Bare Witness by Katherine Garbera Page A

now.”
    “Nigel, Charity is almost done with Maldano, and he is coming onboard in a minute. We can talk later.”
    He felt like he imagined what his daughter had felt when Justine had silenced her. “Yes, we will.”
    Anna and Justine both palmed their weapons and moved to stand on either side of the cabin door.
    Charity reentered the plane first, followed by a tall dark-skinned man. “Welcome to Peru, Mr. Carter. I’m Pedro Maldano.”
    Nigel stepped forward and offered the man his hand. The handshake was strictly three pumps up and down, and Pedro had a very firm handshake. Usually that meant the man Nigel was dealing with had a lot of integrity.
    “Thank you. It’s my pleasure to be here.”
    “And ours to have you,” Pedro said. “We’ll have you through customs in a short time, and then you are to be the guests of the minister of finance tonight. He has a guest home in Lima that he has prepared for you.”
    Alejandro Perez, the minister of finance, had bent over backward to be helpful since Jenkins was attacked. Nigel knew it was because the Peruvian government didn’t want Baron Industries to pull out of building their factory.
    “That’s very kind of him,” Nigel said.
    He wasn’t sure staying in the minister of finance’s guest home was a smart idea, but for right now, he wanted to get through customs and get Piper safely in a car of their own. “This is my daughter, Piper, and her nanny, Constance Wareham.”
    “Welcome, ladies.”
    “Hola, Señor,” Piper said, using the Spanish that Constance had taught her for the trip.
    “Hola, Señorita Carter.”
    Nigel listened to his daughter exchange pleasantries in Spanish and looked over at Constance. She smiled at him. They were both so proud of Piper. Constance was skilled, and had functioned as so much more than a nanny in the years that she’d been with Nigel and Piper. She had become a part of their family.
    “Let’s go,” Pedro said, and they all filed slowly off the plane. Pedro led the way, with Charity and Constance behind him, and Anna and Piper following. Nigel had just set his foot on the top step when a loud explosion rocked the ground.
     
    Justine tackled Nigel and got him flat on the ground. The asphalt was hard and bit into her hands as she pushed herself up for leverage. Nigel was cursing softly under his breath next to her. Piper was crying, but not too loudly, and Charity reported that Constance had passed out.
    Justine scanned the area around the plane to see where the threat was coming from. Maldano’s car was in flames, burning at the end of the tarmac.
    “Get the Carters to the car we secured,” Charity said. “I’ll stay here with Maldano until the officials arrive.”
    Justine tugged Nigel to his feet. He immediately turned to Piper, and Justine knew she’d have a struggle keeping him from his daughter, so she let him go, but covered him with her gun drawn. Anna was doing the same from the other side.
    “What about Constance?” Nigel asked.
    “Let’s get you two to safety, and then we will worry about her. Charity won’t let any harm come to her.”
    “Good. Where are we heading?” Nigel asked.
    “That black sedan. Stay low and move fast. Anna has Piper, so don’t hesitate. Keep moving.”
    “I can’t do that. I need to make sure Piper is okay.”
    “Anna, take the lead. I’ve got your back.” Justine pushed Nigel back down. “Stay low.”
    All the talking and waiting was making her nervous. They needed to get out of the open and away from the airport. “Go, Anna.”
    “I’m moving.”
    Anna had one hand on Piper’s upper arm. The little girl had tear tracks drifting down her face, and clung to her stuffed rabbit with her other arm. Justine knew that Nigel was struggling to follow her orders. She felt him lurch toward his daughter, and understood his need to comfort her.
    Anna moved swiftly but kept a pace that Piper could easily maintain. They were less than one hundred feet from the car when