thank you.”
He wanted to tell her how the dead weighed on his shoulders, how he wished there was some way he could save those who were still going to die, but he couldn’t.
She “got” him, though not completely. No one really ever would. But she was better than anything he had ever known, and he loved her immeasurably.
“Come here,” he said, pulling her closer and kissing her again. “Do you have any idea how much I love you?”
Lara was about to respond when his cell phone rang.
“Show me,” she said.
Looking down at his phone, Harvath silenced the ringer and tucked it into his pocket.
“Good start,” she said.
“Tell me what’s next.”
“There’s a little boy who is extremely eager to see you and have you take him fishing.”
“I can’t wait,” Harvath said as he put his arm around her and led everyone toward the waiting floatplane.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My goal with each and every book is to stretch myself and, in so doing, become a better writer. That’s what keeps this job so much fun — it’s an incredibly rewarding challenge.
With this book, I tried to push the boundaries, and I hope you have enjoyed it. As I tell all the wonderful people I meet on the road, I work for you — the readers. Thank you for both your support and the incredible word of mouth you give my novels.
As an additional thank-you, and to add to your reading experience, I am always creating new material at BradThor.com. If you haven’t yet stopped by, please do.
I also wish to thank all the fantastic booksellers around the world who turn new readers on to my novels every day. There is no more wonderful language than the language of books. When we draw each other’s attention to great books, we are sharing something very special indeed.
Over a great bottle of whiskey, Sean F. shared a story that might have been amusing, had it not been so troubling. That story helped me better understand a certain mind-set in Washington, D.C. For that, and multiple other assists, I am very grateful. Thank you, Sean.
Rodney Cox has once again provided me with invaluable insights. Thank you, Rodney, for everything — but especially for your character, your integrity, and your selfless service to our great nation.
Every single time James Ryan helps me out, I thank God he is on our side. If I fully tried to explain the way his mind works, you wouldn’t believe me. Suffice it to say, our nation needs more men like him. I was humbled by his early praise of the novel, and he continues to inspire me by his example. Thank you, JR.
I had been thinking about setting the novel in Sierra Leone before J’ro encouraged me to use Congo. The background he provided was fascinating. As J’ro is the epitome of the quiet professional, it has been an honor getting to know him over this past year. Thanks for all the help, J’ro.
Scott F. Hill, PhD, Jon Sanchez, Peter Osyff, Jeff Boss, Pete Scobell, Steve Adelmann, and Robert O’Brien all fielded questions from me at all hours, and they all came back with the answers I needed. They are amazing patriots from whom our nation has greatly benefited. Thank you, gentlemen, for your assistance with the book.
The characters of Ian McCollum (Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff) and Colonel Sheila White (Director of USAMRIID) were so named in recognition of two very generous charitable donations. I thank everyone involved and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Code of Conduct is my fifteenth novel, and all my novels have been published by the extraordinary team at Simon & Schuster’s Atria, Emily Bestler Books, and Pocket Books imprints. The marvelous Carolyn Reidy, the wonderful Judith Curr, and the spectacular Louise Burke continue to help take my books to brand-new heights. You are the best, and I cannot thank you enough.
The sun at the center of my publishing universe is my phenomenal editor and publisher, Emily Bestler. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. We have done fifteen books together, and things only continue to grow and get more exciting. Thank you, Emily, for everything.
This year, I set the bar higher than ever before and said to my extraordinary publicist, David Brown, “Let’s see you leap over that.” You know what? He did — and he didn’t even get his cape wrinkled. David, you rock. Thank you.
Cindi Berger, Cara Masline, and the team at PMK continue to amaze all of us each year. I couldn’t imagine publishing without them. Thank you for each and every “get” along with all the great ideas.
I owe a big thanks to every astounding member of Emily Bestler Books and Pocket Books, including Michael Selleck, Megan Reid, Matthew Rossiter, Irene Lipsky, Lisa Keim, Hillary Tisman, Jin Yu, Emily Bamford, the Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books sales team — including Gary Urda, John Hardy, and Colin Shields; Al Madocs and the Atria/Emily Bestler Books Production Department; both the Emily Bestler Books/Pocket Books Art Departments, including Albert Tang; and I wish to thank Chris Lynch, Tom Spain, Sarah Lieberman, Desiree Vecchio, Armand Schultz, and the entire Simon & Schuster audio division.