Page 50 of True Valor
“What’s up?”
“Julie’s with me.She showed up at the motel.You weren’t very convincing, Batman.They let her go.”
“And Raines?”Nic looked up and down thestreet, as if the sheriff would appear at any moment.
“We don’t know.If he doesn’t know she’s outby now, he will soon.It was better to get out of there while wecould.You might want to do the same.”
“Where are you?”
“We’re about thirty minutes out ofQuincy.”
“Headed where?”
“Home.Here,amigo, the lady wants totalk to you.”
Cruz took the phone back from Julie andtossed it on the floor.“Well?”
“Nic said he’d meet us at home,” she said, aslight quiver in her voice.
Cruz didn’t look at her, giving her the spaceshe needed to get her emotions under control.If Nic and Juliedidn’t end up together…
Eric’s plane cruised south on autopilot andthe smell of the food made his stomach growl.“Let’s eat.”
Julie popped the last of the French friesinto her mouth and laid her head back as she chewed.“So Eric, howlong have you worked with Nic?”
“About four years.”
“Nic speaks very highly of you.”
“It’s mutual.”
The way these two men felt about each otherbrought tears to Julie’s eyes.She blinked them away as she watchedthe distant lights dance on the horizon.They were an hour out ofQuincy before she spoke again.
“Tell me about Nic.”
What she really wanted to do was pick thisman’s brain about Nic D’Onofrio.She wasn’t sure she wanted to tipher hand that way, but she really wanted to know.
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”Hand.Tipped.
That brought a smile to Cruz’s face.He tooka sip from his drink.“Did Nic tell you about Joey?”
“No.”
“Well, if you want to know about Nic, we’llstart with Joey Amonte.Nic and Joey grew up together in Boston.Old Italian families.They joined the Navy together as well.”
“The Navy?”
“Yeah, they thought they wanted to be Bostonfirefighters, so they went into the Navy and were on Crashtogether.”
“Crash?”
“Crash and Salvage.Navy firefighters.On acarrier.Those guys clean up the mess when the jets crash.Anyway,things are so controlled on a ship, that it’s rare when the Crashguys get any action.So, Nic and Joey remustered, uh, changedservices, from Navy to Air Force, and signed on as pararescue.”
It seemed a bit odd that Cruz knew so muchabout Nic’s past.That wasn’t really normal for guys…
Cruz continued.“Nic and Joey came toMerced—that’s where we’re stationed—just after I did.They used tocall us the Three Amigos.”
