Edge of War by Larry Bond

Author:Larry Bond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

19

Nha Be River, south of Ho Chi Minh City

The ferry’s size made it easy to see, even in the dim light of the river, but the small motor on the side of the boat Jing Yo had stolen couldn’t drive them fast. They fell behind steadily, little by little, until at last Jing Yo couldn’t see them at all.

Where would they go?

Perhaps a safe house somewhere farther south. Or perhaps out to a boat waiting in the mouth of the river, at Soi Rap.

He had to think like his enemy if he was going to succeed. Jing Yo lowered his head, concentrating.

They were smart, and there were several of them. Half dozen at least.

Clever people. Worthy enemies, not the vulnerable prey he had assumed earlier.

His mistake. One he kept repeating.

The ferry would have been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Planning to take it would have been too difficult—too many contingencies. It had been an opportunity that presented itself.

And what did that tell him?

That they had a destination somewhere south. That it was far enough away to risk taking a large boat.

“We are coming close to shore!”

Jing Yo slid his hand on the tiller, taking them back toward the middle of the channel.

“I’m sorry,” he told Hyuen Bo.

She leaned back over the bow, keeping lookout.

Most likely, the scientist had come to Ho Chi Minh City to meet an airplane. When the airport had been bombed, he had changed his plans.

The most logical thing to do would be to find another airport.

“Is there an airport south of here?” he asked Hyuen Bo.

“Vung Tau?” she suggested tentatively. “It’s small.”

Vung Tau was on a small peninsula that jutted out from Ganh Rai Bay. Some years before, it had been a tourist area, but the discovery of oil offshore had altered its complexion. Large platforms lined the shallow waters near the shore, extending well into the ocean. The airstrip at Bai Sau was not a large one—it didn’t appear on many maps—but it would be big enough to accommodate a propeller-driven aircraft or a helicopter.

It was a destination at least. He would follow down the river, and if he didn’t see the ferry, he would head in that direction.

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