Flight 12 to Rome: A Nick Bracco Novella (9 page)

“We’re okay.”

When Nick was spotted talking into a pen, the crowd seemed to sense the line of communication and they all followed Nick’s gaze into the morning sky.

“I see a plane!” a young man shouted.

Screams of joy and excitement filled the island.

The fence began to pulsate from passengers pushing and pulling with excitement. Out of the northwest came a low-flying 747 banking around the island with the Department of Justice logo attached to the side.

“You see the Gulfstream taking off?” Nick asked his partner.

“I see it.”

“Why don’t you stay with him and send someone else to come get us?”

“No need,” Matt said. “I’ve brought some friends along to help with an escort.”

Just then a loud rumble exploded overhead as two F-16 fighter jets blasted past the island, causing the passengers to duck in surprise. The F-16s were heading in the exact direction the Gulfstream was headed. It took only a few seconds before the crowd began to chant, “USA, USA . . .”

“Okay,” Nick said. “I’ll see you in a minute.” He pushed the telescoped receiver down into the barrel of the pen, then handed it to Jess, who still wore a look of shock on her face.

“You gave this to me on purpose,” Jess said, marveling at the device she held in her hand. “Then you baited Bennett into using me as an interviewer, knowing he wouldn’t take the pen away from me.”

“Big ego like his, that’s hard to resist.”

“And you knew he was a D.B. Cooper fan, so you suspected him all along.”

“No, that’s not true. I had no idea who might be looking for the device. Our source was hardly credible. I took the flight just on a whim.”

Jess cocked her head. “Agent Bracco, you brought a radio device with a GPS locator and had your partner follow you in a DOJ plane all on a whim?”

Nick shrugged. “Some whims are more valuable than others.”

Among the chanting and celebrating, an elderly woman walked over to Nick and gave him a big hug.

“Thank you so very much,” she said. “I’ve never had more excitement in my entire life. And I’m eighty-nine.”

Nick gave her a peck on the forehead and found Jess madly scribbling notes as the F-16’s caught up with the Gulfstream and the DOJ plane began its final turn.

“So,” Nick said, “you’ll have quite an exclusive. I’m guessing
Taboo Magazine
is going to love you.”

“They already love me,” Jess said, never removing her eyes from her notebook. “This one deserves to be a book.”

“Nice,” Nick said. “What’ll you name it?”

Jess looked up at the card trick playing out in the sky overhead. “I think I’ll title it,
A Touch of Deceit
.”

Nick grinned. “I love it.”

The End

If you enjoyed this book, you’ll find the other Nick Bracco thrillers on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and many other locations:

A Touch of Deceit
A Touch of Revenge
A Touch of Greed
A Touch of Malice
A Touch of Tequila

Thank you very much,
Gary Ponzo