Page 52 of What Remains

“The Uyghurs.” Then, when the silence stretched, he added, “They’re Muslim. I mean, in case you didn’t know.”

“I knew,” Driver said but with an abstracted air as if he were truly mulling over a new idea. “You’re suggesting China’s worried about what happens internally if they open a border along a province that is heavily Muslim with a neighboring, very strict Muslim enclave.”

“Filled with people the Chinese have been sending to re-education camps because the claim is that the Uyghurs are terrorists in the making. Wouldn’tyoube worried about cross-fertilization of proven Muslim terrorists and extremists?”

“Let me see if I’ve got this straight,” Driver said. “You’re suggesting that the Taliban want to use Roni’s remains as a bargaining chip with China? A quid pro quo: we give you the American if you open the border?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. The beauty of the plan, of course, is that this is something China could use as leverage oreven just bad publicity, especially because next year, 2024, is anelectionyear. Think about who’s running. Think about who’s in the White House nowandon top of that, how chaotic the pullout from Afghanistan was.”

“Chaos? Worthy, it was a nightmare.”

Truer words, my friend.Announcing when America would leave had been the first mistake made by a different president. The subsequent withdrawal, under the next president’s watch, had beenmismanaged, which was kinder and gentler thanshit show. “You honestly think our government wouldn’t make a deal to get Roni’s remains on the down-low?”

“To avoid embarrassment?”

“Exactly. Thecurrentadministration hasn’t rolled back tariffs on the Chinese from the last administration. No matter who comes into the White House, tariffs on Chinese goods are here to stay and bound to get worse. But ifChinagets Roni’s remains?—”

“And broadcaststhatas a way of making sure tariffsdon’tget worse?—”

“Oruses the fact that an Americanwasleft behind and that influences the election,” he said, “then China’s calling the shots.”

“I could imagine the current administration being kind of anxious to avoid that.”

“Driver, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you and I, from two different teams, just happen to be in roughly the same place at the same time. Think about it. What are the odds? We’re both off-the-books. We’re both deniable.”

“If things go sideways.”

“Which they have for Davila and me.”

“You’re sayingyou’rea redundancy?” Driver shook his head. “I don’t know if I see it that way, Worthy. Our missions aren’t the same.”

“Maybe not to begin with, but I’m suggesting that Davila and I would eventually have met up with you and your guys. All of this, you and me with our history, I’m not a big believer in coincidence. Somehow, somewhere our missions intersect and…”

Driver waited a beat. “And?”

“And I think it’s time for you to tell who we’re here for. You need me as a wingman, I’m good with that, but I’d like to know where my pilot’s flying. Because as far as I can tell, there are only two things you or any clandestine unit with your skillset does, Driver. You either kill people or you rescue them. So, which is it?”

“Would you believe,” Driver said, “a little bit of both?”

5

“How much doyou know about what went down?” Driver asked.

“Before or after I drowned?”

“Don’t get cute. I meant, after. How much did anyone tell you? Did you get a debrief?”

He shook his head. “Like I said, all your dad and I got back were crickets.”

“Remember I said Flowers and Mac made it to Kabul with ten kids?”

He nodded. “With Meeks driving another and Shahida and Musa, that makes three vehicles, right?”

“Yeah. Shahida and Musa left first. Meeks hung around for a good half hour, forty-five minutes until Mac told him to beat it.”

“You’re saying everyone had a good head start on Flowers and Mac.”

“Yeah. Then you wash out; they do CPR, and you start breathing, right? That puts them, conservatively, an hour to an hour and a quarter behind Meeks who is trailing Shahida by anywhere from a half hour to an hour, depending upon how much Musa’s flooring it. Even after they finally get going, Mac and Flowers are put even further behind everyone else because they stop to allow the PJs to get you onto a transport.”

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