can’t figure out why you raised an army to whack Brendan Worley.”
“Before you kill a man, you kill everything that means anything to him.”
“Well… okay. So…?”
“Worley was sent here because he has a good reputation for cleaning up the shit.”
“He mentioned that to us.” Brodie added, “Not to sound egotistical, but that’s why I… and Maggie were sent here.” Though Ms. Taylor had other qualifications.
Mercer looked at Brodie. “I’m sure you’re good at what you do. Well… until recently.”
“Right. So, back to Worley. He’s here, obviously, to destabilize the regime.”
“That’s correct. And I’m here to destabilize him and his mission. To make him look bad. And to let him know I’m here to do that.”
Brodie nodded. “Seems like an ambitious plan.”
“It is. And it’s working.”
“But you understand that Colonel Worley’s mission to destabilize the regime is in the best interest of your country.”
“I have no country.”
“Okay. But I don’t see how you can… What are you doing? Helping the Chavistas?”
“That’s what I’m doing.”
“Do you sympathize with the Chavistas?”
“No. They’re assholes. Gomez is an asshole. They’re all corrupt, dishonorable, and stupid.”
“Right. They’re bad guys. So—”
“As they say in the Mideast, the enemy of my enemy—Worley—is my friend. So the Chavistas are my friends.”
“I got that. But you should think of… if not your country, then… Luis.”
“Who’s Luis?”
“Luis is every poor bastard in Venezuela who’s suffered under this regime.”
“That’s not my problem. That’s Luis’ problem. If people can’t get rid of these assholes, they deserve the government they get.”
“You’re not helping the problem if you’re helping the Chavistas.”
“The problem is the United States, and arrogant people like Brendan Worley who go around the world trying to clean up shit that’s none of their business. Shit that they make worse. Shit that gets American soldiers killed. And how do they clean up shit? With their own shit.”
“Okay… geopolitics is not my strong point, but—”
“Shit that makes the Taliban look like a Civil Affairs team. And it didn’t even work. It made things worse for the troops on the ground. If you’re going to kill people, at least get something out of it.”
“Right.” Brodie was sure that Mercer was talking about Operation Flagstaff, but Mercer hadn’t used the word, so neither did Brodie. That was for later. For now, Brodie asked, “I’m still not sure what you’re actually doing here.”
“I’m assassinating enemies of the Chavista regime, and making Worley look bad. Maybe Washington will recall him, like they did in Afghanistan. But they’ll just send him someplace else to fuck up, because they’re stupid, and Worley tells everyone he’s smart. And instead of him paying for fucking up, he’s rewarded with another assignment.” He looked at Brodie. “In the real Army—the Army you and I served in—an officer with his track record would be relieved of his duties. But in the world Worley lives in—smoke and mirrors—the idiots think he’s doing a good job.”
“I’m sure he’s up for a star.”
“You can bet on it. But he won’t live long enough to enjoy it.”
“Well, I still think a court-martial might be a better way to end his career.”
Mercer ignored that and said, “Not many people know this, but the U.S. is training a paramilitary force in Colombia to invade Venezuela.”
Actually, Brodie had had two cabdrivers who knew that.
“This group is led by disaffected Venezuelan military officers, and funded by the U.S., of course. I’ll be ready to take these people on when I recruit more men. In the meantime, Worley has recruited anti-regime politicians, journalists, church people, business leaders, and army officers to help shape the narrative and hide America’s hand in this invasion if the invasion is successful in toppling the regime. My job is to kill these people, which I’m doing.” He added, “Worley is having a shit fit.”
“Right. But if you look at the bigger picture—”
“I like the small picture. And if Worley is recalled to the States, or reassigned to some other shithole, I’ll follow him to the ends of the earth. I’m playing the long game, and enjoying it, and he knows this.” He added, “He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since he found out I was here.”
Brodie was reluctantly impressed with Mercer’s ambitious goals. If nothing else, they showed that he had retained some of the command discipline and tactical thinking that had been drilled into him. And that might be the only part of his mind that had retained any clarity.
Taylor, who had been listening closely, said, “If this is your life, and why you live it,