Page 85 of Vistaria Has Fallen
“You’re circling, anyway?”
“I won’t land until I have to. I’d be a sitting duck down there and I’vegot far too valuable a cargo to take such a risk.”
She realized he was referring to her. Her cheeks bloomed with unusual heat. She could think of no suitable response and her silence had already extended too long to make a snappy answer possible. Instead, she looked to her left, at the ground, scanning the visible area of the campsite.
“There,” Nick said, pointing to the northern edge of thesite.
Calli peered. She could see nothing.
Nick brought the helicopter around, bringing it lower.
A small dot moved out from the rim of the trees. Calli’s perspective was skewed. She had been looking for something much larger. The small dot must be Duardo, which made the campsite larger than she had thought. They were higher than she had guessed, too.
The helicopter dropped vertically, turningon its axis. She lost sight of Duardo’s figure and leaned forward to watch past Nick’s chest for Duardo to come back into sight as they swiveled full circle. Then she saw him.
They were at treetop height.
Duardo waved at the trees behind him. He wore jungle fatigue pants and a black sleeveless stretch tee-shirt that looked nothing like army issue. In his right hand he held an automatic pistol,down by his side, while he waved with his left.
From between two trees, Minnie appeared, dressed in jeans and a torn tee-shirt, running for her life. Calli caught her breath as relief, shock and fear speared her chest.
Duardo let Minnie pass him, then ran behind her, a slow lope that covered the ground as quickly as Minnie’s all-out sprint.
“There’s trouble,” Nick said.
He put the helicopteron the ground, yet she could tell by the way he juggled the pedals with his feet that he was keeping it poised for immediate take off.
“Open your door and get in the back. Quickly.”
She obeyed, fumbling with the awkward catch on the door. She shucked off her safety harness and headset and squeezed through the two seats into the cramped back seat. By the time she turned around, Minnie was almostto the helicopter. Her small face was white, her eyes wide and her mouth open. She held out her hand, almost leaning towards them as she ran.
Behind her, Duardo looked over his shoulder every few steps.
Trouble chasing them.
Minnie was at the door now, scrambling to climb the awkward step into the cabin. She gasped for breath. She stumbled, her shin hit the edge of the door sill and she gavea breathless little whimper. Calli held out her hand, intending to boost her up and through to the back seat, to make way for Duardo.
Duardo reached the door and held it open, out of Minnie’s way. He looked back, watching.
From the trees, three armed men rushed out into the open. As they lifted their rifles up, Nick shouted, “Down!”
Minnie threw herself across the front seat and Nick’s handlanded on Calli’s shoulder, pushing her out of the way. There was no arguing with the force he used. She folded without resistance, dropping into the tiny space between the bench seat and the back of the chair she had been sitting in. She could just see over the windowsill.
Duardo merely turned, his gun raised. He fired three shots.
The men at the other end of the empty field did not hesitate.They knew his pistol couldn’t reach them, for all but one of them kept running.
Minnie tried to clamber into the back seat.
“Minnie, stay down,” Nick said sharply.
Duardo glanced at her, then back over his shoulder.
The third man had halted and raised his rifle to his shoulder. Even Calli, who knew nothing about weapons, sensed the man was a marksman from the way he held the rifle, sightingalong it with care.
Duardo took a step closer to the helicopter, then swung around to face the open doorway, his back to the rifleman. Calli heard the rifle fire. It sounded like a small thunderclap, complete with echo.
Duardo jerked forward, his shoulder hitting the doorframe. He made a small grunting sound and fell over the seat, on top of Minnie.
