“If you give them to me, I’ll say a prayer for them.”
“I’ve already done that. Save your prayers for yourself and your partner.”
“And I’ll pray for you. But right now, Scott and I are getting in that boat. You can come with us, or you can stay here. Or you can order your men to shoot us. You’ve done that before.”
Hold on, Maggie. That’s not in the script. “Excuse me—”
“I’ve got this, Scott.” She looked at Mercer. “We are not staying here to be tortured by you. I am not staying here to be raped by your men. I am getting on that boat, and you can do what the hell you want.”
Mercer, who seemed to be regaining his composure along with his anger, glared at Taylor and said, “If you go toward that boat, my men will shred you to pieces.”
Brodie thought it was time for him to exercise some command and control over his obviously distraught and pissed-off subordinate. He walked quickly to Taylor and took her arm.
She looked at him, and he could see she was someplace else. Clearly, Kyle Mercer’s memories of death and betrayal had brought back some of her own. Brodie said in a low but firm voice, “You are relieved from duty.”
“I’m getting myself out of here.”
“You will obey my order and get yourself under control, soldier.”
She took a deep breath and nodded.
Brodie glanced at Mercer, who seemed pleased that he didn’t have to shoot the lady to show who was in charge here. But Mercer had summoned Emilio and his men, who were now on the platform, AKs at the ready, which Mercer must have found embarrassing considering the small problem with the lady. Mercer barked an order that caused the men to lower their rifles.
He walked over to Brodie and Taylor and said, “We are breaking camp. Leaving here. So if a missile strike or raid is planned on this camp, it will just hit another dry hole. Another Intel failure, which the Americans are getting used to. You two will come with me, as hostages, and as a further source of information—and a source of amusement.”
Brodie wasn’t looking forward to a trek through the jungle, and he wasn’t sure Taylor was up to it. “Kyle, leave her here. Sink the boat. Whatever happens here, happens. But she needs to stay here.”
“Chivalry, Mr. Brodie, is no longer required by the Army.”
“I’ll give you my word that I won’t try to escape.”
“You have a duty to escape and you are forbidden to give your word that you won’t.”
Taylor interjected, “We are not splitting up.”
Mercer said, “There’s your answer.” He said something to Emilio, who motioned for them to put their hands on their heads.
Mercer said, “You’ll wait in the stockade until we’re ready to move.”
“We need water.”
“You’ll have water on the march. Meanwhile, you’ll enjoy your solitude in the stockade while we pack up and burn the camp.” He seemed annoyed at having to do this, and annoyed that Brodie and Taylor’s arrival—and maybe Ted Haggerty’s arrival and sudden departure—made this necessary. So he said to them, to make them understand that he was not looking at this relocation as his defeat or as their victory: “I’ve scouted locations in this wilderness, and it’s time to move anyway.”
Brodie looked at him and they made eye contact. “You can run, Captain, but you can’t hide from yourself.”
Surprisingly, Mercer nodded in agreement. “But I can die like a soldier.”
“But you won’t die with honor. Only you can redeem yourself. And I really want you to do that.”
“Thank you both for this talk. Sorry it didn’t go well.” He signaled to Emilio, who motioned them to follow.
Brodie and Taylor went with Emilio and the five men toward the stockade.
CHAPTER 45
Emilio, their appointed warden, ordered them into the stockade hut and watched as they snapped the padlocks on their shackles. Satisfied that his prisoners were secured, he stared at Maggie Taylor with a look that left no doubt about what he had in mind for later.
Brodie hoped that Señor Kyle had given Emilio instructions not to abuse the prisoners who were now his hostages. But Maggie hadn’t helped the situation by telling Mercer that he had nobody to blame but himself for all that happened. Mercer knew that, of course, but he’d told himself a different story over the years, and he preferred his version. But, all things considered, Brodie was proud of Taylor for doing what had to be done,