In ASSASSIN'S CODE, the fourth book in New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry's Joe Ledger series, Joe Ledger and the DMS go on a relentless chase to stop an ancient order of killers from plunging the entire world into Holy War. When Joe Ledger and Echo Team rescue a group of American college kids held hostage in Iran, the Iranian government then asks them to help find six nuclear bombs planted in the Mideast oil fields. These stolen WMDs will lead Joe and Echo Team into hidden vaults of forbidden knowledge, mass-murder, betrayal, and a brotherhood of genetically-engineered killers with a thirst for blood. Accompanied by the beautiful assassin called Violin, Joe follows a series of clues to find the Book of Shadows, which contains a horrifying truth that threatens to shatter his entire worldview. They say the truth will set you free…not this time. The secrets of the Assassin's Code will set the world ablaze. “Maberry delivers plenty of action.” ― Publishers Weekly “A fast-paced, brilliantly written novel. The hottest thriller of the New Year! In The King of Plagues , Jonathan Maberry reigns supreme.” ― Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Athena Project, on The King of Plagues “Joe Ledger and the DMS are back in their most brutal tale yet as they face off against a diabolical organization who is always one step ahead. As the sinister plot is exposed and the body count rises, THE KING OF PLAGUES is impossible to put down. Be prepared to lose some sleep.” ―Jeremy Robinson, author of THRESHOLD and INSTINCT, on The King of Plagues “While Joe has announced his retirement, eager readers can look forward to one more volume in this humorous, over-the-top cross-genre trilogy.” ― Publishers Weekly on The Dragon Factory “Like a video game on steroids mixed with The Island of Dr. Moreau.” ― Booklist on The Dragon Factory “[A] memorable book.” ― Peter Straub, New York Times Bestselling author on Patient Zero “Brilliant… puts the terror back in terrorist.” ― James Rollins , New York Times bestselling author of The Judas Strain, on Patient Zero JONATHAN MABERRY (he/him) is a New York Times bestselling, Inkpot winner, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Relentless, Ink, Patient Zero, Rot & Ruin, Dead of Night, the Pine Deep Trilogy, The Wolfman, Zombie CSU , and They Bite , among others. His V-Wars series has been adapted by Netflix, and his work for Marvel Comics includes The Punisher, Wolverine, DoomWar, Marvel Zombie Return and Black Panther. He is the editor of Weird Tales Magazine and also edits anthologies such as Aliens vs Predator, Nights of the Living Dead (with George A. Romero), Don’t Turn out the Lights, and others. Assassin's Code A Joe Ledger Novel By Jonathan Maberry St. Martin's Griffin Copyright © 2012 Jonathan Maberry All right reserved. ISBN: 9780312552206 Chapter One Starbox Coffee Tehran, Iran June 15, 7:23 a.m.   She said, “Look down at your chest.” I held the cell phone to my ear as I bent my head. Two red dots, quivering slightly, danced right over my heart. “You are one second away from death,” said the caller. Chapter Two Starbox Coffee Tehran, Iran June 15, 7:25 a.m. I didn’t know the voice. She was a stranger. I didn’t know her name. Didn’t know anything except that she had my cell number. Ten seconds ago I was about to go into Starbox—yes, they really call it that in Iran—for a cup of bold and a couple of pastries. The street outside was empty. I looked up. The shooters had to be in the building across the street, maybe the fifth floor. Didn’t really matter, the range was a hundred yards and even a sloppy marksman could punch my ticket at that distance. I doubted these guys were sloppy. And there were two of them. I was also pretty sure I knew why they were after me. “Okay,” I said. “I need you to confirm your name,” she said in Persian. She had a very sexy voice for a psycho killer. Low and smoky. “Why?” “Because I have to be certain.” “Geez, sister,” I said, “if this is how you ID your targets then I don’t think you’re going to get that contract killer merit badge.” The joke didn’t translate well but she made a sound. It might have been a laugh. Glad she was amused. Sweat was pouring down my spine. The two little laser sights gave me no chance at all to run. “If this was simply a matter of killing you,” she said, “then we’d have done it and taken your wallet for identification.” She had a European accent but she was hiding it by trying to speak Persian like a native. Kind of weird. Not the weirdest thing going on at the moment. “Um … thanks?” I said. “Tell me your name,” she said again. There had to be three of them. Two shooters and her. Was she the spotter? If not, there could have been one or two others, spotting for the gunmen. Or it might have been the three of them. “Ebenezer Scrooge,” I said. “No games,” she warned. “Your name.” “Joe.” “Full name.” “Joseph.” One of the laser sights drifted down fro