“I can’t,” she said. “This is too scary. I don’t want a gun.”
He leaned close and took her face in his hand. His expression was hard, his eyes glinted like ice. “Kray wants you dead. I’m going to do my damnedest to get you off this island, but I need your cooperation. If something happens, you may need to protect yourself and Bobby. If you don’t care about yourself, at least think of the boy.”
Her son. She would do anything for her son. Slowly she took the pistol, then wrapped her fingers around the handle. She pushed the button and the clip dropped onto her lap. She replaced it.
He showed her how to work the action, then explained which position activated the safety. When she understood everything, he handed her a second clip of ammunition.
“Just in case,” he said.
“I feel like you expect me to take out an entire regiment.”
He smiled. “It won’t come to that. Stand up.” She did. He rose also and pulled the hem of her shirt out of her jeans. “You’re going to have to sacrifice fashion for safety. This is the best place to keep your pistol.” He moved behind her and raised her shirt, then slid the gun into the waistband of her jeans, against the small of her back.
The pistol was cold and hard against her skin. He dropped the shirt back in place. “No one can see it,” he said. “You’ve got easy access to it. Keep the spare clip in your front pocket.”
She did as he asked, then looked up at him. The handsome man who’d listened while she’d confessed her secrets last night was gone. The passionate stranger who’d kissed her, the friendly guy who’d played ball with Bobby, all those men disappeared. In their place stood a warrior. Emotionless, unafraid, determined.
“What else do I need to do?” she asked.
“When you dock in Miami, leave the gun and the extra magazine on the boat. Take a cab to this street.” He handed her a small piece of paper. “There are about two dozen small hotels and motels stretched for a mile. Pick one and register under a false name. Don’t use Smith or Jones, though. It’s too obvious.”
She frowned. “You want me to stay in Miami? Isn’t that going to be the first place he’ll look for me?”
“Yes. But he won’t know when you’re arriving and he’ll check the large hotels first. He can’t be everywhere. It’s just for one night. You leave Miami on Saturday.”
“Why?”
“The cruise ships dock then and the airport is jammed. Take any flight going to a major city. Change planes. About three flights should be enough. Wait about four days, then do it again, but this time go to smaller cities.”
The pistol poked into her back. Her heart was beating quickly and they hadn’t even left her bedroom. It was overwhelming. “I don’t know if I can do this,” she said. She regretted the confession as soon as she’d made it and waited for Jeff to make some snide remark.
Instead, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I know,” he said. “Worry about one step at a time. Don’t think about too much at once, or you’ll go crazy.”
His voice was gentle and encouraging. She wanted to throw herself against him and cling forever. Instead, she forced herself to smile and step back. “Good advice.”
“One more thing,” he said, reaching in his front pocket. “You’ll need this.” He pulled out a wad of bills.
“I can’t take your money.”
“You’re going to need it to stay away from Kray. Hiding is expensive. Believe me, I know.”
She shook her head. “I don’t need it. I got a large settlement when Kray and I divorced. I’ve never been one to spend lavishly, so Bobby and I have been living off the interest. I’ve got cash stashed in safety-deposit boxes all over the country. We’ll be fine.”
He thrust the bills at her. “Just in case. You can pay me back later.”
He waited. Finally she took the money. The bills were all hundreds and fifties. There had to be at least five thousand dollars there. “How am I supposed to pay you back? I don’t even know your last name.”
He smiled. “I’ll find you.”
She hoped he would, when this was all over. Maybe they could have a second chance. “I wish we’d met under other circumstances,” she said, then cleared her throat and stuffed the money in her jeans pocket, the one without the extra ammunition clip. “That is, I wish I was someone else so you wouldn’t—” That wasn’t right, either. “What I’m trying to say is—”
“Hush,” he said, then touched her face. The brush of his fingers against her cheek was gentle. “I know what you’re saying, Andie.”
His blue eyes were dark and unreadable. She wanted to see a flame of desire flickering there. She hoped he would kiss her, but in the end, all he did was tap the brim of her baseball cap and step away.
That was it then. This was goodbye. No mention of missing her, or the fact that he didn’t really mind who her ex-husband was. Nothing about forgiving or liking her. Jeff would get them off the island, then go back to his men and his mission. It made sense, she told herself. She didn’t really matter to him—not like he mattered to her.
She pushed away the “if onlys” and forced herself to concentrate on the moment. A quick glance at her watch told her time was slipping away from them.
“We have to leave,” Jeff said, confirming her thoughts.
She picked up her purse and slipped it over her head so it hung across her chest. She wanted her arms free. Jeff grabbed the suitcase and walked to the door.
“Wait,” she called.
He paused, then turned toward her. He raised his eyebrows expectantly.
“If anything happens to me, you’ve given your word to look after Bobby.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“I want to be sure. Please get him back to the States. Give him a false name and put him into a child-services department somewhere. Any foster home would be better than being with Kray.”
“I agree. I’ve already given you my word, but if you need to hear it again, I swear I’ll take care of your son. Kray will have to come through me to get to the kid. But you’re not going to die.”
