“Markham was a Ranger before he went Green Beret. He was a good soldier at first, but things went wrong at home, and he ended up divorced. He and a guy in his unit named Chico Orlando got to be friends. Chico had family in Mexico. Markham went down with him a couple of times for a visit. Apparently, family included some big cartel names.”

“I’m beginning to get the picture,” Edge said. “Markham gets handed a golden opportunity and can’t resist.”

The colonel nodded. “That’s about it. Money was offered. Big money. Markham was pissed at the army for costing him his wife. Maybe he figured stealing the weapons was a way of getting back. Or maybe he just couldn’t resist that much green.”

“From the high life he’s living, I’d say that’s a distinct possibility.”

“So how does it work?” Skye asked, gripping her beer bottle a little more tightly. Edge knew her well enough to see her nerves creeping up with every new piece of information.

“The cartels set up what’s called an ant track. Vehicles loaded with weapons hidden in every conceivable location, from hubcaps to door panels, transport guns across the border. Some have special compartments built in. All Markham has to do is get the weapons off base, into the hands of the guys running them south into Mexico. A few of the Mexican drivers manage to screw up and get caught, but they know if they talk, the cartel will take out their families.”

“Where does Markham find the men to help him?” Skye asked.

“He recruits other soldiers into his organization. Guys with money or personal problems. Like I said, the money is big.”

“I started hearing rumors,” Edge said. “That’s how I got involved. I did some checking, found out he was talking to soldiers in the supply chain—specifically, men working in the armory. I went over his head, figuring the brass would start an investigation, but rumors aren’t proof. When I pressed the issue, I ended up getting tossed out on my ass.”

He felt Skye’s hand on his thigh and realized the anger he was fighting had his leg shaking beneath the table. He covered her hand with his and took a deep breath.

“I was already out when I found out what was going on,” Harding said. “Some of my men came to me with info, hoping I could help them do something about it, but they weren’t willing to put their careers on the line without proof. I dug into Markham, used my connections in the spec ops community to find out everything I could. But until now I didn’t have the kind of proof the army would accept.”

“Which we’re about to get now,” Edge said. “Assuming this actually goes down tomorrow night.”

“Unless something changes between now and then, it’s going to happen.”