Read Jack Ryan 1 - Without Remorse for Free Online Page A

twenty-eight hours of caffeine-induced wakefulness could explain, even worse for having been ill on the patrol boat, much to the amusement of the enlisted crew. His stomach felt like it was coated with steel wool. 'Maybe it did sink,' he concluded gruffly, not believing it for a moment.
    'Wouldn't that solve your problem?' His attempt at levity earned him a growl, and Quartermaster First Class Manuel Oreza caught a warning look from the station commander, a gray-haired warrant officer named Paul English.
    'You know,' the man said in a state of exhaustion, 'I don't think anything is going to solve this problem, but it's my job to try.'
    'Sir, we've all had a long night. My crew is racked out, and unless you have a really good reason to stay up, I suggest you find a bunk and get a few Zs, sir.'
    The civilian looked up with a tired smile to mute his earlier words. 'Petty Officer Oreza, smart as you are, you ought to be an officer.'
    'If I'm so smart, how come we missed our friend last night?'
    That guy we saw around dawn?'
    'Kelly? Ex-Navy chief, solid guy.'
    'Kinda young for a chief, isn't he?' English asked, looking at a not very good photo the spotlight had made possible He was new at the station.
    'It came along with a Navy Cross,' Oreza explained.
    The civilian looked up. 'So, you wouldn't think -'
    'Not a chance in hell.'
    The civilian shook his head. He paused for a moment, then headed off to the bunk room. They'd be going out again before sunset, and he'd need the sack time.
    'So how was it?' English asked after the man left the room.
    'That guy is shipping a lot of gear, Cap'n.' As a station commander, English was entitled to the title, all the more so that he let Portagee run his boat his way. 'Sure as hell he doesn't sleep much.'
    'He's going to be with us for a while, on and off, and I want yon to handle it.'
    Oreza tapped the chart with a pencil. 'I still say this would be a perfect place to keep watch from, and I know we can trust the guy.'
    'The man says no.'
    'The man ain't no seaman, Mr English. I don't mind when the guy tells me what to do, but he don't know enough to tell me how to do it.' Oreza circled the spot on the chart.
    'I don't like this.'
    'You don't have to like it,' the taller man said. He unfolded his pocket knife and slit the heavy paper to reveal a plastic container of white powder. 'A few hours' work and we turn three hundred thousand. Something wrong with that, or am I missin' something?'
    'And this is just the start,' the third man said.
    'What do we do with the boat?' asked the man with the scruples.
    The tall one looked up from what he was doing. 'You get rid of that sail?'
    'Yeah.'
    'Well, we can stash the boat... but probably smarter to scuttle. Yeah, that's what we'll do.'
    'And Angelo?' All three looked over to where the man was lying, unconscious still, and bleeding.
    'I guess we scuttle him, too,' the tall one observed without much in the way of emotion. 'Right here ought to be fine.'
    'Maybe two weeks, there won't be nothin' left. Lots of critters out there.' The third one waved outside at the tidal wetlands.
    'See how easy it is? No boat, no Angelo, no risk, and three hundred thousand bucks. I mean, how much more do you expect, Eddie?'
    'His friends still ain't gonna like it.' The comment came more from a contrarian disposition than moral conviction.
    'What friends?' Tony asked without looking. 'He ratted, didn't he? How many friends does a rat have?'
    Eddie bent to the logic of the situation and walked over to Angelo's unconscious form. The blood was still pumping out of the many abrasions, and the chest was moving slowly as he tried to breathe. It was time to put an end to that. Eddie knew it; he'd merely been trying to delay the inevitable. He pulled a small .22 automatic from his pocket, placed it to the back of Angelo's skull, and fired once. The body spasmed, then went slack. Eddie set his gun aside and dragged the body outside, leaving Henry and his friend to do the important