Page 32 of Freedom Fighters
Chapter Six
Joshua Benning hugged Nick, thumping him on the back, while Olivia stood back, trying to put names and relationships together. No one seemed to mind stepping around the two men. This was Dulles Airport. Greetings and farewells were part of the fabric of the building.
Nick had a convoluted family and she had not seen him greet anyone other than family with such familiarity. WithJoshua Benning, he leaned into the hug, looking as pleased as Joshua.
They stepped away from each other. Nick looked at Olivia and held out his hand. “This is my…uncle. Or cousin. We haven’t sorted that out yet. Joshua Benning, Vice President of Intergovernmental Relations at Astra Corp.” He glanced at Joshua. “Congratulations on the promotion, by the way. This Olivia Davenport Castellano, thenew Ambassador for Vistaria to the United States.”
“Olivia, it is a pleasure to meet you,” Joshua Benning said, taking her hand in a firm grip. “Are you a long-lost cousin, too?”
“An honorary one,” Nick said, “but definitely family. Once we win back Vistaria, I’ll explain the family connection to you.”
Joshua looked at his watch. “My flight back to L.A. leaves in two hours. We should find aseat somewhere and trade news.”
Nick raised his brow. “This really is a flying visit, then.”
“I’m here because your message said urgent.”
“I appreciate you dropping everything for me. You’ll be glad you did, though.” Nick caught at his shoulder. “Let’s find that seat.”
They found three stools at a bar and snagged them. Nick ordered scotch, neat, for all of them and pulled out his phone whileJoshua stretched kinks out, between them.
“Make it Johnny Walker Blue,” Josh said. “I’m buying. You can take the bottle back with you to the hotel.”
Nick raised his brow and looked at the barman.
“We have Blue,” the barman confirmed. “For a bottle of that price, we would need payment up front.”
Joshua pulled out his wallet and dropped a credit card on the bar. “There you go.”
The barman noddedand went away to get the boxed bottle and open it.
“Expense account?” Nick asked.
“Nope. I’m doing pretty well since I got back to the States. This is a personal thank you. How’s Minnie?”
“Radiant,” Nick said, “and as overworked as the rest of us.”
“I think she’s thriving wonderfully,” Olivia added. “She looks like a woman who has found her role in life.”
Joshua blew out his breath. “That’sgood to hear.”
Nick had been paging through his phone. Now he laid the phone in front of Joshua. “Recognize that?”
Joshua picked up the phone and studied it. He pulled glasses out of his breast pocket and put them on and studied it closely. “I’d say it was one of the test ingots we smelted when the mine on The Big Rock was starting to roll, only the seal on it is wrong.”
“Good guess,” Nicksaid. “That photo is what made me yell for you to come here. I didn’t want to risk sending it over a public phone network. It was a risk having it sent up from Vistaria. Serrano has opened up the mine, Josh. He’s going to use the silver to buy himself respectability.”
Joshua was silent for a long moment, absorbing the news. Then he blew out his cheeks. “Well, I knew the bugger was crazy. I guessthis confirms it. He thinks he can get away with it?”
“What’s to stop him?” Nick asked, and Olivia looked at him, startled. It seemed to be an odd response for someone so driven and determined as Nick Escobedo.
“Well, you, of course,” Josh replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“It’s your mine,” Nick pointed out.
“We don’t have an army at our disposal.”
“And I don’t haveany reserve capital to fund mine,” Nick said.
