Red Leopard (The Vistaria Affair Series)

by Tracy Cooper-Posey

  “Yes, they’re taking a beating and you’ve made a mistake,” she added. “But it was just a mistake and it doesn’t have to be fatal. Look at them, Nick. They’re sturdy, determined. All they need is you to find a way for them to get back what they’ve lost.”

  She felt him breathe again. A deep breath. He picked up her hand and she felt his lips against the backs of her fingers.

  Satisfied, she sat back again and saw that Joshua had turned to study her. She tried to smile at him, but could only manage to curl up one corner of her mouth. After a moment, he turned back to watch the road again.

  Thirty minutes later, after climbing up and down undulating hills, they turned off the main road without meeting any trouble, nosing their way through the pedestrians with agonizing slowness. The new road was sandy for they drew closer to the coast now, but it was firm enough for Nick to pick up speed.

  The trees closed in around them, crowding right up to the edges of the road. At times, small branches would actually swipe across the windows as they went by. After a mile or so the hard dirt road swung left, heading toward the northwest, and a tiny track branched off to the right.

  Nick turned right, but he did not slow his speed and now the bushes scraped along the sides constantly. The dirt grew soft and boggy.

  They turned a long, curving bend in the road, Nick working at the wheel to keep the car in the deep ruts as it leaned sideways. As the curve straightened, two things happened at once—the windscreen directly in front of Nick blossomed with three stars that radiated out across the glass and Joshua threw up his hands with a dismayed, “Oh, holy shit!”

  Nick stamped on the brakes and the car slewed to a halt, the back of it fishtailing in the loose sand as he fought the wheel to keep the skid under control until they had halted.

  Calli leaned forward to look between the seats. On the road ahead of them, she could see the outline of two men standing with their legs spread. A third stood off to the side, lowering the gun that he had been aiming at the car.

  Joshua whistled. “Bulletproof glass?” he asked Nick.

  Nick nodded.

  “You are one lucky son of a bitch,” Joshua declared.

  It confirmed what Calli had thought—the stars on the windscreen were bullet marks.

  “Everyone stay very still and nobody say a word, no matter what they say. Understood?” Nick said in an undertone.

  “Who are they?” Calli breathed.

  “I think we’re about to meet our first official rebels.”

  The smallest of the pair standing on the road waved them forward. The man with the pistol ran down to stand level with the car and Joshua’s open window. “Fuera! Salga del coche.”

  “What did he say?” Beryl whispered.

  “Ponga las manos arriba!” he screamed.

  Joshua shot his hands up into the air. “All right, already,” he said. “I’m getting out.”

  “All of you!” the man said with a heavy accent. “All. Out.”

  Nick switched off the engine, pulled out the keys and got out of the car. Calli followed his example and tugged Minnie into following her.

  The man with the gun herded them towards the other two. A fourth man stepped out of the trees, pointing a rifle with a long, curved magazine at them. Calli caught her breath and tried not to show any reaction. The fourth man was Harry, the congenial guitar player she had met in the truck on the way to the party. He did not look so young or easy-going now.

  They were surrounded. Calli kept Beryl and Minnie beside her and in the center of the ring where Nick, Joshua and she would offer a little protection if the men began firing.

  The smaller of the two men standing in the middle of the road appeared to be unarmed, but the other held a large revolver, cradling it in the crook of his other arm, his finger resting against the barrel. All of them were unshaven and dirty and none wore anything that resembled a uniform. Harry wore the jeans and tee-shirt she had seen him in at the party

  The small man smiled as Nick stopped in front of him and spread his hands in welcome. “La mirada lo que yo me agarré hoy...Señor Nicolás Escobedo.” He seemed to be gloating.

  “Pablo Santos,” Nick drawled. “I’m surprised to find you on the other side.”

  Pablo laughed a little. It was not a pleasant sound. “When Serrano told me to watch this dirty road, I thought he had sent me away but he was right. He said that rich bastardos would try to get to their big boats and run away. But I do not think even he thought someone like you would run away, el leopardo.”

  Nick simply looked at him.

  “Oye, Pablo!” It was Harry, speaking softly. “La alta rubia allí. Esa es la dama fuerte.”

