Page 51 (1/2)
She decides Stiff, pushing the words out, she says, “Sir, I have my orders”
Thirty ht is not too cold, the water is calm, the Topaz lies half a mile off the coast of Italy Hurried, spooked crew hatch, haul it to the side, and settle it in the water Others are bent over the side peering intently at one of the hydroplanes Cisco, battered, see as if dazed
Rainy has taken off and carefully folded her uniform and left it in the care of the captain’s steward She noears what can only be called a fruht expect an Italian wo into a war that has impoverished the Italian people She wonders where Corelli’s people found it A rag bin? A secondhand shop? She has a too-thin and nearly useless knitted scarf around her neck and a thin wool coat Her feet are in sturdy but graceless pumps, already soaked by the spray
And thanks to the depth charge attack, they are late The sun will be up in an hour, and the sailors have to row ashore and return, which will be no easy task with two oars in an aard little boat The boat slews alongside, two sailors already sitting in it, tethered only by a rope and anxious to get going: no one has forgotten either the spotter plane or the destroyer
“Well,” Rainy says, trying not to sound as worried as she is, “I guess this is it”
“I’ently
Rainy sticks out her hand, and Alger shakes it foreant”
“Thanks, Commander It’s been”
She can’t think of the right word, so Alger says, “Yes Yes, it certainly has”
She is handed down into the boat where Cisco is already seated He’s begun to revive, just a little, though he still seems abashed by the sailors and refuses to meet anyone’s eye
He’s hu to be trouble
Rainy is wet but not quite to the bone by the tirinds softly onto the beach One sailor jumps out and draws the rope to steady the boat, while the other sailor hands Rainy out Cisco juerly onto the sand
“Careful with hinificantly at Cisco
“Hey, screw you, pal,” Cisco says
In less than a ht Rainy takes a shaky breath She has just landed in Mussolini’s Italy on a harebrained ster Her face, hand, and shoulder all hurt