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“Yes. Se
e you soon!”
Nando disconnected before Sam could clarify further. He stared at the phone a second.
“Well?” Remi asked.
“He’s more excited about our rescue than we are. Celebratory dinner. And our friends are waiting for us.”
“Tatiana and Viktor?” Remi asked.
“I hope that’s who he meant.” Sam tried calling him back. This time, there was no answer. “Odd. I’ll call Selma. Maybe she’ll know.”
Selma, however, had no idea what he was talking about. “As far as I know, Tatiana and Viktor are still in Mendoza. That’s got to be who he meant.”
“Of course it is. I’ll give them a call.”
“I’ll see what I can find out on my end.” But neither Tatiana nor Nando answered their phones. He left voice mails on each, then pocketed his phone. “I’d feel better if we knew which friends he was talking about. Especially considering Tatiana and Viktor are the only ones who know we’re up here.”
“Surely,” Remi said, “Nando would suspect if two strange men showed up at camp?”
“Let’s hope so,” he said as the air began thrumming from the approaching helicopter.
Dietrich pointed. “There it is!”
Sam looked up. “Better late than never,” he said, watching as the helicopter approached, flying over the top of the ridge, circling back and then down the pass—something Julio had never done.
Remi even noticed. “Why’s he coming that way?”
“Good question,” Sam said, shielding his eyes against the glare, trying to see if it really was Julio piloting. It definitely wasn’t the same craft.
The helicopter seemed to shudder as it hovered over them, before banking sharply. Remi reached out, grabbing Sam’s arm. “Something’s wrong.”
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The three watched as the helicopter picked up speed again, circled around the peaks one more time, then landed near the rendezvous point. When the door opened and Julio appeared, waving at them, Sam, Remi, and Dietrich continued down the mountain.
“Is everything okay?” Sam asked Julio. “Looked like you were having some trouble up there.”
“Combination of an unfamiliar craft and a sharp downdraft,” Julio said. “I wasn’t about to trust anyone else. I had to borrow this after my brother’s accident. I can’t tell you how sorry he was.”
“He’s not hurt?” Remi asked.
“He’s fine. Our helicopter not so much. But it got him home, and you’re all okay.”
“More than okay,” Sam said, making a mental note to have Selma get started on replacing the damaged helicopter. He threw their packs into the back before helping Remi. Once they were in the air, he tried calling Nando and Tatiana. Again, neither answered, and so he checked in with Selma, who had the same results. Concerned, he asked Julio if he’d spoken with Nando at all.
“Earlier this morning.”
“He say anything about friends stopping by?”
“Not a word.”
Sam eyed the base camp below as the helicopter neared. “Do me a favor, Julio. Fly a little slower as you make the first pass. I want to get a better look at our tent.”
He lifted the binoculars, focusing as their large orange dining tent came into view. He scanned the area around their campsite. No one seemed to be around. “If our ‘friends’ are there, I don’t see them,” he told Remi. “Then again, I don’t see Nando, either.”
“I’m still worried,” Remi said.