McCoy was in command of B Troop. Ellie had been introduced to him upon her arrival and had been taken with his calm sense of confidence. She had looked him up and had discovered that he had recently been in northern Iraq as part of Task Force Trident, advising and assisting the Peshmerga in combating ISIS. He had an impressive résumé and was just as impressive in the flesh.

“Commander,” she said, “you all good to go?”

“Just running through the finer points of the operation before we brief the men.”

“Still looking like tomorrow for go-time?”

“Tomorrow or the next day, ma’am,” he said. “WITCH is due into camp, but we don’t know exactly when. We’re just waiting for CHILD to give us the update.”

Ellie nodded. WITCH was the cryptonym that they were using for La Bruja, and CHILD was their source.

“How long do we think she’ll stay there?”

“Don’t know that for sure, but more than long enough for us to go get her. We’ll keep an eye on her, confirm she’s in the camp, and then we’ll move. We can be on site in four hours. She’s not going anywhere.”

The plan called for a full deployment of the troop. It would be challenging on several levels: first, they would need to move the men there without arousing the suspicion of the local authorities; second, they would have to trek through the jungle while ensuring that the cartel did not notice them; and, third, they would have to take La Bruja. Ellie had insisted that she be part of the operation, and, perhaps sensing the almighty row that would follow if she were denied, McSweeney had agreed.

“You mind if I ask…” McCoy said. “You done anything like this before?”

Ellie thought back to the adventure that she had had in Michigan. “Not quite like this,” she said. “But if you’re asking if I’ve seen action before? Sure, I’ve seen action.”

McCoy nodded. “The thing with the militia?”

“You been reading up on me?”

“You’re coming into a hot zone with me,” he said. “I’d check up on anyone I was going to be responsible for in a place like that.”

“You don’t need to worry about me,” she said. “I can look after myself.”

He grinned. “Not doubting that for a minute.”

V. Saturday

Part V

Saturday

43

It was five in the morning and the drive out into the countryside had been quiet, with not much traffic on the roads. Chase was driving, with Ziggy in the passenger seat beside him. They had reached a large stretch of farmland, and Ziggy had directed them to a chapel that looked as if it had once ministered to the spiritual needs of the men and women who worked the land. It was derelict now and looked as if it might have been for years.