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“No. It’s too far below the earth.”

“Then we do what we do best,” said Tobias. “We go in without anyone seeing us. We get those kids out and to a safe place, and we come home. We’ll find DeWitt, but after the kids are out and safe.”

“Team, you read?”

“We read AJ,” said Dom.

“Two caves in Cambodia. That’s your only concern. All the others are being handled within their respective countries.”

“Are they really being handled or is that a line of rhetoric bullshit?” asked Cade.

“No way to know for sure, but Cam, Luke, and the seniors agree. We focus on this one. Gather as much evidence as you can. Take photos and get the hell out of there.”

“Roger that, AJ. Roger that.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Mr. President, it’s nice to hear from you,” said Luke. He was lying through his teeth but trying to be respectful to the man. “You’re calling on our private line, so I have to assume that this is important.”

“Luke, it’s always a pleasure seeing you boys. Yes, it’s important. Isn’t it always?” he said with a chuckle.

“I suppose it is, sir.”

“Luke, rumor has it that you boys might be headed into a dangerous situation. Now, I don’t know what that dangerous situation is, and of course, the U.S. government can’t take part in that dangerous situation, but I’d sure like to know that it’s all handled.”

Luke, Cam, Hex, and Eric stared at one another, shaking their heads.

“Sir, why would you think we’re headed into a dangerous situation? As you can see, we’re right here,” said Luke.

“Luke, I’m not an idiot. Y’all got more boys on your team than I do here in the White House. Listen, China was kind enough to tell me that you tipped them off about their issue. I can’t say I agree with how they handled it. Hanging and decapitating men isn’t my cup of tea. But. They did handle it. I know there are other areas with the same issues.”

“You knew?” asked Cam. The president was silent for a moment, just staring at the men.

“Yes. I knew,” he said calmly.

“And you did nothing?” asked Eric.

“I know you think I should send people to handle every issue across the world, but I don’t have that kind of manpower or funding.”

“You could have called us before it got to this point. There are children being used, and one military man was already killed over this,” said Luke.

“Yes. I suppose I could have, but I’ve been getting a lot of pressure saying that I’m using private services too frequently.”

“Is that right? Well, do these brainiacs realize that without private services, they’d be up shit’s creek?”

“Sarcasm doesn’t help, Luke.”

“Oh, I disagree,” he said, shaking his head. “It helps me a great deal. See, our fathers, all of us, and our sons have laid down their lives for their country even when we disagreed with some of the bullshit. We didn’t care about politics, who was in office, red or blue, republican or democrat. None of that mattered to us. What mattered was our country.

“Now, you’re calling me telling me that my men might find themselves in a dire situation. Well, I hate to break this to you, Mr. President, but we’re always in dire situations. All the fucking time, thanks to the brain trusts you’ve got in place.”

Cam, Hex, and Eric held their breaths, watching the president’s face as it reddened, staring into the screen. Finally, he let out a long breath and nodded.

“You’re right. But I can’t change their minds on this overnight. All I wanted to say is that you have to do this without anyone knowing or acknowledging that you are from the U.S. We can’t help you if you’re caught behind the lines.”

“When have we ever asked for your help?” said Hex. “No offense, sir, but we’ve never asked for your help other than for information or to run a little interference. What’s really going on here?”

“Sometimes, there are things that can’t be discussed, Hex. Sometimes, governments decide that they’re going to change their government or its leadership and go in a different direction. They need money for that. Lots of money and lots of support.”

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