Reunion of Revenge
by
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About five minutes after Bob and Cameron left; the door to the suite flew open and a middle-aged Vietnamese entered brandishing a Russian AK47! Craig Simmons, the classes only West Point cadet, showed his bravado as he tried to attack the aggressor. A frontal attack was not the way to handle this type of man and Craig was soon disabled by a shot through his right thigh. In Vietnamese, the assailant sneered - almost daring someone to step forward, "Any further provocation will be dealt with more harshly." Tom had thrown himself over Jessie to protect her. She noticed that Tom seemed to understand this oriental language. It was obviously a threat, but Tom had taken it literally word for word. He asked her if she was okay and as she turned to reply she noticed a change in his demeanor. His normal chocolate eyes had turned to an almost ebony black. They appeared as if something had been shut off but something more profound had been triggered on. He was shaking, yet breathing slowly and his body had become hard as a rock. Noticing Jessie s concern, he told her he was fine and not to worry - he would never let her be hurt. Tom felt it come on him the second the door had flown open - that plane of consciousness he had tried to subdue for so many years. The sweet smell of Craig s blood also added to it, but it was more. He had dealt with fear and blood while doing his clinical psychology practice in the ER. But now there was another ingredient. He tasted the blood, smelled the fear that his classmate s parasympathetic nervous systems had set off - but it was more. He knew they were dealing with a man who loved to kill, who lived for it. The scent of aggression was filling the air. *** By now, the sentry had stopped firing and had turned his attention to the windows closest to himself. Tom, observing him through the legs of the chair could only make out his legs. The scent in the room confirmed Tom s worst suspicions. This was Lu Tau-not a Vietnamese, but a Cambodian Khmer Rouge - and the only man who had ever come close to making Tom give up. When he saw Lu s legs face away Tom crawled across the aisle and nestled himself into the band s speakers that stood above the small parquet-dancing floor. Revulsion and fear racked Tom s sympathetic nervous system and his stomach grew tight, his breathing accelerated and his body prepared for battle. He had to control his system or he would give himself away - so he searched for his Chi - he must become focused - it was not the time to be a foolish Akita - that rushes head fast into everything. He had to find the hawk. As his Chi led him to Kutso - the technique of energy restoration to prepare for battle his body went to sentry sleep and his mind traveled to Cambodia, 1973.
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About the Book
Reunion of Revenge is a suspenseful novel that follows Tom Silva's catharsis as he struggles to overcome long suppressed memories. It is a love story that examines relationships between man and woman, soldier and commander and friend to friend. The story concentrates on Tom Silva, a mild mannered psychologist with a missing six-year period in his personal history. Finally summoning up the courage to face his past, Tom and his wife Jessie return to Fort Sebastian, Florida for Tom's thirtieth class reunion. Prepared to handle the psychological pressures that haunt us all, Tom is unwittingly cast into the position of hero as he must draw on his hidden experiences to save Jessie and all of his classmates from a mysterious terrorist act. The unfolding plot moves back and forth from the present day situation to covert experiences during the Vietnam War. It teaches us about Tom's secret past and the subsequent reasons behind the current situation. A combination of intrigue and the harsh reality of war, Reunion of Revenge delves into the abstract themes of guilt and retribution and leaves us all begging for forgiveness for our sins.
About the Author
Ronald F. Smith has degrees in Psychology from Florida Atlantic University and in Pharmacy from the University of Florida. He lives with his wife, Judy, in Burlington, N.C., where together they own and operate Haw River Drug. They have six children, who have proven that there is hope for the future.