Flags of Sin (33 page)

This of
course was being denied, but footage was being uploaded to the Internet at a
furious pace, and the truth couldn’t be held back. Already in the streets,
streets filled with hundreds of thousands of troops, the cleanup had begun, and
Acton had no doubt that within weeks, there would be no evidence of what had
occurred, and the whitewash would begin.

The
Internet was back up, the cellular networks had returned to normal, and the
television networks were broadcasting again, the official stories—power
outages.

It was a
farce, everyone knew it. Those outside of China would discuss it in depth,
non-stop, until the next global crisis came along, then it would become a
footnote in a colorful Chinese history.

As
Acton’s mind flashed back over the events, the images, it was a horror he
couldn’t yet fathom. The horrors of the teenagers crushed under the treads of
tanks, the indiscriminate killing of civilians, the battles waged between
fellow soldiers, one side fighting for a red flag, the other for a gold, the
meaning of the colors lost on their adherents.

And the
heroism, the selflessness, the acts that stood out above and beyond the call of
duty, that would never be known. A US vet rushing to provide first aid to a
stranger, a British professor standing down a column of tanks, a Chinese police
officer handing his children over to strangers, trusting the basic goodness of
people, while he tried to save his country.

The
memories would be there, and Acton swore that history wouldn’t forget the Qing
Rebellion.

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

One week later

“Of course I was saddened to hear of my father’s death. It’s my
feeling he was framed by those who perpetrated these events. I know my father, or
rather, I knew my father. I knew him well. He loved China, he loved his Party.
There is no way he would have been involved in this willingly.”

“But
what of the broadcast?”

“Coerced
of course.”

“You
don’t expect us to believe that, do you?”

Bo Shan
smiled at the interviewer from CNN. His impudence was intolerable, but tolerate
it he must, for he had to get through these coming days alive, and in the
public eye of the world. He was fortunate he was attending school in America,
otherwise he would be dead already. He had received word that his mother had
killed herself in prison, something he wasn’t sure was true or not. He didn’t
doubt she was dead, he just didn’t believe it was by her own hand.

And his
darling half-sister, killed in a car accident when she ran a red light.

Yet she
didn’t drive.

The
regime was cleaning up the mess his father had left, but if he played his cards
right, he might just survive long enough for them to decide he was too public a
target to eliminate.

“Of
course I do.” Bo Shan stood, and removed the microphone from his collar. “Now,
if you’ll excuse me, I have classes to attend.”

He shook
hands with the interviewer, then the producer, and left the room given to them
by the Harvard administration to try and minimize the impact on student life by
the suddenly very public international student they found themselves hosting.

Shan
returned to his dorm room and closed the door, dropping on his bed, exhausted.
Six interviews, non-stop. He folded his hands behind his head and stared at the
ceiling, his chest tight with the thought of his father, mother, and sister, dead.

He
peered through the gold and blue of the flag pinned to his ceiling over his
bed, and into the Heavens, solemnly promising to one day fulfill the legacy
handed down over generations, and once again claim the throne of China in the
name of the Qing Dynasty.

It
isn’t over, my Emperor.

THE END

The spark for this book came from a scene I had written for the end
of Broken Dove. It was this great action sequence with the Order of Mary being
taken out by snipers as James Acton stood by, helpless. I ended up cutting the
scene for reasons that made sense at the time, and still do, but this
incredible vision of bodies skidding along the pavement wouldn’t leave me, and I
knew I had to use it at some point.

Flags of
Sin was that opportunity.

I’d like
to give a special thanks to two people who helped me with this book. Li Ching
and Phoebe Jiang. They provided many of the fictional names in this book saving
me having to research a set of names for a culture I knew little about. Any
mistakes are mine alone.

And
speaking of names, this book contains many elements taken straight from the
history books. Many of the names are real, the places are real, the events are
real. The history is fascinating, and if you research it a little yourself, you
may be surprised at how much of this novel is based upon reality.

As usual
I’d like to thank my wife, daughter and parents for their help and support, as
well as my friends, and you the reader. I look forward to sharing the next
James Acton adventure with you soon.  

Thank you for choosing and reading my book.
If you enjoyed it, I would be grateful if you could write a review
and post it on Amazon or your favorite book site.

James Acton returns in The Arab Fall, now available everywhere!

To be notified of new releases, special offers and discounts,
click here
to be taken to Robert's website and sign-up for The Insider's Club.

J. Robert Kennedy is the author of thirteen international best sellers, including
the smash hit James Acton Thrillers series, the first installment of which,
The Protocol
, has been on the best sellers list since its release, including
a three month run at number one. In addition to the other novels from this
series,
Brass Monkey, Broken Dove, The Templar’s Relic
(also a number
one best seller),
Flags of Sin
and
Circle of Eight
(also a number one best seller),
he has written the international best sellers
Rogue Operator, Containment Failure, Depraved Difference,
Tick Tock, The Redeemer
and
The Turned
. Robert spends his time in Ontario,
Canada with his family.

