The Indian Defense: A Historical Political Saga (ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF WAR Book 5)

THE INDIAN DEFENSE BOOK 5 OF THE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF WAR SERIES JAY PERIN Copyright © 2023 by Jay Perin All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. For permission requests and any other info, please email [email protected] Publisher’s Cataloging-In-Publication Data (Prepared by Cassidy Cataloguing Services, Inc.) Names: Perin, Jay, author. Title: The Indian defense / Jay Perin. Description: [New York, New York] : East River Books, [2023] | Series: One hundred years of war series Identifiers: ISBN 978-1-7364680-9-8 (paperback) | ISBN 978-1-7364680-8-1 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Ex-presidents--United States--History--20th century--Fiction. | United States--Politics and government--1989---Fiction. | Petroleum industry and trade--History--20th century--Fiction. | Nineteen nineties--Fiction. | Treason--Fiction. | Murder--Fiction. | Corporate power--Fiction. | LCGFT: Political fiction. | Thrillers (Fiction) | Historical fiction. Classification: LCC PS3616.E7443 I54 2023 | DDC 813/.6--dc23 The characters, names, businesses, places, locales, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or referred to in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance in either the book or the promotional material to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Editors: Chase Nottingham Elizabeth Roderick http://talesfrompurgatory.com/ Cover: www.ebookorprint.com Maps and illustrations: Murat Bayazit Video (book trailer): Nauman Gandhi Special mention: www.GetCovers.com www.EastRiverBooks.com To the One They Called God; To the Best of Men; To That Goddess of Knowledge; To the Chronicler. Table of Contents Part I Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Part II Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Part III Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Part IV Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Part V Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Part VI Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Part VII Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Part VIII Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Part IX Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Part X Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Part XI Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Part XII Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Part XIII Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Part XIV Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Part XV Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Part XVI Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Part XVII Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Part XVIII Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Part XIX Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Part XX Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Part XXI Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Part XXII Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Part XXIII Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Afterword Part I Chapter 1 June 3, 1989 77th Precinct, Crown Heights Brooklyn, New York The star-spangled banner fluttered on top of the orange brick building as Temple exited the Cadillac. Squinting against the hot sun hitting his eyes, he glanced at the letters spelling out the identity of the place. The bullet which pierced his skull in the assassination attempt made sure he couldn’t read it, but the row of squad cars parked in front and the familiar NYPD emblem on the wall next to the entrance advised Temple as to where he was. Noah Andersen, friend and former attorney general, had knocked on Temple’s bedroom door shortly after daybreak and hustled him into the car. Whatever the problem, if it required the presence of a former American president in a police station, Noah certainly thought it serious. There were indecipherable murmurs from the cops in uniform as they escorted Temple and his companions inside—Noah and the four secret service officers. Curiosity marked the faces of the staff milling about within. It was to be expected. News of Temple’s incapacitation had surely spread through the nation, and people wanted to see for themselves what happened to the erstwhile leader of the free world. Temple wished there were some update he could give. Day after day after day he’d spent in the hospital, and nothing much changed. Temple could make sounds but not speak any language which could be understood. He didn’t comprehend what was said to him. He couldn’t read or write. He couldn’t even tell the time by looking at the numbers. First the snow outside, then the sprouting grass told him many weeks passed since the shooting. Noah brought a calendar, and the general appearance of the month in question allowed Temple to figure out where they were in the year. There was a therapist of some kind who visited after his discharge. She hadn’t come around lately. Temple knew the woman wasn’t returning. He saw the pity in her eyes on the last day, the belief he would never get any better. Growling in frustration, Temple signaled the doctor who traveled with the security team he was free to go... for good. The medic had been part of the crew since their White House days, and he was asked to continue with the former president only because of his advanced age. In the end, there was nothing anyone could do to help. Raging against his fate, Temple begged Noah to let him die. Of course no one understood what he said, but Temple was constantly watched over the next few weeks by both his friend and his security detail. The secret service officers waited patiently as Temple paced his bedroom, growling in anger. If only the bullet fired by the Kingsley assassin did what it was supposed to do. The Kingsleys... Noah pinned pictures of the entire clan on a corkboard. Somewhere in the middle of the last row was a grainy photograph of the woman who married the eldest Kingsley grandson. Lilah... it didn’t matter who her biological parents were. She was Temple’s daughter, dammit! And Godwin Kingsley—family patriarch—knew it. He still issued the order to hunt her down. Lilah was now out there somewhere on the run from hitmen. How could Temple die in peace without knowing what was happening to his child? If the