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  Praise for JOHN GILSTRAP

  and his thrillers

  CRIMSON PHOENIX

  “A nonstop roller coaster of suspense! Crimson Phoenix ticks every box for big-book thrillerdom.”

  —Jeffery Deaver

  “Don’t miss this powerful new series from a master thriller writer.”

  —Jamie Freveletti

  “A single mother’s smart, fierce determination to protect her sons turns this vivid day-after-tomorrow scenario into a gripping page-turner.”

  —Taylor Stevens

  “Crimson Phoenix snaps with action from the very first

  page. It’s certain to hit the 10-ring with old and new

  readers alike.”

  —Marc Cameron

  TOTAL MAYHEM

  “Propulsive . . . Not everyone survives the final

  confrontation, but series fans can rest assured that Grave

  will fight again. Straightforward plotting, amped-up

  action, and amusing banter keep the pages turning.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  SCORPION STRIKE

  “Relentlessly paced as well as brilliantly told and

  constructed, this is as good as thrillers get.”

  —The Providence Journal

  “A sizzling beach read for military action fans . . . the

  perfect summer read for thriller fans.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “The series deserves attention from anyone who enjoys

  plot-driven thrillers.... Grave is, as always, a solid

  series lead.”

  —Booklist

  FINAL TARGET

  “Fast-paced and well-plotted.”

  —Booklist

  “Exciting. . . . Fans of epic adventure stories will

  find plenty to like.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  FRIENDLY FIRE

  “If you only read one book this summer, make sure

  it’s Friendly Fire, and be ready to be strapped in for

  the ride of your life.”

  —Suspense Magazine

  “A blistering thriller that grabs your attention and

  doesn’t let go for a second!”

  —The Real Book Spy

  NICK OF TIME

  “A page-turning thriller with strong characters, exciting

  action, and a big heart.”

  —Heather Graham

  AGAINST ALL ENEMIES

  WINNER OF THE INTERNATIONAL THRILLER WRITERS

  AWARD FOR BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

  “Any John Gilstrap novel packs the punch of a

  rocket-propelled grenade—on steroids! Gilstrap

  grabs the reader’s attention in a literary vise grip.

  A damn good read.”

  —BookReporter.com

  “Tense, clever. . . . Series enthusiasts are bound to

  enjoy this new thriller.”

  —Library Journal

  END GAME

  AN AMAZON EDITORS’ FAVORITE BOOK OF THE YEAR

  “Gilstrap’s new Jonathan Grave thriller is his best novel

  to date—even considering his enviable bibliography.

  End Game starts off explosively and keeps on rolling.”

  —Joe Hartlaub, BookReporter.com

  DAMAGE CONTROL

  “Powerful and explosive, an unforgettable journey into

  the dark side of the human soul. Gilstrap is a master of

  action and drama. If you like Vince Flynn and Brad

  Thor, you’ll love John Gilstrap.”

  —Gayle Lynds

  “Rousing. . . . Readers will anxiously await the

  next installment.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “It’s easy to see why John Gilstrap is the go-to guy

  among thriller writers when it comes to weapons,

  ammunition, and explosives. His expertise

  is uncontested.”

  —John Ramsey Miller

  “A page-turning, near-perfect thriller, with engaging

  and believable characters . . . unputdownable!”

  —Top Mystery Novels

  “Takes you full force right away and doesn’t let go. The

  action is nonstop. Gilstrap knows his technology and

  weaponry. Damage Control will blow you away.”

  —Suspense Magazine

  THREAT WARNING

  “Threat Warning is a character-driven work where the

  vehicle has four on the floor and horsepower to burn.

  From beginning to end, it is dripping with excitement.”

  —Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter

  “Threat Warning reconfirms Gilstrap as a master of

  jaw-dropping action and heart-squeezing suspense.”

  —Austin Camacho, The Big Thrill

  HOSTAGE ZERO

  “Jonathan Grave, my favorite freelance peacemaker,

  problem-solver, and tough-guy hero, is back—and in

  particularly fine form. Hostage Zero is classic Gilstrap:

  the people are utterly real, the action’s foot to the floor,

  and the writing’s fluid as a well-oiled machine gun. A tour de force!”

