After his confrontation with Ethan, Ortega flew in a Cobra gunship to the highland ARVN ranger camp.

Back in Puerto Rico in that fucking San Juan slum where he grew up, Ortega's father had taught him how to read a person's body language, and Ortega's instincts said Ethan wasn't going to cooperate. 

He needed the Army to back off their investigation of the stolen weapons. Because Ethan wasn't going to cooperate, Ortega decided to hand him over, and he would earn credit for solving the Army's case, while staying in business. 

He watched the sun splash brilliant colors across the horizon. The high mound of dirt to his right surrounded the camp and hid the bottom of the rainforest from his view. Logs and concertina wire ringed the top of the mound. 

The tall, thin figure of Colonel Edward Price jogged into sight. Price, an African American, was in his forties with close-cropped dark hair peppered with white. Sweat soaked his camouflaged clothing. 

"Colonel," Ortega said, remembering that his old man taught him it was best to talk cultured when around people with money or power. 

The Colonel stopped, but his legs continued to pump as he ran in place. Obviously, Price had been running for some time, and Ortega saw that he wasn't the slightest bit winded. 

"I thought it only right to let you know what one of your men has been up to." Ortega took several forged requisitions and the photos of Ethan and Tuyen having sex and handed them to the Colonel. 

Price's legs stopped moving. His granite face remained expressionless as he studied the papers and the photos. "That's Ethan Card," he said. "Where did you get these?" 

"Colonel, division will be contacting you today or early tomorrow," Ortega said. "They want Ethan Card for selling weapons to the Viet Cong, and he will be court-martialed." 

"This cannot be true ," Price said. "Card is a good man." 

"General LaBourne in Da Nang feels differently. His people have been trying to find the traitor for months. Americans have been murdered by weapons Ethan Card sold to the Viet Cong. I recorded a conversation between Ethan and a Viet Cong woman that is his contact. There's also a bank account in Okinawa in his name with too much money in it." 

Price lifted his gaze from the papers and pinned Ortega with his cold, gray eyes. "I know my men. I know Ethan Card. I don't believe this crap." He dropped the papers and the photos to the ground and resumed jogging without looking back. 

Ortega knelt, picked up the evidence and smiled. He was pleased. The Colonel had reacted as predicted. With Price primed and angry, Ortega would now arrange through his contacts to make sure General LaBourne called the Colonel to Da Nang. The General was an Arkansas bigot. He and Price had a history stretching back to World War II. Once the two met, Ortega might as well order Ethan's body bag.

§ “Running with the Enemy” was awarded an Honorable Mention in General Fiction at the 2103 San Francisco Book Festival

§ Discover a new world of Publishing–-the 2013 San Francisco Book Festival Event held on May 18.