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"I realized just now why I really dislike you, Carlos," Ordonez said.
Castillo raised an eyebrow. "Why is that, Jose?"
"You are a corrupting influence, like Satan. When I heard that"-he gestured toward the sky, meaning he meant the radio exchange-"instead of being consumed by shame and remorse for having done what I know I should not have done, I realized I was smiling nearly as broadly as you were."
"Not to worry," Castillo said. "That'll pass."
Ordonez nodded and started walking toward the Policia Nacional helicopter. Halfway there, just as the pilot started the engine-and the lights of half a dozen cars and pickup trucks came on-he turned and walked back to Castillo.
"Tell your people to be very careful with my helicopters," he said.
"I'll do that," Castillo said.
Sixty seconds later, the Policia Nacional Huey broke ground. The sound of its rotor blades faded into the night.
Then the distinct sound of Huey rotors grew louder.
"I believe that is our bird coming in, sir," Corporal Bradley said.
"You're probably right, Lester," Castillo agreed.
Sixty seconds later, a Huey appeared out of the pitch dark, surprising everybody even though it had been expected.
The helicopter displayed no navigation lights; even the Grimes light on top of the fuselage had not been illuminated. The Huey quickly settled to the ground, and the moment it did, the headlights of the vehicles illuminating the field went dark.
And sixty seconds after that, Colonel Jacob Torine, USAF, and U.S. Army Major Robert Ward, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment-both wearing dyed-black insignia-less flight suits like Castillo's-walked up to the table.
Ward came to attention and saluted.
"Good evening, sir," he said. "I hope that is a cattle-free field. I would really hate to get bullshit all over my rudder pedals."
"And I hope you have not been letting that bluesuit fly one of my choppers."
"Screw you, Colonel," Torine said. "I say that with affection and sincerity."
"How'd it go?" Castillo asked.
"Getting off the Gipper was a bit of a problem," Torine said. "The Navy has a rule that they want to know where aircraft leaving their ships are going, and we of course did not wish to share that information with them."
"What did you do?"
"I told them the admiral would tell him after we were gone."
"Does he know?"
"No."
"Everybody got off all right?"
"At thirty-minute intervals."
"Which means we have to get you fueled and out of here right now," Castillo said. "Mr. Leverette-you know each other, right, Bob?"
"Hey, Colin," Ward said. "How are you?"
"My father just went to jail, and my mother just broke both of her legs. How about you?"
"And this," Castillo went on, "excuse me, sir, is Ambassador Lorimer."
