Devil's Guard- The Complete Series Box Set
Page 129
“Am I? Well, I guess it could come to that. That’s why I’d be able to offer to employ Art’s contractors as part of the deal. It would mean you’d have an armed escort, permanently attached to your staff.”
I was stupid. He’d led up to this, and I hadn’t seen it coming. So what he wanted was a convenient way to extract soldiers trapped or held captive in enemy territory. If he got his men back, it would be a feather in his cap for everyone who came home. If we got shot at and suffered casualties along the way, we’d just be another figure on a Washington balance sheet.
“No way, General. I’m not here to commit suicide.”
He smiled. “Think about it, that’s all I’m asking. You haven’t asked about the money.”
“No, I have not.”
“I’d quadruple your normal charter rates, double pay for every person who you recruit, and full insurance and equipment back up. Isn’t your Twin Otter due for a full engine overhaul soon? That’ll be expensive. Anything you want, it’s yours. Call in and see me tomorrow.”
I left him in a daze and called a cab to take Rachel and me into the city. On the way I told her what he’d said.
“Jesus Christ, Max, that’s amazing. We’d get the airline off the ground for sure, new aircraft. Think of it, we could even go international if we made enough money.”
“If we’re still alive,” I grumbled.
There were twelve of Art Schramm’s men drinking in Abe Woltz’s bar. Luk was there with Najela, and Abe was busy running around with the drinks. He greeted me with a huge smile.
“Glad to see you’re back, Max. Let me get you a drink. Are you joining the boys?”
“Yes, for a while.”
They nodded when I asked if we could join them at their table. Art’s second in command, Trip Wennerstrom, looked at me when I said how sorry I was.
“He was a great man, Art. The best. We’ll miss him,” was his eulogy.
“What are you going to do now?” I asked him.
“I’ve no idea. We need to find a new contract. The money from that last one will keep us going for a short while, but we all have bills to pay. Wives, children. They all need money.”
“You mean you have families?” I was astonished.
“Of course we have. After Iraq, we left the army and found that there’s precious little work in the US, because of the downturn. Most of us have kids in school, big mortgages, credit cards, you know how it is.”
I nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”
We spent a half hour with them and then left them to drown their sorrows while we moved to another table and ordered some food. Abe brought it out, and I asked him to join us while we talked about Westwood’s offer. His eyes narrowed.
“The conniving bastard. They never change. They did something of the same to your grandfather in ‘Nam.”
“I didn’t know that. All I was told was to avoid the CIA like the plague.”
“Yep, that’s sound advice. So what are you going to do?”
“Rachel, you’re in favor, I gather?”
Her eyes were dilated, bright with excitement. “You can count me in, any day.”
“Luk?”
“I’ve had enough of tending bar,” he muttered. “Sorry, Dad.”
“That’s ok,” Abe reassured him. “A man has to make his own way.”
“Is it ok with you?” he asked Najela.
She nodded shyly. He told us what she had signed. ‘What’s the difference? The war is everywhere. Last time we were here the war was outside, when those bombs went off.’
She sure had a point. I went over to the mercs. They were now Trip Wennerstrom’s men, although it caused an ache in the heart to call them that. I explained the offer. Their answering roar was enough. I went back to our table.
“It seems we have a contract,” I informed them.
Abe Woltz could not hide the excitement in his face. “You know what his means? The Devil’s Guard is back.”
“Hey, hold up,” I grinned at him. “We’ll be flying sick soldiers and casualties out of the remote areas.”
“Yeah, right. I’ll call your men over, and we’d better celebrate with another drink.”
I had the feeling that things wouldn’t ever be the same again for us, for Rachel and me, for Luk and Najela. For Afghanistan.