Page 82 of Vistaria Has Fallen
Chapter Fifteen
Calli scrambled to keep up with Nick as he hurried up the long passage. “Where was Duardo?”
“I’ll tell you all of it in a while,” Nick promised. “First, we must hurry.” He took her up the same stairs she had come down, then back to the gatehouse where the same officer stood watching. He straightened to attention when Nick entered.
“Fernando,” Nick acknowledged.
Fernandonodded. His reply was terse.
Nick raised his hand.“Gracias,” he finished. He turned and strode outside again, and Calli trailed after him, puzzled and feeling useless.
“Where now?”
“Behind the palace,” Nick said. He angled for the covered walkway.
“Why there?”
“That’s where we’ll find transport to Pascuallita.”
“We?” Calli repeated.
He glanced at her. “You don’t think I would let you gothere alone, do you?”
“Nick, this isn’t your concern. You’ve got enough problems to worry about.”
He came to an abrupt stop. She almost ran into him. He caught her arms to steady her. “No one gets to choose what to worry about, have you noticed? I have made promises, both spoken and unspoken. If I do not do everything in my power to help Duardo and retrieve Minnie for you, I would not be livingup to those promises.”
“As long as you’re not doing it for me.”
He kissed her quickly, then moved on. “That’s exactly why I’m doing it,” he said over his shoulder.
Five breathless minutes later Calli found herself on the other side of the palace. They had hurried through the building, giving Calli glimpses of stairs, empty rooms, elegant foyers, before emerging through French doors into brightdaylight. It was not yet noon.
A patio extended for twenty feet, edged by thick balustrades identical to those on the second floor of the building—the balustrades she had climbed and sat upon, only four nights ago. Nick strode toward stairs in the middle of the stone railing. She paused on the top step, her eyes widening. An expanse of concrete stretched out below. On it was a neat row of carsand trucks. Two helicopters crouched behind them.
Nick reached the concrete and headed for the cars. Calli followed him. A soldier stood at parade rest at the end of the row of cars. As Nick approached him, a second soldier emerged from a metal door set into the foundations of the balcony and saluted Nick.
Nick held up his hand. The soldier threw something metallic and shining. Keys. Nick caughtthem with a downward flick of his wrist and turned on his heel, just as Calli reached the end of the row of cars. “Which one?” she asked.
“That one,” he said, nodding over the top of the cars. He threaded his way between two of them, right past them, heading for the smaller helicopter.
Her heart jumped. She hurried to catch up with him. “Thehelicopter?”
“There’s nothing else that can get usthere faster today.” He opened the rounded glass door of the helicopter and indicated she should do the same.
“You can fly these?” Calli asked, as she fumbled at the catch on the door and opened it.
“I thought I’d just wing it.” He settled into the seat behind the controls.
Even as her jaw dropped, she realized he was teasing. She scowled at him and sat in the other seat. There was a benchseat behind them. It was narrow but would seat two people, perhaps three. There was room for Minnie and Duardo.
“Strap in. This will be a rough trip.” Nick buckled the H-style belt over his chest.
While her heart skittered, Calli fought with the belts to fasten the buckle. Nick inserted the key into something that looked like the ignition slot on a domestic car and turned the key. Nothing happened.
“Flat battery?” she asked sweetly.
He grinned and prodded a green button. The engine coughed and revved up. Shadows moving overhead caught her attention. The extended bubble of glass showed the sky above and the rotors turning slowly as the engine cranked.