The fear was growing. She knew she could handle it, although she wondered how much faster her heart could beat and still stay in her chest. “I know. I just want to be sure.”
He grabbed the door handle, then released it. “While we’re making promises, I want you to make me one.”
“Which is?”
“No heroics. If something happens to me tonight, get the hell out of there. Take the Jeep and drive back to this house. You’ll be safe here for a couple of weeks. Once Kray knows we’re together, he’ll start searching the island inch by inch.”
“You’re saying you’re expendable?”
“Exactly.”
“All right, I promise.”
Jeff stared at her. “If they get me and Bobby, leave him with his father and get the hell away.”
“What?”
“If you’re alive, you can hire someone to kidnap him back. If you’re dead, Bobby is stuck with his father and no one is going to come looking for him.”
“I couldn’t.” Leave her son with that murderer?
“You don’t have another choice.”
She didn’t like what Jeff was saying, but she couldn’t deny he made sense. Better to live to fight for her son, than to die in some useless act, abandoning him forever.
Oh, God, she couldn’t do this. She didn’t have the strength. She pictured Bobby’s smiling face. “So, neither of us can be caught,” she said.
“That would be best,” he admitted. “You ready?”
No, she wasn’t ready. She would never be ready. But she didn’t have a choice. Until she was off the island, she was playing on Kray’s terms. She trusted Jeff. He was risking his life for her.
“I’m ready,” she said, and followed him out into the hall.
Jeff drove through the empty streets of St. Lucas. They didn’t have to go through town. The route he’d chosen to the public dock on the far side of the isl
and was indirect and took them on narrow, ill-kept roads.
The storm from the night before had moved on, leaving behind brilliant clear skies and millions of stars. It had also washed mud onto the streets. Jeff drove slowly, trying to avoid most of it. He didn’t want to come this far only to be late because they got trapped in some dirt road.
There weren’t any streetlights at this end of the island, and very few houses. They didn’t pass any other cars. Of course it was late and a weeknight. Most people were already home in bed. He wondered how many of Kray’s men still roamed, looking for their employer’s son.
The crawling sensation at the back of his neck refused to go away. He told himself it was nerves and nothing else. He wasn’t used to being in the field anymore. He’d gotten soft.
“Five years is too damn long,” he muttered.
“What?” Andie asked from the seat beside him.
He glanced at her, then at the boy curled up in the back seat. The strangeness of leaving the house in the middle of the night had kept Bobby up and bouncing for about the first fifteen minutes. Then even his nap that afternoon hadn’t been enough to keep him awake. He’d gotten more and more quiet before finally collapsing in the corner.
“I was just thinking out loud,” he said, keeping his voice low so it wouldn’t carry and wake up the kid. “It’s been five years since I’ve been in the field.”
“Are you nervous?”
“A little.”
“This probably sounds dumb, but I’m glad I’m not the only one.” She gave him a quick smile.
“It’s going to be okay,” he said.
“Are you trying to make me feel better, or is this some gut instinct?”
He didn’t think she would want to know that he had no instincts about this mission. Reactions like that came from training and detachment. He had neither. He was rusty as hell and far too personally involved to have a sense of anything. Two things were certain though. First, he would risk it all to get Andie off this island, and second, he still wanted Kray dead.
“It’s going to be all right because we’re willing to pay a higher price than they are,” he said.
“That makes sense.”
She shifted in her seat. She hadn’t been able to find a comfortable spot since they’d left the house. He figured the gun was digging into her back.
“Why are you leading this mission if you haven’t been in the field for so long?” she asked.
“I volunteered,” he said. A committee of one. He wondered what she would say if she knew the truth. Just as well she didn’t. He wanted her to think of him as one of the good guys. Stupid. He wasn’t, of course. The second he pulled the trigger on Kray, he crossed the line. This time he wouldn’t be able to find his way back.
“Will it be in the papers?” she asked. “Will I know, or will it be hushed up?”
He thought about the headline. Rogue U.S. Government Agent Murders Crime Lord. “I think it’ll make a paper or two.”
“Good. I’ll check. I hope…” She paused and drew in a breath. He glanced at her. She was staring straight ahead. “You probably think this is horrible, but I hope you’re successful. I hope you do what you came to do and I hope you get away. Maybe you could make sure they put that in the papers, too.”
She wanted to know that he was okay. Despite his attitude, despite the fact that he’d been a complete ass around her. She thought he was some good guy, wearing a white hat, riding in to save the day.
Now that she was leaving, now that the dock was less than five miles away and he could begin to believe she was going to get out, he could admit the truth to himself. He claimed to hate her because she was once married to Kray and because she made him forget, but the only person he hated was himself. Andie was what she said she was—an innocent, caught up in a frightening world. She had neither the temperament nor the training to survive there, yet she’d hung on. She’d escaped and made a life for herself. She had grit and backbone. More courage than any five men he knew. She was sweet and funny, and God help him, she got to him. Not just her body or the thought of making love with her. This wasn’t just about sex. The sex was easy. It was the feelings that were difficult. He didn’t want to think that he would miss her.
