Sea of Shadows eBook - Navy Thriller.com

12 JEFF EDWARDS
men who might not be guilty of any crime more serious than harassing an
American warship.
On the other hand, if he didn’t shoot the boats and they did turn out to
be armed, the safety of his ship and crew were at risk. This could end with
some of his men going home in body bags. And, of considerably lesser
importance, his career would still be at an end.
How ironic was that? Ten minutes earlier, he’d been feeling sorry for
himself, decrying the lack of excitement in his future career prospects.
Now, he was about to watch his career self-destruct, and it was the very
least of his worries.
He watched the boats continue to close. His first duty was to protect
his crew. He couldn’t wait for the Sledgehammers to take the first shot. It
wasn’t really a very hard decision to make, but it hurt like hell to have to
throw away everything he had ever worked for.
He opened his mouth to give the order to fire, but he was interrupted by
a shout from the Helmsman. “They’re turning, sir! They’re running
away!”
Bowie looked at the boats. Sure enough, they had peeled off and
appeared to be running. He let out a breath that he didn’t even realize he’d
been holding.
The TAO keyed her mike for a few seconds to let him hear the cheers
coming from the crew in Combat Information Center. In the background,
a male voice cut loose with a rebel yell.
The boats grew smaller in the window. Bowie watched them until he
was certain that they weren’t coming back. Then he turned to his Officer
of the Deck. “Stand us down from General Quarters.”
The young lieutenant was still a little pale. “Yes, sir!”
Bowie looked down at the cold, sweat-drenched T-shirt sticking to his
skin. “Take the Conn, Brett. I need a shower.”