Visit or subscribe to Robert's website at
www.jrobertkennedy.com
to be notified of new book releases.

For two thousand years the Triarii have protected us, influencing history
from the crusades to the discovery of America. Descendent from the Roman Empire,
they pervade every level of society, and are now in a race with our own government
to retrieve an ancient artifact thought to have been lost forever.

Caught in the middle is archaeology professor James
Acton, relentlessly hunted by the elite Delta Force, under orders to stop
at nothing to possess what he has found, and the Triarii, equally determined
to prevent the discovery from falling into the wrong hands.

With his students and friends dying around him,
Acton flees to find the one person who might be able to help him, but little
does he know he may actually be racing directly into the hands of an organization
he knows nothing about...

To sample or purchase
The Protocol
, please visit Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0059Y4QNO

Return to book list

A nuclear missile, lost during the Cold War, is now in
play—the most public spy swap in history, with a gorgeous agent the center of
international attention,- triggers the end-game of a corrupt Soviet Colonel’s
twenty five year plan. Pursued across the globe by the Russian authorities,
including a brutal Spetsnaz unit, those involved will stop at nothing to deliver
their weapon, and ensure their pay day, regardless of the terrifying consequences.

When Laura Palmer confronts a UNICEF group for trespassing on her Egyptian archaeological
dig site, she unwittingly stumbles upon the ultimate weapons deal, and becomes
entangled in an international conspiracy that sends her lover, archeology Professor
James Acton, racing to Egypt with the most unlikely of allies, not only to rescue
her, but to prevent the start of a holy war that could result in Islam and Christianity
wiping each other out.

From the bestselling author of Depraved Difference and The Protocol comes Brass
Monkey, a thriller international in scope, certain to offend some, and stimulate
debate in others. Brass Monkey pulls no punches in confronting the conflict
between two of the world’s most powerful, and divergent, religions, and the
terrifying possibilities the future may hold if left unchecked.

To sample or purchase
Brass Monkey
, please visit Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005L40KBO

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With the Triarii in control of the Roman Catholic Church, an organization founded by
Saint Peter himself takes action, murdering one of the Pope's operatives.
Detective Chaney, called in by the new Pope to investigate, disappears, and, to the horror of the Papal staff sent to
inform His Holiness, they find him missing too, the only clue a secret chest, presented to each new pope on the eve of their election, since the beginning of the Church.

Interpol Agent Reading, determined to find his friend, calls Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer to Rome
to examine the chest and its forbidden contents, but before they can arrive, they are intercepted
by an organization older than the Church, demanding the professors retrieve
an item stolen in ancient Judea in exchange for the lives of their friends.

All of your favorite characters from The Protocol return to solve the most infamous kidnapping in history,
against the backdrop of a two thousand year old battle pitting ancient foes with diametrically opposed agendas.

From the internationally bestselling author of
Depraved Difference
and
The Protocol
comes
Broken Dove
,
the third entry in the smash hit
James Acton Thrillers
series, where J. Robert Kennedy reveals a
secret concealed by the Church for almost 1200 years, and a fascinating interpretation of what the real reason behind the denials might be.

To sample or purchase
Broken Dove
, please visit Amazon.com:

Click here
to visit this book's Amazon page now.

Return to book list

The Vault must be sealed, but a construction accident leads to a miraculous
discovery—an ancient tomb containing four Templar Knights, long forgotten, on
the grounds of the Vatican. Not knowing who they can trust, the Vatican requests
Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer examine the find, but what they discover,
a precious Islamic relic, lost during the Crusades, triggers a set of events
that shake the entire world, pitting the two greatest religions against each
other.

Join Professors James Acton and Laura Palmer, INTERPOL Agent Hugh Reading,
Scotland Yard DI Martin Chaney, and the Delta Force Bravo Team as they race
against time to defuse a worldwide crisis that could quickly devolve into all-out
war.

At risk is nothing less than the Vatican itself, and the rock upon which it
was built.

From J. Robert Kennedy, the author of six international bestsellers including
Depraved Difference and The Protocol, comes The Templar’s Relic, the fourth
entry in the smash hit James Acton Thrillers series, where once again Kennedy
takes history and twists it to his own ends, resulting in a heart pounding thrill
ride filled with action, suspense, humor and heartbreak.

To sample or purchase
The Templar's Relic
, please visit Amazon.com:

Click here
to visit this book's Amazon page now.

Return to book list

Archaeology Professor James Acton simply wants to
get away from everything, and relax. A trip to China seems just the answer,
and he and his fiancée, Professor Laura Palmer, are soon on a flight to Beijing.

But while boarding, they bump into an old friend, Delta Force Command Sergeant
Major Burt Dawson, who surreptitiously delivers a message that they must meet
the next day, for Dawson knows something they don’t.

China is about to erupt into chaos.

Foreign tourists and diplomats are being targeted by unknown forces, and if
they don’t get out of China in time, they could be caught up in events no one
had seen coming.