Vistaria Has Fallen (The Vistaria Affair/Vistaria Has Fallen #1)(70)

“I don’t believe you,” Nick said.

Pablo shrugged. “Believe me. Or not. It doesn’t matter. I can see from your face that you know the end is near even if it has not happened already. We could use your skills, el leopardo rojo. We could use your expertise.”

Nick shook his head.

“Think about it,” Pablo encouraged. “You have worked your whole life to make Vistaria a good country. Serrano is offering you a second chance to continue that work. He would be a fool to not acknowledge your skills. He knows and you know, Nicolás, that after today, after this revolution is over, there will be much rebuilding. Much more work to do.”

“Why would I consider such an offer when you and your associates have already wiped out all the work I have done?”

Pablo pointed to Harry, on the other side of the irregular circle surrounding them. “Because if you do not agree, Harry will shoot you all.”

“I see. Work for Vistaria or die. Is that it? If I agree, you let the rest of them go?”

Jose took a moment to answer. “I have my orders.”

Nick lowered his gun. Calli wanted to protest, to cry out her disappointment. Only, how could Nick resist such an offer?

His arm loosened. He stepped back and lifted her chin. “I have to accept.”

“I know.” She held back the torrent of words, the warnings her instincts were yelling at her.

He kissed her. It was a dry, passionless touch of the lips. She had lost whatever hold she might have had. Nick had moved on. The man that kissed her now had no thought for her. His mind was elsewhere, already turned to the task of rebuilding a country. He had no use for the American woman who started the conflagration that had ruined that country in the first place.

He planted his hand in the middle of her chest. “Go away,” he said and gave her a mighty shove. It sent her tumbling backwards, to land flat on the dirt. She grunted as her breath wheeze out.

She lifted her head, stunned, just in time to see Nick spin on his heel in a full circle, the gun coming up. He fired one shot and Harry dropped to the ground, the lethal-looking rifle clattering down with him.

“Down!” Nick said.

Joshua dropped to the ground, bringing Beryl with him, the old soldiering reactions barely blunted. Minnie remained a condensed ball on the ground.

Nick spun again, another half circle, to face Pablo. The revolutionary was just bringing his revolver up to aim, anger and shock building on his face. Nick shot him between the eyes, then leapt toward the crumpling body.

The man who had remained in the middle of the road fired his pistol at the place where Nick had been a second before.

Nick caught and held Pablo’s body against him, as a shield. He shot the man with the revolver. Calli saw the small red rose bloom on the man’s forehead as his knees gave way and he folded to the dirt.

The fourth man was between Nick and the car. He had just brought his gun up to aim, shock slowing his movements. Nick spun to face him, bringing Pablo’s body around, too. He pulled the trigger for a fourth time.

The man fired, anyway. The bullet thudded into the sand at Nick’s feet. The man fell over and lay still.

Quiet gripped them.

“Stay down,” Nick said, his voice flat. He turned, his gun still at the ready, checking all three of the rebels. His face was an expressionless mask, his eyes narrowed in concentration. Then he straightened and let Pablo’s body drop to the ground. He put another bullet in the man’s temple. He walked around to the other three rebels and did the same to each.

He moved to crouch next to Joshua where the older man lay on one elbow, his arm around Beryl, who had her face buried against his shoulder. “We’re okay,” Joshua said.

Nick nodded and moved to Minnie. “Minnie?” He laid his hand on her shoulder.

She pointed to Harry and her hand trembled. “He was the one. He was the guy at the party.”

“I remember his face.” Nick patted her shoulder.

“It was he who nearly got Duardo killed—” She stopped and lowered her hand. She wrapped her arms around her knees. “I’m okay,” she said hollowly. Nick patted her shoulder.

He rose and came over to where Calli lay propped on her elbows. He crouched next to her and put the gun on the ground, then helped her sit up.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked. “When I pushed?”

“My pride, for a moment. God, Nick, I thought you were going to join them!”

“That’s what I wanted them to think. It’s the only way I could get them to relax and drop their guard just enough to give me the time I needed against four of them.”

“I still can’t believe you pulled it off.”

He dropped his gaze, as if he was ashamed. “I was tempted,” he confessed, his voice low. “For a moment I considered it.”

“That’s natural,” she said. “He offered you the one thing in your life that has meaning.”

“The price for that was giving up the only other thing in my life with meaning.” Nick lifted his head. “Pablo’s orders were to kill anyone trying to leave the country. He knew I had guessed what those orders were. I could see it in his eyes.” He got to his feet and helped her to hers.

Calli was still trying to process his first statement. “What could possibly mean as much to you as Vistaria?” she asked, trying to quench the hope soaring in her.