The Only Way Out

by Susan Mallery

Then there was a horrible crash as the speedboat drilled into Kray’s larger craft. His vessel bumped hard against theirs. Everyone was knocked down. Lines, cushions, glasses and equipment fell onto the deck. Andie kept rolling. She came to a stop against the narrow walkway that led to the front of the boat. As she started to stand, a man vaulted over the side in front of her. He was wet, but she recognized him. Jeff!

  Before she could say anything, he covered her mouth with his hand and motioned for her to keep crawling toward the front of the boat. He slipped past her toward the fray. Andie started to do as he’d asked, then hesitated. She turned back to look at the deck.

  The speedboat was half submerged. Kray’s boat spun around. There was a huge hole in the side and it was already listing. The man who had been left there was clinging to the side of Cort’s boat. Jeff reached him first. He grabbed the man’s pistol, then pushed him into the ocean. Cort was still fighting the two men. Kray was on his knees searching for his gun.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Jeff said, coming to a stop beside Kray.

  The crime lord looked up. “Ah, Markum. I’ve been expecting you. As soon as my men told me you were on the island and with my wife, I knew what you’d come for.”

  “She’s not your wife.”

  Kray smiled. Andie flinched. She hated that cold, ugly smile. It reminded her of death. “She once was. It’s enough. A life for a life. A bride for a bride. Although I expect you’re too much of a coward to kill my son as well as me.”

  “Damn it all to hell, will you stay down?” Cort said, frustrated. One of the men who had been holding him was unconscious, but the other staggered to his feet and came at him again. Cort ducked and the man went sailing over him. There was a brief splash. Cort straightened, then looked at Jeff.

  “Now what?” he asked.

  Andie moved closer. “Jeff?”

  He turned toward her. She met his gaze, determined to deal with whatever she saw in his eyes. She loved him. She trusted him. He’d come back to her. Pray God he’d changed his mind.

  The blue depths flared with anger, but it was controlled. He was furious at what had happened, but not deadly. She bit her lower lip, not sure she was willing to believe.

  “It’s okay,” he said. “You were right. I can’t cross the line and be like him. When the local authorities show up, we’ll have him arrested for what he did to you and Cort. Then we can get a search warrant for the villa. There’s enough evidence there to keep him locked up for a long time.”

  “Never!” Kray said. “I won’t allow it.”

  He lunged forward on the deck, as if he’d found what he was looking for. Andie saw the dull black of a pistol under a coiled line.

  “No!” she screamed.

  Jeff turned toward Kray. He raised his arm, aiming directly at Kray’s chest. She waited for him to fire. It was all right now; he would just be protecting himself. But he hesitated. Kray laughed, then pulled his hand up.

  A single shot cut through the still afternoon. Andie turned toward the sound. Cort was crouched by the unconscious man, holding a gun in his hand. Kray slumped to the deck. She didn’t have to look at the wound to know he was dead.

  Jeff walked over to her and pulled her close. “It’s over,” he whispered.

  No, she thought with relief as she clung to him. It had just begun.

  Three days later Jeff stood next to Andie in the Fort Lauderdale airport. Cort had taken Bobby to get a hot dog at the snack stand. Around them, passengers waited for their planes to be called, airport employees chatted and the loudspeaker announced departures and arrivals. But at the far end of this unused terminal, they were alone.

  “You’ll be in L.A. by nightfall,” Jeff said. “You must be excited about getting back to your life.”

  “I haven’t had much chance to think about it,” Andie said. She tucked her blond hair behind her ears. “We’ve been so busy answering questions.”

  “Yeah.” He leaned against the podium and tried to think of something to say. What he wanted to tell her was that he loved her and couldn’t imagine being without her. The thought of his empty life looming in front of him made him break out in a cold sweat. He wanted to ask her to marry him and come live with him in Washington. But he didn’t.

  He stared at the tall, slender woman standing in front of him. She’d bought some clothes at the hotel. He was used to seeing her in shorts and T-shirts, but now she was dressed in a white silk suit with a blue blouse that matched the color of her eyes. She looked like a model posing for a magazine cover. Or an elegant businesswoman about to make a million-dollar deal.

  She had law school. Commitments. Friends in L.A. What did he have to offer her? His apartment was conveniently close to work, but had little else to recommend it. There was only one bedroom. They could buy a house, of course, if she wanted to, and Georgetown had a great law school, but it wasn’t just the logistics that kept him from proposing. It was him.

  He wasn’t done mourning Jeanne and J.J. He knew that now. In the next few months he was going to have to lay the past to rest. She wouldn’t want to be around for that.

  “You must be glad these last couple of days are over,” he said.

  “Yes. Spending ten-hour sessions with government agents and answering questions about Kray wasn’t fun. But it’s done.”

  He touched her smooth face. She was wearing makeup. Something that made her eyes looked bigger and mysterious and her mouth a kissable shade of pink. “You were a big help. With his men being rounded up, you won’t have to worry about anything.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Except what to do with the money. I wish they’d confiscated it all. How am I supposed to explain to Bobby that his father left him a million dollars?”

