Page 49 of Nikolai
But first—Jacob.
Jacob Black.His partner and best friend besides Dylan.The three of them had fought together and bled together.Jacob would know who to call at the Pentagon.Nick avoided politics with fervor.Jacob hated politics too, but was better at the game.Jacob would cut through all bullshit and get the right people here as fast as was humanly possible.
Nick made the call.Jacob was the first on speed dial.
It shocked him a little to think that soon Parker would be first.
Jacob picked up immediately.“’Sup Nick?”he asked, his tone genial.His face was configured in weird lines, and it took Nick a second to realize that Jacob wassmiling.Jacob Black defined serious and never smiled.Though, come to think of it, he smiled more and more since he’d gotten married to his wife, Alex Black.
“Broken Arrow,” Nick replied, the phrase universally recognized as danger involving nuclear weapons.Jacob immediately looked serious and slightly pissed, his normal expression.He didn’t ask Nick to repeat himself.He’d heard it well enough the first time.
Nick put the call on speakerphone.
“Sitrep!”Jacob barked.
“I’m in Naples.On Monday I start a contract to tighten security at the US Consulate.In the meantime, I’m helping the Consul’s niece, who is working at the excavation of a Roman villa.Parker, meet Jacob Black.Jacob, meet Parker Donovan.She wrote and directedThe Smiling People.”
Jacob’s eyes widened slightly, a sign of huge surprise for him.Nick knew Jacob loved the book and documentary.Nick angled his satphone so that Jacob could see Parker and Parker could see Jacob.
Jacob’s expression didn’t change when he saw Parker.He only had eyes for his wife.
“Mr.Black,” Parker said.
“Jacob.”
“Jacob, then.Nick kindly offered to help me as I was doing some research on a Roman villa that has just been discovered.We were caught in a bad earthquake about two hours ago.We’ve only now come to a position where we can call for help.But we also seem to have come across an arms cache.Nick tells me that eight of these weapons—which apparently date from the nineteen fifties—are nuclear weapons.”
“Davy Crocketts,” Nick said, “and some man portables.”Jacob nodded.
“I’ll leave the rest of the discussion to the two of you, but the thing you need to know, Jacob, is that Nick is badly wounded.He wouldn’t tell you, but he is.”
She grabbed the satphone and held it to Nick’s left side, showing his bloody face and the open gash which had begun bleeding.
“It’s nothing—” Nick began.
Parker shot him an angry glare and continued that glare when picking up the phone and scowling at Jacob.Not many people scowled at Jacob.“It’s not nothing.Nick threw himself over me when he realized it was a major quake.We were at the bottom of the excavation of a room in the villa and a ton of rubble fell over Nick.He was bleeding copiously from his head wound and he has an open gash on his shoulder.I don’t think he can pull himself up and I sure can’t do it.So whoever comes will probably have to have some rope or something to pull him out.And I’m not leaving him, so that someone will have to be prepared to pull me out, too.And you need to send a medic.”
“Understood, Dr.Donovan.”
“Parker.”
“Parker.I’m going to start mobilizing.Probably the first responders will be from elements of the Sixth Fleet stationed in Naples and they can take up guard duty and get you two out of there.And they will protect the site until the NEST people can arrive.”
Parker nodded and handed the phone back to Nick.He should have been angry at her, but he found it hard.She was trying to protect him.It was crazy to think of someone protectinghim, but she’d been right to let Jacob know that they’d probably need help getting out.He was too proud to say it, and it could get dicey trying to get them out.
“Show me the arms cache,” Jacob ordered, and Nick walked slowly around, filming everything.Jacob would show it to his contacts in Washington.
Everything was old—at least seventy years old, but everything was in superb condition.The guns were well packed, and he could smell the gun oil.Everything neatly packed, ready to go.The supposition had been that resistance fighters and NATO soldiers would have immediate access to weaponry and comms to start fighting back the instant the Soviets attacked.
And there was enough here to start a small war.Even beyond the nuclear weapons.None of this could fall in terrorists’ hands.
He finished the rounds and saw Jacob’s grim face.Yeah.The weapons and explosives were old-fashioned, but they could do a hell of a lot of a damage.
“Okay,” Jacob said.“I’ve seen enough.WhatsApp me that video.I’ll get back to you as soon as I know something, ok?Stay safe.But then you have Parker to protect you.”
He grinned suddenly and broke the connection before Nick could say anything.Nick ground his teeth.
Parker didn’t notice.She had made the rounds of the space twice.“There’s nothing really useful here, except for arms.And they aren’t useful to us now.I wasn’t expecting food or water but maybe a rope?A ladder?Our ladder is probably in a million pieces back in the Blue Room.What on earth are you doing?”
