Patriot Games by Tom Clancy EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Authors: Tom Clancy
- Language: English
- Genre: Political Thrillers & Suspense
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
A Sunny Day in Londontown
Ryan was nearly killed twice in half an hour. He left the taxi a few blocks
short of his destination. It was a fine, clear day, the sun already low in the
blue sky. Ryan had been sitting for hours in a series of straight-back wooden
chairs, and he wanted to walk a bit to work the kinks out. Traffic was
relatively light on the streets and sidewalks. That surprised him, but he
looked forward to the evening rush hour. Clearly these streets had not been
laid out with automobiles in mind, and he was sure that the afternoon chaos
would be something to behold. Jack’s first impression of London was that it
would be a fine town to walk in, and he moved at his usual brisk pace,
unchanged since his stint in the Marine Corps, marking time unconsciously
by tapping the edge of his clipboard against his leg.
Just short of the corner the traffic disappeared, and he moved to cross the
street early. He automatically looked left, right, then left again as he had since
childhood, and stepped off the curb –
And was nearly crushed by a two-story red bus that screeched past him
with a bare two feet to spare.
“Excuse me, sir.” Ryan turned to see a police officer – they call them
constables over here, he reminded himself – in uniform complete to the Mack
Sennett hat. “Please do be careful and cross at the corners. You might also
mind the painted signs on the pavement to look right or left. We try not to
lose too many tourists to the traffic.”
“How do you know I’m a tourist?” He would now, from Ryan’s accent.
The cop smiled patiently. “Because you looked the wrong way, sir, and you
dress like an American. Please be careful, sir. Good day.” The bobby moved
off with a friendly nod, leaving Ryan to wonder what there was about his
brand-new three-piece suit that marked him as an American.
Chastened, he walked to the corner. Painted lettering on the blacktop
warned him to LOOK RIGHT, along with an arrow for the dyslexic. He
waited for the light to change, and was careful to stay within the painted
lines. Jack remembered that he’d have to pay close attention to the traffic,
especially when he rented the car Friday. England was one of the last places
in the world where the people drove on the wrong side of the road. He was
sure it would take some getting used to.
But they did everything else well enough, he thought comfortably, already
drawing universal observations one day into his first trip to Britain. Ryan was
a practiced observer, and one can draw many conclusions from a few glances.
For More Read Download This Book
EPUB