that, the more the paranoia filled my chest cavity like
blood. I knew Ramirez was worried sick about me
CO MB AT O P S
187
taking what he’d done to higher. Yes, I’d lied in my
report. But that still didn’t mean I wouldn’t bring it up,
fall on my own sword with him, and end both of our
careers because it was the morally correct thing to do.
My own sense of guilt would fuel his paranoia.
And because that doubt had to be in his head, I won-
dered if maybe, just maybe, I might be a target. I was
the only witness to what he’d done, and if I “died in
combat” the same way the kid had, then no one would
be the wiser.
After all, he’d told me he had nothing else in his life.
In the middle of the desert, in one-hundred-degree-
plus heat, an intense chill ran up my spine. What if Joey
did find some way to off me? No one would know.
I couldn’t bear that thought.
EIGHTEEN
It took another thirty minutes to finally get Gordon on
the line, and we switched to a video call, which was a
little grainy, with some boxy dropouts, but I still could
note the old colonel’s deep concern.
“You know I’m caught in the middle here, Scott. I
didn’t want to send Warris. Keating’s taking a lot of heat,
and he’s got no choice but to pass the buck. You know how
this works. I’m getting ready to tell them all where to go.”
“Me, too. Well, there’s no media here, so unless
Zahed and his people get on Al Jazeera, we’ll be okay. I
don’t know about his contacts in that department, but
suffice it to say we haven’t got much time.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Obviously, you want me to rescue Warris.”
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189
“Not exactly.”
I sighed deeply. That phrase was becoming a knife in
my back. Then again, maybe they were writing off the
young captain? No way. They couldn’t be. “Sir?”
“We might be able to use Warris’s capture to justify a
big offensive in the area. It’s what that place really needs
anyway. Some big units moving through and sweeping
out the cockroaches. It’s too damned corrupt to send
you guys in there to take out one man. The guy’s laying
low, and if he does move, they’ve got him disguised. We
even thought they might’ve moved him in a body bag
from one part of the village to another. I’ve got nothing
actionable to hand you at this point.”
“So you’re giving up on my mission?”
“No, you’ve still got time to do what you can. It’ll
take another two weeks for the logistics to be worked
out. They’ll need to pull some people out of Helmand.
But once that happens, Zahed won’t know what hit him.
However, the Ghosts can save face by pulling Zahed out
of there before the hammer drops.”
“So you want me to get Zahed and rescue Warris, but
you want me to take my time on the rescue op.”
“Obviously this call is not being recorded and the trans-
mission is fully encrypted,” he said with a wink. “Other-
wise, I wouldn’t confirm that. But hell yes, son, you need to
begin some negotiations, but buy us the time on our end.”
“What if they torture him? What if he spills his guts
to those bastards?”
“We’ll have to take the hit, because higher believes
that securing Kandahar and the outlying areas—”
190 GH OS T RE CON
“You don’t need to finish,” I told him while sighing
in disgust.
I leaned back from the cubicle and glanced around
the comm center. I was wearing headphones and the
screen had glare protection, so no one could peer over
my shoulders.
And at that moment, I stopped calling him “sir.” I’d
known Buzz Gordon for a very long time, and that was
the most tense few moments I’ve ever had with a CO.
“Buzz, I need your advice on something.”
“Glad I’m still good for something.”
“I, uh, I can’t tell you everything.”
“Scott, it’s me.”
“I know, I know.” I took a deep breath and spoke
slowly. “I’ve got a problem with Ramirez. I want you to
know that if something happens to me, you’ll need to
confine and question him. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Whoa, what the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m just saying I got a problem.”
“Scott, what’s going on out there?”
“If it comes down to it, I just want you to question
Ramirez, all right?”
“I’m shocked. He’s one of the top five operators we
have, and you’re telling me you think he’s going to frag
you?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why would he want to do that, Scott?”
“Like I said, I’m not in a position to tell you every-
thing.”
“You don’t need to protect me.”
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191
“I know. I’m trying to save my own ass here.”
“So let me give you the company line here: You’re the
on-scene commander, and I expect and trust you to
resolve the situation in a professional and expeditious
manner. You have been and will continue to be put in
situations where you have two competing obligations.”
“I understand.”
“And now as a friend and fellow soldier, I’ll tell you
this: If Ramirez is a problem—in the way that you
suggest—then, for the good of the Ghosts, for the good
of all operators, you need to address that problem.”
“In any way I can?”
“That’s right.”
“Would you consider that an order?”
“You know I can’t.”
I sighed and closed my eyes. “Yeah . . .”
“Scott, I wasn’t aware it’s gotten that bad.”
I couldn’t meet his gaze. “Well, Harruck’s baby-
sitting the governor on our base, the spook is working
on something that involves the Chinese smuggling in
HER F guns, and the local police and Army are nonexis-
tent. So yeah, it’s pretty bad.”
Gordon shook his head. “Two weeks, Scott. Get Zahed.
If you wind up rescuing Warris early, then do it if you
have to, but if you can sit on your hands, then do that,
too.”
“All right.”
I couldn’t help but rejoice over his order to delay res-
cuing Warris. And I couldn’t believe the irony of that,
either. Warris’s capture was giving them an excuse to
192 GH OS T RE CON
break out the big guns and finally put some steel on ter-
rorist targets. Maybe they were realizing that COIN
operations needed some teeth behind them.
Then again, I wondered how effective even a major
offensive might be. Word would get back to Zahed that
forces were moving toward Sangsar, and he would just
skip town until the fireworks were over. Then he’d come
back and set up shop once more. Just a vicious circle. We
had to get him before he left. They needed to cordon off
that entire village.
When I left the comm center, I got word from the
main gate that someone had come to see me: Shilmani. I