“That’s what the report says,” I replied.
“Well, it should say a seven man and one-woman extraction team. More specifically it should sayseven men and one fuck up woman who almost got her entire team killed.”
I turned off the stove top and sighed, facing her again. I had a feeling this was gonna take a minute and I didn’t want to burn the pasta. “What are you talking about?”
“I was in a van, two kilometers away from the rest of the team when they found Chavez.”
“Okay, so you were the ‘man in the van,’” I said. “There’s nothing wrong with running intelligence on a mission.”
“Not unless that ‘man’ gives the team bad intel that would have placed her team right in the center of a world of shit.”
“Talk to me, Tess. What’s this all about?”
“Chief Lee Bulger was the Chief of our Special Operations Division and the one who led the team to the eventual extraction point. I’d recently gained a hot piece of intel from my most trusted and fruit baring asset that Chavez, along with his top advisor, would be attending a secret meeting with cartel rival Enrique Voss in Guayaquil. The meeting was to take place in the basement of a yacht club on the Rio Guayas in just six hours. My asset had never given us bad intel of any kind in the past, so Station Chief Bulger put a mission plan together and we rolled out.”
Tess tried to hide it, but I could see revisiting this memory was difficult for her. I did my best to stay as still and as quiet as possible as she continued.
“The team was dressed in plain clothes, holsters and weapons out of sight, so everyone was able tomove through the waterfront streets of Guayas without attracting attention. Also working in their favor was the fact that five out of the seven on the team were Hispanic. We parked the van about two kilometers away from the yacht club and I stayed behind to work coms and survey the site. Three hours prior, Field Officer Torres planted Wi-Fi cameras in the area around the meeting spot, so we were wired for sound and video. This was it. After months of briefings, training, and field work, this was gonna be the day we got him. And in the end, the operation would be based on my stelar intel work.” Tess laughed without mirth. “I had this fantasy running through my head of the director awarding me with some sort of medal or plaque of achievement in honor of my stellar service on Operation Junebug. Instead, every time I hear the word Junebug I want to throw up.”
“What happened?” I asked quietly.
“While on their way to the yacht club, the team split up into two groups, making them less noticeable. Station Chief Bulger led Alpha Team, while Torres commanded Bravo Team. The plan was to flank the meeting spot from each accessible side. Cutting off any escape route. Alpha Team would hit the building first, followed by Bravo, who would handle any escapees or serve as a second wave of firepower if needed. With all the principal targets located inside a single-entry basement and what looked like very light security on the street, the guys had nicknamed the mission ‘Operation: No Problemo.’”
“Let me guess,” I said. “Problemos?”
“Oh, it wasallproblemo. I’d been given bad intel. The whole thing was a setup.”
“Shit.”
She nodded. “Chavez found out my asset was working with the Company and tortured him until he agreed to feed us false information. Of course, my guy agreed to do whatever Chavez said right away, but that didn’t stop Chavez from torturing him anyway.”
“That’s not your fault,” I said, gently.
“Oh, yeah? Whose fault is it then?”
“El Glotón,” I replied. “Chavez is the monster, not you. Plus, your asset chose to work with the Company for whatever reasons he had.”
“Either way, Chavez’s men knew we were coming,” Tess said, sidestepping the conversation about her feelings. “The whole thing was a goddamned turkey shoot. Two of our guys were hit before we even knew what was happening. Delacruz and Garner took on heavy fire. Delacruz was wearing a vest and came out of the firefight with two relatively superficial wounds, but Garner took a bullet in the throat. The only reason the entire team wasn’t wiped out was due to Chief Bulger’s decision to split the group up into two teams. As soon as Alpha Team started taking on fire, Bravo Team was on Chavez’s men like flies on a rib-roast, but the whole thing was a cluster of epic proportions.”
I leaned against the counter and studied her. “You said Chavez wasn’t there, but you got him.”
“Yeah, we got him. Two days later, about fifteen kilometers south of town hiding out at a shrimp farm,but that part wasn’t in the report, nor was any mention of my bad intel. Bulger wrote a report that put our team and the Agency in the best possible light, while downplaying or outright eliminating any unflattering details.”
“Sounds like he was protecting you,” I said.
“I never asked him to do that.” She crossed her arms. “I screwed up, and I should have been held accountable for my actions. Instead, I came home to a hero’s fucking welcome and an Intelligence Commendation Medal.”
I sighed. “So… what? You chose this assignment to prove something to the Agency?”
“No, Icreatedthis assignment to prove something tomyself. I had to make sure I could successfully run an op on my own.”
“Why? What does that prove?” I asked.
“If I can’t produce results on my own,withoutassistance, how could I possibly be useful to a team?” she replied.
I scratched the back of my neck. “Tess, that’s a hell of a lot of pressure to put on yourself. And for no fuckin’ good reason. Bulger had your back because you were part of his team, not because you were a weak woman who needed rescuing.”
“Of course, you’d see it that way. You’re a fellow white knight in shining armor.”
