Weston Ochse - Age of Blood

“I guess we fucked that plan up.” Yank slugged Walker on the shoulder hard enough for the SEAL to spill some beer. “Ain’t that right, Walker?”

Before Walker could respond in kind, Holmes came up the stairs with YaYa behind him.

“Speak of the devil,” Laws said, standing.

They all stood. Walker grinned from ear to ear when he saw YaYa, who now sported a brand new forearm thanks to DARPA researchers. It was sweet combination of metallic artistry that looked like it could just as easily fit on the arm of a twenty-second-century robot.

“I knew you all were talking about me,” YaYa said.

“Some people will do anything to get attention,” Walker said, leaning over to slap the other SEAL on the back. “Glad you’re back, brother.”

“Glad to be back.”

“So what’s the word, boss?” Laws asked Holmes.

Holmes looked from one to the other. “They want me to move into the Sissy and work with Billings. It means a promotion.”

The other SEALs glanced at each other, wondering what to say. Everyone wanted to be promoted, but there were times when you could promote yourself right out of the field and behind a desk. For those who were field capable, this was akin to exile.

“You all don’t have to look like someone died. I told them to ask me in another year. You kids need adult supervision and this old snake can’t even supervise himself,” he said, squeezing Laws’s shoulder.

Everyone released their breath just as Yank returned with a new round for everyone, including a tall strawberry drink with whipped cream and a straw. This he passed to YaYa, who nodded and smiled.

They all sat at the table. A Secret Service agent popped up at the top of the stairs. “Everything prepared for the senator?”

“All clear,” Laws said.

“Do we have to do this?” Walker asked.

“Cost of doing business,” Holmes said. “He wants to thank all of you and since he controls our budget, we’d better be nice to him.”

Walker and Laws gave each other a look. Holmes saw it.

“What’d you do?”

“Can you call the strippers off?” Walker asked.

“Not sure. I think they’re en route.” Laws pulled out a cell phone. “Oh shit—they’re downstairs.”

“What the hell?” Holmes ran to the window.

Everyone began laughing.

Holmes spun. For the first time in a long time his face turned red. But behind his glower, they could see laughter trying to come out.

Then Senator Withers crested the stairs, holding the hand of Emily. Billings stood prim and proper behind him. Senator Withers took in the scene. “Am I interrupting something?” Although he was in a blue power suit, everyone remembered him half naked and on his knees.

Walker couldn’t help it. Neither could the rest of them. They busted out laughing. Eventually, the senator and his daughter joined them. Then they sat and talked, just them, no reporters, no witnesses, just the people who’d been in the shit, bonded together forever by the events that had so recently made them.

Many people helped to make the book you’re holding (or viewing or listening to) and I owe them all a sincere thanks. Thanks again to Brendan Deneen, Peter Joseph, Pete Wolverton, and the whole Thomas Dunne team. Thanks of course to my agent, Robert Fleck, for being on the frontlines of publishing so that I don’t have to. Shout out to the bands the Eagles of Death Metal, 009 Sound System, Mumford and Sons, QOTSA, and Everlast for rocking me through the writing process for this novel. And thanks most of all to Yvonne, without whose support, wisdom, and love, none of this would be possible.

Special shout-out to Jon Carte for being there at the real beginning of things. Thanks also to Dave Lake, Brian Wallenius, Barb and Dirk Foster, Hal and Gene, and Eunice and Gregg Magill. Thanks to Comic King Walt Flannigan and Keith Giffen (I Heart Lobo) for your props. Thanks also to Brian Keene, Drew Williams, Bob Ford, Geoff Cooper, and Stephen Lukac for a boys’ weekend to send me off to Afghanistan. And thanks to Brian K and Tommy H for introducing me to Herb and Diane Harmon (Hi Herb and Diane) and the serenity of Cedar Lodge.

And thanks to all the readers and bookstore workers for making SEAL Team 666 such a huge success. I had emails from fans from Vicenza, Italy, where the book was in a military base library, to Hawaii, where tourists were buying copies to take out to the beach. Lots of fan letters. Lots of new friends. I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to write, email, Facebook, tweet, or simply high-five me during a book signing. If you want to reach out to me about this book or anything else, I can be found on Facebook and Twitter under my name and you can always find me at www.westonochse.com.

SEAL Team 666

WESTON OCHSE has won the Bram Stoker Award for First Novel and been nominated for a Pushcart Prize for short fiction. He is a retired U.S. Army intelligence officer and current intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

A THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.

An imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

AGE OF BLOOD. Copyright © 2013 by St. Martin’s Press, LLC. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

www.thomasdunnebooks.com

www.stmartins.com

Cover design by Lisa Marie Pompilio

The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:

Ochse, Weston.

Age of blood: a SEAL Team 666 novel / Weston Ochse.—First edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-1-250-03662-9 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-250-03663-6 (e-book)

1. United States. Navy. SEALs—Fiction. 2. Kidnapping—Fiction. 3. Narcoterrorism—Fiction. 4. Mexico—Fiction. 5. Zetas (Drug cartel)—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3615.C476A33 2013

813'.6—dc23

2013020585

e-ISBN 9781250036636

First Edition: October 2013