“Two hours to spare. Anyone looking at those photos will figure that we held our own for a while, but then were overwhelmed by the superior numbers.”

“Has anyone showed up to take a closer look?”

“Not yet, but when they do, I’ve got guys on the ground that’ll turn them back. Some bargain-basement rockets, AKs, and the like. What we’ve done out there won’t bear close scrutiny, but I’m guessing no one’s going to want to die trying to confirm what they already think is obvious.”

“Communications?”

“We set up in a storage shed with satphones and Internet access but have it completely locked down. No one gets anything in or out except you and me. Ward isn’t happy about it and he’s asked for a word. It’s hard to tell with him, but he seems pretty hot. I get the feeling that he knows more about what’s going on than he lets on.”

“And your men?”

“No one got so much as a scratch. Wick took out the diversion team in less than sixty seconds and the people in that gully…” His voice faded for a moment. “Well, let’s just say that once we activated the minefield, they didn’t have much of a chance. You should check out the video, though. That drug they take is no joke. There were guys that didn’t slow down even after they’d lost limbs. Watching a guy with no legs trying to drag his way up that slope to get to us was kind of disturbing. Like a bad zombie movie or something.”

“Maybe later. I need to find something to eat first.”

“Roger that. Ward’s cooks are hard at it. Springbok steaks with a rosemary reduction and roasted, locally grown vegetables.”

“Working for the richest man in the world has its perks,” Rapp observed.

“If you ignore all the death and destruction.”

“Yeah. Anyway, nice work, Scott. And relay that to the guys.”

“More than nice. You snatched Gideon Auma and I took out at least fifty of his guys. I know you’re here to figure out who’s digging around in the CIA’s mainframe, but in the process, we may have just dismantled a terrorist group that makes ISIS look like a bunch of nuns. Seriously, man. You know what Auma’s been doing around here for the last decade. When we get to the pearly gates, this might be the one that gets us through.”

Rapp laughed. “Maybe you. But I’m pretty sure I’m screwed.”

“Yeah. Probably. But until then, at least you’ve got the springbok steaks and rosemary reduction.”