  In amongst the Spanish, Calli focused on words she recognized. La dama fuerte. Her skin crawled. Harry was talking about her.

  Pablo stepped forward, trying to move past Joshua so he could see her. “La mujer de Escobedo?” he asked with an evil smile, and reached behind his back.

  The motion seemed to trigger Nick into action. He took two big strides towards Calli, pushing Beryl out of the way as he did so. A shout went up from the rebels surrounding them, panic clear in their voices. Nick threw his left arm around Calli and at the same time he spun her around. Calli felt his right hand tug something between them. His hand shot out to point at Pablo...and his gun was in it.

  Beryl screamed and Minnie dropped to the ground, her hands over her ears.

  At the same time Pablo pulled his hand out from behind his back and brought up a revolver and cocked it, pointing it straight at Nick.

  Both of them grew still, their guns aimed directly at each other.

  Nick had pulled her around so she would be out of the line of fire. Calli began to tremble when she realized that Pablo had either intended to shoot her out of hand, or else use her to force Nick to comply with whatever he wanted. Thank God Nick had guessed his intentions.

  Pablo smiled. “But shoot me and Harry will kill everyone here. Including you.”

  “But you’ll be dead,” Nick responded, his voice low and even.

  Pablo considered it a moment. Then, with a quick movement he lifted his revolver up in the air, taking his finger off the trigger. “You see?” he said. “This will get us nowhere.”

  Nick didn’t lower his gun and from the corner of her eye Calli could see that none of the other men had, either.

  Pablo shrugged and let the gun hang from his hand. “We have more to offer you, señor Escobedo, than a bullet.”

  “Recruitment?” Nick said, his voice dry. “What makes you think I would sell out as easily as you?”

  Pablo’s face flushed but he shook his head, shaking it off. “How long is it since you heard a status report, Nicolás? Three hours? More?”

  Nick didn’t answer.

  “The army has laid down its weapons. The people have emerged from their homes to show support for the revolution. Serrano is on his way to the palace. Your brother Jose will be escorted from the grounds before midnight tonight. We have won, a great victory that will be forever known as the fastest revolution in history.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Nick said evenly.

  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 simply 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 to this day?” Nick demanded.

  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,” he said.

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

  She felt his arm loosen from around her shoulders and stepped back a little. He lifted up her chin to make her look at him, turning to face her properly. “I have to accept,” he said simply.

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

  He kissed her, but it was a dry, passionless touch of the lips and she knew then that she had lost whatever hold she had on him. Nick had moved on from her. 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 had begun the conflagration that had ruined that country in the first place.

  His hand was on her shoulder and moved around to plant itself in the middle of her chest. “Go away,” he said firmly and gave her a mighty shove. It sent her tumbling backwards, to land almost flat on her back in the dirt. She grunted as all her breath was knocked out of her.

  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, an expression of anger and shock building on his face. Nick shot him directly between the eyes, then instantly leapt towards the crumpling body. At that moment, the man who had stayed standing in the middle of the road fired his own pistol at the place where Nick had been a second before.

  Nick caught and held Pablo’s body against him and shot at the man with the revolver. Calli saw a small red rose bloom on the man’s forehead as his knees gave way and he folded into 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 as a shield. He pulled the trigger for a fourth time.

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

  It was suddenly very quiet.

  “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.

  Finally, 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 quietly.

  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 know,” Nick said soothingly. “I remembered his face.”

  “It was he who nearly got Duardo killed—” She stopped abruptly 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 suddenly ashamed. “I was tempted,” he confessed, his voice low. “For a moment I considered it.”

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

  “But the price was giving up the only other thing in my life with meaning,” Nick said, lifting his head again to look at her. “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.

  But 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.

  He smiled. “You, of course.” He turned to look at Minnie. “At the end, Duardo understood it better than I did. Don’t sacrifice love, for there is no greater cause and you never get the time back if you let it slip away.”

  Minnie smiled, but her cheeks were wet with tears.

  Nick picked up Calli’s hand. “I won’t allow Duardo’s sacrifice to be meaningless.” He kissed her hand. Then he took her in his arms and kissed her properly but briefly, then let her go. “We must go. Now. I have to get you to the boat.”

