Vistaria Has Fallen (The Vistaria Affair/Vistaria Has Fallen #1)(29)

“Then why the lily, Nick? I know you put it there.”

He studied her face, as if he absorbed the details, memorizing them. “Call it a supreme moment of self-torture,” he said at last. “A moment of weakness.”

“Do you know how insecure I feel knowing that despite locked doors you can invade my room while I sleep? I can’t fight you off when I’m sleeping.”

He nodded a little. “It won’t happen again. Not unless you invite me.”

“I will never invite you.”

“It’s better that way,” he agreed. He reached out toward her face and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. His warmth radiated against her cheek. Her heart jumped.

“Don’t,” she said sharply.

“I said you had an uncrushable spirit. I was right.” He withdrew his hand and clasped it with the other, the double fists hanging between his knees. “I wanted to apologize. For the lily, for Friday night. You said I played with you and I’m sure it feels that way. It was simply...weakness. I have faced down rabid generals and armed guerillas in my time. You, though are something I’ve never had to battle. I faltered. It won’t happen again.”

In her gut, she knew he spoke the truth. After this day, he would go away and leave her alone. She would never feel the touch of his chest beneath silk, or his hand cupping her hip.

Calli shivered. He sat inches away from her. She could reach out and touch him, only he would not allow it. The discipline, the iron will, had realigned themselves. He would resist his own weakness and fend off hers.

For the sake of Vistaria.

“Okay,” she said with a sigh. “Alright.” Abruptly, the enormous, bone-deep, energy sapping tiredness returned. She managed to smile but it came out crooked. “I believe you.”

Something must have shown in her face. He shook his head. “I don’t know who Robert is, but right now I’d like to kill him. It is he who has planted the shadow of doubt in you that makes you think you’re not whole and complete, that you aren’t enough.”

She jumped. “How do you know about Robert?”

“You mentioned him once. You said you haven’t felt anything since Robert, then you stopped yourself from saying more.” He leaned a little closer. “Only, I saw you dance just then. You were whole, vibrant and alive. Yes?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“That is something Vistaria has done for you, I think.”

“Not Vistaria,” she said.

Then the world grew very bright and very hot. Something shoved her from the left. It slammed into her head. She felt no pain. She felt nothing.

Then, even her sight faded.





Chapter Seven


“Calli! Calli, come on now, wake up.”

Something tapped her face. Calli wished it would go away.

She tried to turn away from it. Pain ripped through her at the small motion. She groaned.

“That’s it. Wake up, Calli. I need you to wake up.”

Nick’s voice. His low caressing voice. He was here.

She remembered. “What happened?” Her voice was a croak.

Someone spoke nearby. Rapid Spanish. Something about a telephone.

Nick answered. He spoke rapidly, precisely.

The man answered. A single word.

Nick said more, his voice sharp. Calli heard Duardo’s name. “Calli, open your eyes. I need to see your eyes. Quickly, Calli. Look at me.” The snap of command in his voice made her obey without hesitation. She opened her eyes. Snapped them shut as flickering light hurt them.

“No, Calli. Come on.”

A woman screamed. “Someone help me! Help! Please!”

Minnie. Calli opened her eyes and tried to sit at the same time. She cried out as pain exploded in her head.

“Slowly,” Nick said. His hand on her shoulder steadied her. He had a cut over his cheek, just under the eye. Blood ran down his face. His shirt was ripped, the torn edge blackened. Burned.

“Where’s Minnie?” Calli cried, twisting around. She had been lying on the ground tiles. Nick crouched over her.

Details snapped into place, her senses pulling it together. The house that should have been behind them stood no longer. In its place, a ball of flames reached high into the early evening sky, crackling and roaring. Screams and moans came from all around her. A babble of Spanish.

“Somebody help me!” Minnie screamed her plea.

Calli tried to get to her feet. Nick’s hand kept her down. “Take it easy.”

“Screw that. I need to help Minnie.” Calli pushed at his arm and got to her feet, the dancing shoes crunching in pebbles, dust and debris. She swayed for a second, the ground dipping, then steadied. She looked around. “Oh my God,” she breathed. There was little left of the courtyard. The walls no longer stood.

Brushed away by a giant, she thought. “Minnie!” she screamed.

“Here! Over here!” Minnie yelled back. “Oh hurry! God, hurry!” Her voice came from the jagged, broken tiles at the end. Calli headed in that direction, crunching through the debris.

“Se?or! Se?or!”

“Calli, wait!” Nick called.

She turned back. One man from the party limped to Nick, his face dirty and scraped.

“You go. I’ll take care of this,” she told Nick. She moved to the edge of the tiles, testing with each step if the tiles would take her weight. They sagged under her step and the broken ends sloped down sharply. An image of people moving on thin ice came to her. She got down on her hands and knees, then stretched out across the tiles and wriggled toward the end.