  —Jeffery Deaver

  “This addictively readable thriller marries a breakneck

  pace to a complex, multilayered plot.... A roller

  coaster ride of adrenaline-inducing plot twists leads to a

  riveting and highly satisfying conclusion. Exceptional

  characterization and an intricate, flawlessly crafted story

  line make this an absolute must read for thriller fans.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  NO MERCY

  “No Mercy grabs hold of you on page one and doesn’t

  let go. Gilstrap’s new series is terrific. It will leave

  you breathless. I can’t wait to see what Jonathan Grave

  is up to next.”

  —Harlan Coben

  “John Gilstrap is one of the finest thriller writers on the

  planet. No Mercy showcases his work at its finest—taut,

  action-packed, and impossible to put down!”

  —Tess Gerritsen

  “A great hero, a pulse-pounding story—and the launch

  of a really exciting series.”

  —Joseph Finder

  “An entertaining, fast-paced tale of violence and

  revenge.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “No other writer is better able to combine in a single

  novel both rocket-paced suspense and heartfelt looks

  at family and the human spirit. And what a pleasure to

  meet Jonathan Grave, a hero for our time . . . and for

  all time.”

  —Jeffery Deaver

  AT ALL COSTS

  “Gilstrap builds tension . . . until the last page, a

  hallmark of great thriller writers. I almost called the

  paramedics before I finished At All Costs.”

  —Tulsa World

  “Gilstrap has ingeniously twisted his simple premise

  six ways from Sunday.”

  —Kirkus Reviews

  “Not-to-be-missed.”

  —Rocky Mountain News

  NATHAN’S RUN

  “Gilstrap pushes every thriller button . . . a nail-biting

  denouement and strong characters.”

  —San Francisco Chronicle

  “Gilstrap has a shot at being the next John Grisham . . .

  one of the best books of the year.”

  —Rocky Mountain News

  “Emotionally charged . . . one of the year’s best.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Br
illiantly calculated.... With the skill of a veteran

  pulp master, Gilstrap weaves a yarn that demands to

  be read in one sitting.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Like a roller coaster, the story races along on well-oiled

  wheels to an undeniably pulse-pounding conclusion.”

  —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

  ALSO BY JOHN GILSTRAP

  Blue Fire

  Crimson Phoenix

  Hellfire

  Total Mayhem

  Scorpion Strike

  Final Target

  Nick of Time

  Friendly Fire

  Against All Enemies

  End Game

  Soft Targets

  High Treason

  Damage Control

  Threat Warning

  Hostage Zero

  No Mercy

  Six Minutes to Freedom (with Kurt Muse)

  Scott Free

  Even Steven

  At All Costs

  Nathan’s Run

  STEALTH ATTACK

  A JONATHAN GRAVE THRILLER

  JOHN GILSTRAP

  PINNACLE BOOKS

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

  Table of Contents

  Praise

  Also by

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Teaser chapter

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PINNACLE BOOKS are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  119 West 40th Street

  New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2020 John Gilstrap, Inc.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

  If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  PINNACLE BOOKS and the Pinnacle logo are Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.

  ISBN: 978-0-7860-4554-9

  Electronic edition:

  ISBN-13: 978-0-7860-4555-6 (e-book)

  ISBN-10: 0-7860-4555-8 (e-book)

  To Christopher John Gilstrap

  Chapter One

  Roman couldn’t stop staring at her. Ciara Kelly, for God’s sake. Hanging out with him at a swimming pool while everybody else from Northern Neck Academy was touring some old fort and an art gallery. Maybe an old Mexican church if there was time. There’d be hell to pay when they rejoined the group, but even if Dr. Washington sent him home, this moment in the sun would make all the crap that followed be worth the price.

  He lay half naked on a fake beach in the middle of the desert next to Ciara and her thong bikini. Unlike Roman, whose body development seemed stuck at age twelve even though he was about to turn fourteen, she could have passed for . . . well, she had boobs.

  This escape had been her idea. Ciara had asked him. Not the other way around, as if he could in a million years screw up the courage to ask her to do anything, let alone skip out on a field trip with the rest of the Tribune staff.

