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operation back to the DOD or to any government agency. You know how persistent some of these reporters can be.”
    â€œAnd Jerry was just dumping all this into your lap?”
    â€œHe was also dumping a great deal of money into my lap—which was when I knew this had to be a high-priority operation. There couldn’t be any signed contracts—which meant it had to be freelance and totally black. I had to see that you guys got weapons, and I had to arrange to run the operation. Something else was there couldn’t be any screw-ups.”
    I winced when Buck said that. By getting myself captured, I’d screwed things up very badly.
    â€œMy only contacts turned out to be you, Angel, and Larry. I couldn’t get anyone else on such short notice. Under other circumstances, we would have had five people, and I could have run it out of Camp Bond-steel. Since it was freelance, absolutely and totally black, I had to run you guys out of a tiny apartment in Pristina, with the electricity going on and off and the lights not working half the time. I had a couple of cell phones, a secure laptop, a flashlight, and a bunch of telephone numbers, but not much else. Now and then, I’d try for a catnap. You can imagine how it was, sitting there day after day with earphones and a couple of monitors, wondering what was going on, and feeling pretty helpless.” When I nodded, Buck said, “I was able to keep track of you guys off the satellite. When Angel called and told me you were a prisoner, I got over there as quick as I could. You know the rest.”
    Recalling my debriefing in the military hospital, I asked Buck about Colonel Sylvia Frost.
    â€œColonel Frost works for the deputy secretary of defense. In fact she’s the deputy secretary’s special emissary, and when she’s involved in something you can bet that he’s also involved in a significant way.”
    I said, “That’s more evidence that this Ramush Nadaj rendition was a high-priority operation.”
    â€œVery high, Alex.” Buck looked at me over the top of his beer mug. “You should also know that it was Colonel Frost who pulled the strings to get you onto Camp Bondsteel. When the Force Protection people wouldn’t let us on the base, I had them phone Shenlee back in D.C. for me. I got through, but he didn’t have any answers. He gave me Colonel Frost’s number. She came up with the Captain Sanchez identity on the spot. Then she personally called Colonel Brooks.”
    â€œHe’s the CO of Bondsteel?”
    â€œYes, and one very tough hombre. But like everyone else, he knows better than to mix it up with Colonel Frost. That was how you got admitted to the military hospital so fast. If it was anyone else on the phone, it wouldn’t have happened.”
    Buck didn’t say it, but we both knew it was the medical people on Camp Bondsteel who pulled me through. I wouldn’t have survived twenty-four hours in a Kosovo hospital, assuming that Kosovo has hospitals. Maybe I’d been obnoxious during the debriefing, but considering what I went through in Kosovo, I didn’t see where I owed anybody anything.
    â€œBy the way, Colonel Frost graduated numero uno in her class at West Point. I thought you should know.”
    â€œThat’s very impressive. She’s also very attractive, if I’m allowed to say that.”
    â€œI’m glad to see you still notice those things.”
    â€œHa ha.”
    â€œHere’s a nugget of gossip. When she was out in Afghanistan, she supposedly got the hots for another officer. The word is they spent a lot of time in each other’s room in the Ariana Hotel in Kabul.”
    â€œBoys will be boys, and girls will be girls.”
    Buck lowered his voice. “People often find her difficult. Aroundthe office she’s known as Colonel BOW.” When I frowned, Buck said. “Colonel Bitch-on-Wheels.”
    â€œSo she’s a tough