“Then why haven’t we done anything until now, sir?” I asked, more than a little confused.
“It’s . . . complicated, son,” Hunter said. “This stuff is way above my pay grade. We’re talking about national foreign policy stuff here. International business, transnational interests, and supranational organizations. Rafael Montalban was connected. He had ties to the leadership of the European Union. He had ties to the UN Security Council. He had . . .” Hunter paused. “Well, let’s just say the man had a lot of powerful friends.”
“And we took this guy out,” Tailor said. “Is that good?”
“I don’t know,” Hunter said. “He was a power player, but he was just one man. There are many others to take his place. Rafael Montalban has a younger brother, Eduard, who will probably take over for him. Killing one man won’t break the Montalban Exchange. It won’t stop the flow of money to the enemy. Christ, if that was all it took, we’d have killed all those sons of bitches years ago.”
“What sons of bitches?” I asked.
“Never mind. Doesn’t matter. Anyway, boys, I want to thank you for the work you’ve done. You two, in particular, have been the sharp end of the stick for Dead Six since your first operation. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
Tailor and I looked at each other. “What do you mean?”
“For my part,” Hunter said, “I’m going to tell Gordon that I’m taking you two off the mission roster. Hudson also. Hell, Holbrook, too. Fillmore, he spent the last two months sitting in a safe house. He’s raring to go, still. But you boys need a break.”
“I appreciate that,” Tailor said.
“Gordon Willis wants to see you both,” Hunter said. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“What the hell does he want now?” I asked ruefully.
“I think he wants to offer you two a job,” Hunter replied.
“What?”
“Project Heartbreaker is a temporary assignment, as you two are aware. I’m sure you’ve guessed that we have a much larger organization that’s supporting our mission here. Well, we also have an active paramilitary branch that’s always recruiting. I think Gordon wants to offer you a position there.”
“Wait,” Tailor said. “Who the hell does Gordon work for, exactly? The CIA?”
Hunter didn’t blink. “Just like when you signed up for Project Heartbreaker, there are a lot of things you don’t get to know until you sign the paper. Even then, there are a lot of things you don’t get to know. I know you’re angry. Just . . . think real hard before you make any rash decisions, boys. We could use you. It would probably be . . . better if you signed on. It’s not always like this. I’ve been doing this for a long time. There are a lot of things going on right now that I don’t like. Back in the old days a cocksucker like Gordon never would’ve . . .” He trailed off. “Never mind. Excuse me, gentlemen. I’m tired, too. Stand by. Gordon will be here in a few minutes. Remember what I told you.” Colonel Hunter left the room without another word.
“He didn’t tell us anything,” Tailor grumbled. “I’m sick of all this innuendo and double-talk. People need to quit dropping hints and shit. They either just need to tell us straight up or shut their mouths.”
“Skullduggery gives me a headache,” I said, rubbing my temple. My shoulders sagged from the weight of my body armor and gear. I still had a shotgun slung across my back. I just wanted to take a shower and go to bed. I was in no mood for any of Gordon’s bullshit.
But even when Gordon wasn’t around, he could still piss you off. Another twenty minutes ticked by before Gordon strolled into the classroom. He had his suit jacket hanging over the crook of his arm. He tie was loosened and his shirt collar was unbuttoned. It was as casual as I’d ever seen him. He was wearing a leather shoulder holster with a Glock tucked under his left arm. He looked like a TV cop.
“Mr. Valentine!” he said jovially, vigorously shaking my hand. Gordon was one of those people who seemed like he was trying to crush your fingers during a handshake. “Mr. Tailor! Good to see you both. How was your flight?”
“I shot a man and kicked him out of the helicopter, Gordon,” I said.
“I know. Nicely done, Mr. Valentine. Excellent work rolling with a changing situation. I know things were tense, and I know you gentlemen have been under a lot of pressure. Please believe me when I say your efforts are paying off.”
“Is that so?” Tailor asked.
“It certainly is!” Gordon said. “We’ve been watching you two very closely. I’m prepared to offer you, both of you, full-time positions with my organization.”
“What organization is that, exactly?” I asked.
Gordon smiled. “You know the drill, Mr. Valentine. Need-to-know. And unless I can count on you to make a commitment, you don’t need to know.”
Tailor lit a cigarette, not bothering to ask if it was okay to smoke in the classroom. “What exactly are you offering us?”
“A full-time job,” Gordon replied. “You two would start right away. We’d have you on the next flight out of Zubara. You’ll head back to our training center stateside for indoc and processing. After a couple weeks of R&R, of course. Paid R&R. You two have more than earned it.”
I was speechless. Tailor kept asking questions. “So we’d just leave?”
“I’m going to level with you,” Gordon said, leaning in conspiratorially. “And this goes no further than you two. Project Heartbreaker is winding down. Your mission tonight was probably the last major operation we’re going to take on.”
“What? What happened?”
“I had to fight to make Project Heartbreaker happen,” Gordon said. “My superiors never really believed in it. It was a constant struggle to get funding and resources. That’s why you were always so short on manpower and equipment. That’s also why we ran you so hard. We had no choice. I never wanted to send you two out on missions, alone, with no back up. A lot of decisions made over my head forced my hand, I’m afraid.”
“Like risking our lives to capture some guy then changing your mind later and ordering me to kill him?” I asked bitterly.
“Yes, like that,” Gordon said. “I hated to do that, Mr. Valentine. I still think Rafael Montalban would’ve been an excellent asset. But the situation changed, and so did my orders. I asked you to carry them out, and you did. That sort of dedication and ability to adapt to a dynamic situation is why we’re having this conversation right now. It’s no accident your chalk was sent after Rafael Montalban. My organization needs people of your caliber.”
“Okay, okay,” Tailor said, interjecting before I could say anything else. “What would this position involve?” I couldn’t believe it. Is he seriously interested in Gordon’s offer?
“You’ll work for me. Things are changing quickly. I need people I can count on so we can stay on top of things. I need people who can carry out tough jobs despite limited resources and information. The pay is far better than you’re making now. You won’t have to deal with any bureaucratic bullshit. You two will answer only to me.”
I found it darkly humorous that Gordon didn’t consider himself a bureaucrat. “You mean like Anders?”
“Yes!” Gordon beamed. “As a matter of fact, Anders is my right-hand man. You’ll be working with him a lot. He’s spoken highly of you both.”
“I’ll bet,” I said. “Did he tell you he let Singer bleed to death without even trying to help him?”
“I was fully briefed on that operation, Mr. Valentine. I know that was tough, but the import—”
I cut him off. “Tough? Tough? Is that what you’d call that? We’ve had thirty percent casualties, and you call that tough?”