  This Texas adventure was all about attending a journalism conference at the University of Texas at El Paso. As editor of the Northern Neck Middle School Tribune, Roman had finally landed on something he was good at. He wrote as Roman Alexander even though his last name was Pennington because his father was a piece of shit who’d disappeared before Roman knew enough to form a memory of him. As far as he was concerned, Mama Alexander was his grandma, and his mom’s boss, Mr. Jonathan, was as close to a father as a kid could have. And put Father Dom D’Angelo on that list, too.

  Then there was his mom. She was going to go into orbit when word got back to her about this trip to the Shady Sun Water Park, but so what? She went into orbit about just about everything these days.

  “What are you thinking about?” Ciara asked him, poking his ribs with her finger. “You look so serious.”

  “I’m thinking about how close that driver came to killing us.”

  Ciara laughed. “Oh, my God. Our driver must have been drunk.” On the way here, their RoadRunner driver ran a red light in front of an 18-wheeler.

  “We’re too young to be road pizza,” Roman said. “I almost pissed myself.” As the moment passed, he fell more serious. “Do you think we’ll get expelled?”

  Ciara laughed. “Not with what our folks pay to put us there. We might get kicked off the Tribune staff, though.”

  Roman wished he could say that prospect didn’t bother him, but it really did. He’d finally found an extracurricular activity that he liked. It bummed him out that when he moved to the Neck’s upper school next year, he’d be bumped all the way back to beat reporter. “Maybe we need to start heading back. We’ve been here two hours.”

  Ciara flipped her dark brown hair from one shoulder to the other. He’d have sworn she did it in slow motion. “If we’re going to be a couple, I need a better tan than this. Next to you . . .”

  “I’m black,” he said and instantly felt stupid. “Wait, we’re a couple?”

  She looked hurt. Was she faking? “Don’t you want to be?”

  “Well . . . sure.” He’d never thought about it in those terms. He wasn’t even sure what it meant. Would other people know? Because that would be freaking awesome. Luke Eadie would be so pissed.

  “You’re a cute guy, Romey. You’re nice and you’re smart. Why do you look so surprised that I want to go out with you?”

  “Please don’t call me Romey. I hate that name.”

  “You’re not answering my question.”

  His ears grew hot. “You’re right.”

  He sat up on the blanket and pulled his feet in under his thighs. The Shady Sun Water Park had to be at least fifty years old. Lots of trees—the only concentration of green that he’d seen since they’d landed in El Paso—provided shade from the blistering Texas sun, and he supposed that was why people flocked to the place. The water rides, though, were all in some stage of being broken. The slides had barely enough flow to keep the foam pads from getting stuck on the way down. The wave pool was better called a ripple pool, and the water reeked of chlorine. Corrosion caked every exposed plumbing connection.

  Roman didn’t like the way the ticket taker at the peeling entry station was looking at him. No doubt a carney in a previous life, the zitty teenager had redneck written all over him, with long greasy hair tied back behind his neck. He appeared to be glaring straight at Roman from twenty yards away. As
if to remove any residual doubt, Carney Kid peeled his shades away from his eyes to make it clear that Roman was the source of his interest.

  “He’s not staring at you, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Ciara said. She’d rolled to her side, her head supported by her angled hand.

  “Yeah, he is,” Roman said.

  “No, he’s staring at us. I told you I needed a darker tan.” She laughed.

  Roman didn’t. He’d heard stories of racist goobers in the Deep South, but he’d never encountered one himself—at least not without an adult backstop nearby. Northern Neck Academy—the Neck—was the kind of school that attracted diplomats’ kids, so students there were pretty much color-blind. Throughout Fisherman’s Cove, everybody knew he was Mama Alexander’s grandson, and nobody dared to cross her, so racist bullshit didn’t happen.

  “That guy really doesn’t like you being with me,” Roman said.

  “Did we ask his permission?”

  “We need to get going.”

  “I’m not running away from that asshole,” Ciara declared.

  “Don’t think of it as running away,” Roman said. “Think of it as a last chance not to get sent home. If we can beat the bus back to the hotel and be waiting for the others when they get back . . .”