But he would.
From the corner of his eye, he saw her shiver slightly and fold her arms over her chest. He could smell her fear. He reached out and placed his hand on her thigh. “Hang in there.”
She nodded. “I will.”
He withdrew his hand. At least she was leaving. If she wasn’t, he would start to worry about himself. He couldn’t afford to care anymore. Not just because of what was going to happen after he shot Kray, but because he couldn’t handle the emotions. He could spend the rest of his life in mourning for his wife and son and it would never be enough. He would never be able to make up for what he did to them. Nothing, certainly not caring about someone else, could distract him from his penance.
They rounded a bend in the road. Once again Jeff could smell the sea. He forced all personal thoughts from his mind, mentally shutting down. From now on there was only instinct and survival. No distractions.
The dock was up ahead. He’d chosen it specifically. It was public, but closed at dusk. Because of its out-of-the-way location, it wasn’t used much during the week. There were no guards, no fences, no gate.
He slowed the Jeep. The crawling sensation on the back of his neck continued. He adjusted his hat. Would the boat be there? Were Kray’s men waiting? He pulled his pistol from its holster and set it on his lap. Beside him, Andie stiffened. He didn’t spare her a glance.
Three hundred yards from the dock, he turned off his lights and stopped the Jeep. The air was still around them.
“There’s a dirt parking lot on the side of the road,” he said quietly. “From there, a footbridge takes you out to the boats. Ours should be the only one there. I’m going to park and leave you while I go check things out. Any questions?”
“No.”
Her voice was low and tight. Fearful. He didn’t spare her a glance. He pressed on the accelerator. They drove down the road. Once in the parking lot, Jeff turned the Jeep so it was pointing the way they’d come, then backed it under several low tree branches.
“Stay here,” he said. “At the first sign of trouble, get the hell out of here. If it’s a false alarm, I’ll find my own way back to the house. You understand?”
“Yes.”
Without glancing at her, he grabbed his pistol and climbed out. The low rumble of the engine disguised the sounds of the night.
“Get behind the wheel,” he said, then turned and disappeared into the brush.
Slowly he inched his way closer to the bridge. There were a few faint lights along the dock. They cast murky pools that couldn’t penetrate the jungle undergrowth. He moved steadily toward the sea, stopping every few seconds to listen. Gradually the sound of the engine faded behind him. He could hear the surf, some insects and the local variety of frog. The night noises told him he was alone.
He continued to walk through the brush, breaking free of the plants about twenty feet south of the dock. He could see the cabin cruiser rocking in the ocean. The starboard light had been broken, so there was only a bare bulb burning in the darkness. Just like he’d arranged.
From where he was standing, he could see down to the beach. Nothing stirred. At the sea end, the bridge was tall enough for a man to walk under. It dropped lower as it neared the shore. The incoming tide swirled around the rocks. Nothing looked out of place.
He hurried back to the Jeep. Andie was sitting in the driver’s seat, her hands clutching the wheel. When he came up the path from the bridge, she turned toward him.
“Everything looks fine,” he said.
“Thank God.”
“Don’t relax yet. You’re not on the boat. I want to go down and check it before you board.”
She frowned. “I thought that’s what you did.”
“You can’t see the boat from here.
I want you and Bobby to stand at the top of the path. I’ll go down to the dock. If everything’s okay, you follow me. If it isn’t, I want to be able to signal you to get the hell out of here.”
“I don’t like this.”
He reached past her and turned off the ignition. “I know.”
She scrambled out of the vehicle, then leaned in the back and shook her son. “Bobby, honey, wake up. We’ve got to go.”
“Huh?” The boy squirmed. “I don’t wanna wake up.”
“I know, honey, but we’re going to ride on a boat.”
That got the kid’s attention. His eyes opened and he grinned. “Now?”
“Yes, now. Come on, get up.”
He sat up sleepily, rubbing his eyes. When he stood up, she lifted him over the side of the vehicle and set him on the ground. Jeff opened the trunk and pulled out their suitcase and Bobby’s bag of toys.
“I want you two to wait up there,” he said, pointing to the top of the path.
Andie nodded. She adjusted her purse, then the weapon at the small of her back. She handed her son his toys, then took the suitcase. “We’re ready.”
Jeff led the way. There was a large sign at the end of the parking lot. In the dim light he couldn’t read what it said. He paused there.
“Can you see the boat?” he asked.
“Sure. It’s not very big.”
He grinned. “Big enough to get you to Florida. The captain will have motion-sickness medicine on board, just in case.”
“Great. I hadn’t even thought of that.”
He felt a tugging at his pant legs and he looked down. Bobby was staring up at him.
“Aren’t you coming with us?” the boy asked.
“Sorry, sport. I’ve got to stay here and take care of some business.” His stomach clenched. He was going to kill the kid’s father. That was his business. But he wouldn’t think about that now.
The Only Way Out Page 15