Page 41 of Casualties of War
Chapter Nine
“Adán should be back at the house by noon,” Nick said, his grainy image on the screen shifting disjointedly, as he looked at his watch.
“I hope you were nice to him, Nick,” Calli replied.
Nick didn’t laugh or scowl. He nodded thoughtfully. “It’s hard for him. He’s honorable, he wants to help, yet being who he is…”
“There are ways he can help, back here,” Calli assured him.
“Let him keep piloting the boat,” Nick said, unexpectedly. “Adánisgood with boats. He grew up around them. He spent more time in the sea than on land when we were kids. He knows all the local waters, too.”
“Is there a need for more supplies, still?” Calli asked. “How soon…?” She didn’t finish the question. Even though their connection was unhackable, she was reluctant to voice the question aloud.
“Two days. Maybe three,” Nick said.
Her heart gave an extra little beat.
“After that, we’ll use the helicopters to drop supplies. We’ll be inland,” Nick said. His tone was off-hand, although Calli understood what he wasnotsaying. They would be inland, fighting the Insurrectos for every foot of ground, pushing toward Lozano Colinas.
Nick’s gaze was steady. He watched her absorb the implications.
Calli nodded. “The Blackhawks will be ready to go when you are.”
“Thank you, my love,” he whispered.
Her heart fluttered.
Nick shifted on the folding chair he was sitting on.
Change of subject, Calli thought.
“Have you heard from the White House?” he asked.
Calli kept her face immobile. Nick was far too good at reading people, especially her. His image was grainy, while her camera was ahigh definition webcam. He could see every pore on her face. If she quivered, he would notice.
“Haven’t heard back from anyone there, yet,” she said lightly.
Nick frowned. “You’ve heard back from someone, somewhere else?”
Damn. She pressed her lips together. “It’s nothing you need worry about right now,” she assured him.
“Calli.” His voice was a growl.
Calli knew the tone.El Leopardowasprowling. She lifted her hand in warning. “Don’t read anything into this, okay?”
Nick waited, saying nothing.
Calli struggled to speak with a light tone, to minimize it. “I took a call from Miguel Aguirre last night. He’s…worried.”
“About…?” Nick coaxed with a deceptively patient tone.
“The United States hasn’t committed the way you told him they would, when you retook the mine.”
Nick scowledand leaned back. His gaze flickered away.
“Nick,” Calli said, her tone sharp.
At the bottom of the screen, she saw his hand curl into a fist. Did he not realize she could see it?
