Page 37 of Vistaria Has Fallen

“Nicolás!”

“I’m here.” His voicewas behind her. Steady and quiet. Movement on the tree made it creak and shudder beneath her.

“Be careful!” she warned. “Only, hurry. I don’t know how long I can hold on.”

“You can hold on for as long as you need to.” He sounded confident and much closer. The tree bounced and stirred.

“My fingers are going numb.”

“It doesn’t matter. Your muscles are far stronger than you think. It’s your mindthat makes them weak. It’s your mind that decides to let go. You should know this. Karate, right?”

“Yeah. A century ago, seems like.”

Tremors through the branch against her chest. He chuckled. “You know I’m right.” His voice sounded close, now. “As long as you decide you will hang on, you can outride any pain, any desire to let go. You release the pain and you hold on.”

She tried to nod. Hercheek scraped on the branch. “Okay.”

“Minnie, we’ll get you in a minute. You must hold on, too.”

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere,” Minnie muttered.

Small movements. A pause. “I’m going to shout,” Nick warned. He did shout, a stream of Spanish.

Voices lifted in response. Steps sounded on the tiles. “Señor?”

The crunching on the tiles reminded her of her perilous crossing. “Tell them to be careful,there’s no support for the tiles.”

“I have,” Nick assured her. He spoke more and from the cadence, the clipped sentences, she guessed he was giving orders. Scurrying, murmured conversations. More movement on the tree.

“It won’t support many more.”

“It will last long enough,” Nick said from right behind and above her. A touch on her back. “That’s me,” he told her. “I’m right above. I have to—”

From the corner of her eye, she saw his boot land on a smaller branch to her left, behind and lower than her body. Weight and warmth settled on either side of her hips. He straddled her.

“Okay?” he asked.

A giggle rose. She tried to squash it. “You only had to ask. You didn’t have to arrange all this to get me in this position.”

“And chance you turning me down?” He tapped her belt. “Is thisleather?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going to take it off. Can you lift one hip so I can get at the buckle? I’ll keep you balanced.”

She lifted her hip. His hand slid beneath. “Higher,” he said. She pushed with her knee and lifted higher. The end of the belt slipped out of the buckle, the buckle loosened and the belt slid around her hips and pulled away. With deep relief, she lowered herself back to the branch,her hip flexors and thigh trembling with the effort to maintain balance in that awkward position.

Nick moved above her, the tree shaking with his actions.

“What happened up there?” she asked.

“Explosion. From the kitchen. We’ll find out later.”

“Is everyone all right?”

“Later, Calli.”

Everyone wasnotall right.