  * * * * *

  Twenty minutes later they clattered onto an extended dock, running like crazy for a long sloop tied up at the end of the wooden pier, their bags and packs slapping against their legs and backs. Although they had not been challenged again, Nick took no more chances.

  He grabbed the rail of the boat and vaulted over the side onto the decking. “Joshua, come with me!” he called as he pushed aside a pair of doors. He climbed down into the cabin.

  Calli helped the other two on board and went below, to see what else needed doing. She found both her uncle and Nick standing at a radio, listening. Nick had the microphone in his hands, as if he had been speaking shortly before.

  Nothing but harsh buzzing and static.

  “What’s happening?” she asked.

  “Shhh...” Joshua told her and shook his head, glancing at Nick.

  The radio crackled to life and a tinny, distant voice sounded.

  “Soy arrepentido, Nicolás. Ha sido confirmado. Jose murió hace veinte minutos. Sobre.”

  “Ah, dammit...” Joshua breathed.

  Nick grimaced and looked down at his feet. Then, after a second, he lifted the mike. “Cómo?”

  The response lagged a bit. “El fuego enemigo...No vuelva a la ciudad, Nicolás. Ellos estarán en el Palacio antes de interrupción de día...Usted tendrá que encontrar otra manera. Oye usted? Sobre.”

  Nick looked at Joshua and it seemed they exchange a silent communication, for he sighed and said into the mike, “Sí, oigo. Sobre y fuera.” He threw the mike onto the shelf beside the slim radio set and turned the radio off.

  “I didn’t get the last part,” Joshua said apologetically.

  “I didn’t get any of it,” Calli added.

  Nick leaned against the shelf with his elbow, running his hand over his face. “Jose is dead,” he said. “He died twenty minutes ago. Enemy fire, they tell me, along with a hard warning not to go back to the city. They estimate the palace will be taken over by the revolutionaries by dawn.”

  “I’m sorry, Nick,” she said softly.

  “With Jose dead, you can’t go back,” Joshua said quietly. “You have to come to Mexico with us. Regroup there and get your bearings. Carmen is there, too. She must be told.”

  Nick shut his eyes for a moment. “The fastest revolution in history,” he said.

  “It’s not over until you say it is,” Calli said. “As long as you don’t quit fighting, it’s not finished.”

  He looked at her and gave her a small smile, but it was almost a grimace. “Thank you,” he said softly.

  Chapter Eighteen

  The unnatural motion of the ma
ttress beneath her woke Minnie from the shallow sleep she had achieved. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the bottom of the bunk above her. Scattered light off waves played on the painted wood, reflected through the porthole next to her. While she watched, the aching hurt and sadness came back, slipping over her like a pall.

  “Duardo,” she whispered to the dark.

  She deliberately recalled the last moments again, trying to acquaint herself with the fact, for it still did not seem real—as if someone would arrive very soon and explain that it was all a terrible mistake, so sorry, speak to our lawyers. So she lay there and remembered his words. Nick’s voice, as he translated them. The feel of Duardo beneath her as she lay against him for the few moments she’d had before they had taken him away—

  Abruptly, she sat up and her head slammed into the bunk above. She held her forehead and rolled her eyes, trying to clear her mind and her sight, as a potent mix of excitement and horror burst through her. Mindful of her parents, who slept the sleep of the truly exhausted beside her, she whispered the astonishing fact just to herself, trying it aloud to see if it sounded as hopeful aloud as it seemed in her stressed-out mind.

  “He was still warm...!”

  * * * * *

  Just after midnight they crossed into international waters, the graceful yacht skimming the waves with the spinnaker billowed out full, spraying iridescent foam aside with each crest of water.

  Calli emerged from below decks where she had been checking on the family of three sleeping in peaceful berths. She was armed with hot coffee and wore a sweater she had found in a cupboard. Nick sat at the wheel, but rested only one hand on it. She handed him the coffee and he thanked her distantly. He seemed pre-occupied.

  “We’ll be in Mexico some time tomorrow,” he said, taking a sip and dropping the cup into the swinging holder hanging from the console.

  “What’s wrong?” she said softly. “Is it what Pablo said? You’re not running away, Nick. You’re just regrouping. We both know you won’t leave Vistaria to fend for itself for long.”

  He shook his head. “That wasn’t what I was thinking at all,” he said.