Collateral Damage, page 36
“What were you trying to do? Break it? You know how much this costs, mister?”
“I—uh—”
The older man shook his head, then burst into a loud fit of laughter.
“I was briefed on the whole thing. After the fact.” He shook his head, and helped Turk off the ladder. “You know what you were trying to do wouldn’t have worked, don’t you?”
“Sure it would have.”
“Pilots.” Greasy Hands laughed.
The veteran crew chief walked all the way with Turk to the flight changing area set up inside the hangar, where the specialists were waiting to help him out of his flight gear.
“Hey,” said Beast, who was there with most of the rest of the squadron pilots. “There he is.”
Turk braced himself, not sure what to expect. But the other pilots began applauding.
He stopped, unsure of what to do. He’d never had a reaction like that before.
“You really showed a set of balls trying to get the colonel home,” said Beast, acting as de facto spokesman. “Thank you.”
Even Paulson was, if not actively enthusiastic, at least not antagonistic.
“It wouldn’t have worked, Dreamland,” said the squadron’s executive officer. “But it’s the attempt that counts. A hell of a try.”
“Thanks,” said Turk, as graciously as he could manage.
He looked around, expecting to see Ginella somewhere. Instead, he saw Li beaming at him—a much more welcome sight.
“You were great,” she said, eyes wide. “You were really great.”
“Thanks.”
She squeezed his hand in a way that made him flush.
“Where’s the colonel?” he asked.
Beast snorted. “Medical people grabbed her. She didn’t want to go. Practically had to knock her out to get her into the ambulance.”
“I heard she decked half of them,” said Paulson.
“Don’t expect a thank-you,” added Beast. “Not from the Dominatrix.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything,” Turk said. “Not a thing.”
About the Author
DALE BROWN, a former U.S. Air Force captain, was born in Buffalo, New York, and now lives in Nevada. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Western European history and received a U.S. Air Force commission in 1978. He was still serving in the Air Force when he wrote his highly acclaimed first novel, Flight of the Old Dog. Since then he has written a string of New York Times bestsellers, including most recently Shadow Command, Rogue Forces, Executive Intent, A Time for Patriots, and Tiger’s Claw.
www.dalebrown.info
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Praise for the novels of
New York Times bestselling author DALE BROWN
“Dale Brown is a superb storyteller.”
W.E.B. Griffin, Washington Post
“[Brown] gives us quite a ride.”
New York Times Book Review
“The novels of Dale Brown brim with violent action, detailed descriptions of sophisticated weaponry, and political intrigue. . . . His ability to bring technical weaponry to life is amazing.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“A master at creating a sweeping epic and making it seem real.”
Clive Cussler
“His knowledge of world politics and possible military alliances is stunning. . . . He writes about weapons beyond a mere mortal’s imagination.”
Tulsa World
“Nobody does it better.”
Kirkus Reviews
“Brown puts readers right into the middle of the inferno.”
Larry Bond
Also in the Dreamland Series
(with Jim DeFelice)
Raven Strike
Black Wolf
Whiplash
Revolution
Retribution
End Game
Satan’s Tail
Strike Zone
Razor’s Edge
Nerve Center
Dreamland
Titles by Dale Brown
Tiger’s Claw
A Time for Patriots
Executive Intent
Rogue Forces
Shadow Command
Strike Force
Edge of Battle
Act of War
Plan of Attack
Air Battle Force
Wings of Fire
Warrior Class
Battle Born
The Tin Man
Fatal Terrain
Shadow of Steel
Storming Heaven
Chains of Command
Night of the Hawk
Sky Masters
Hammerheads
Day of the Cheetah
Silver Tower
Flight of the Old Dog
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ 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.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE. Copyright © 2012 by Air Battle Force, Inc. 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 hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition DECEMBER 2012 ISBN: 9780062198020
Print Edition ISBN: 9780061713033
FIRST EDITION
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Dale Brown, Collateral Damage