  “The government only takes what they can prove came from illegal ventures. Kray had some legitimate businesses, too.”

  “I don’t want any of it. But I suppose I should take it for Bobby. At least I know he’ll be able to go to the college of his choice.”

  Jeff smiled. “He’s a good kid. He’ll be fine.” He tugged at the cuff of his shirt. He was wearing a suit, too. When he got back to Washington, he was going directly to work. He’d already spoken with his boss. As he hadn’t actually done anything illegal, he wasn’t going to be disciplined. If anything, his boss had sounded pleased with the outcome of Jeff’s unorthodox trip to St. Lucas.

  “Just say it,” Andie told him.

  “What?”

  “Whatever you brought me over here to say.” She tilted her chin up slightly. “We just spent two nights in the same hotel and you didn’t once come to my room. I assume there’s a reason. You regret what you said on the boat.”

  Only the faint edge to her voice gave away her pain. He took her hand and brought it to his mouth. After kissing her palm, he squeezed her fingers. “I didn’t come to your room because there were guards in the hallway and I didn’t want to start any talk.”

  “And?”

  “And I don’t regret what I said on the boat. I do love you, Andie. I hated you at first, for who you were, but I can’t imagine anyone more right for me. I admire your courage, your determination, your loyalty. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

  “But?” She pulled her hand free and smoothed her skirt. “I know there’s a problem. I can see it in your face.”

  He swallowed. This was harder than he’d thought. “Go home,” he said at last. “Live your life. Be happy. Find someone else. Someone whole.”

  “You’re giving me the brush-off?”

  She was oddly calm, he thought. “No, I’m doing the right thing. You deserve so much more than I can give you. I’ve come a long way, but I’m still not over Jeanne and J.J. I’m going to have to deal with that. I live in Washington. You would grow to hate my job. Most wives do. You’ve got a life, friends, Bobby. You don’t need me.”

  “I see.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I suppose I’ll get over you in time.”

  He nodded. She was taking this r
eally well. Too well. He’d thought she might at least be sad.

  “A year from now, you’ll give me a call,” she said. “If we’re both not involved, we might meet and see how it goes. Is that part of the plan, too?”

  “Well, I thought maybe—”

  “Bull. You didn’t think anything except for what was easiest for you.” She leaned toward him and poked her finger in his chest. “If you think I’m going to walk away from you and wait for a year, then you’re crazy. My whole damn life has been on hold. I’ve spent the last six years looking over my shoulder, praying for a miracle. Something to release me from Kray.” She poked him again. “He’s gone and I don’t ever want to think about him again. I’m not waiting for you, Jeff Markum. Do you hear me? I’m not waiting a single day.”

  He couldn’t breathe. She was going to walk out on him, just like that? All this time he’d been worried about his feelings, when hers were the questionable ones.

  “You guys about ready?” Cort asked as he walked toward him. Bobby clung to his new friend’s hand. He had a stuffed dolphin under one arm and mustard on his mouth.

  “Yes,” Andie said. “Do you have my tickets?”

  Cort handed them to her.

  Jeff stared at her. “I already gave you tickets.”

  “I know. They were wrong.”

  “Wrong?”

  Cort glanced down at Bobby. “I think we came back too soon, buddy. Let’s go get an ice cream, okay?”

  Bobby beamed. “Strawberry? That’s my favorite.”

  “Strawberry it is.” Cort picked him up and set him on his shoulders. “Tell me which way to go.”

  “Over there,” Bobby said, pointing toward the snack stands.

  Andie opened the tickets and handed Jeff one. He scanned the destination. “Washington? What are you going to do there?”

  “Apparently beat some sense into you.” She grabbed the ticket back and stuffed it in the envelope. “You’re supposed to be so bright, too.” She looked at him. “I’m not leaving you, Jeff. I know you have feelings to work through about your late wife and son. I have things to work through, too. We’ll do it together. I’ve come too far to lose you now. You’re stuck with me. For always. I love you.”

  She wrapped her arms around him. He was stunned. Then he hugged her back, squeezing hard, knowing he would never let go. “Thank you,” he murmured.

  “For what?”

  “For not letting me be noble.”

  She looked up at him and smiled. “Don’t be silly. This wasn’t about you, it was about me. I was being selfish. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you now.”

  “I love you, Andie.” He cupped her face. “Will you marry me?”

  She reached up on tiptoe and kissed him. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Epilogue

  Three years later

  “We’re going to be late,” Andie said, as she bent over in the closet. Everything in there was a mess, as usual. She’d kept promising herself she was going to give their closet a good spring cleaning. This was the third springtime that had gotten away from her. “We’re going to be late and I can’t find my black pumps.”

  “Did you mean these?”

  She turned slightly and saw Jeff dangling a black patent-leather shoe from each index finger. She blew a strand of hair off her face and straightened. “Those are the ones. Great. Is everything else ready?”

  “We’re just waiting on you.”

  She pushed back the sleeve of her black robe and glanced at her watch. “Oh, we’re going to be late.”

  “We’re not going to be late,” Jeff said, handing her the shoes. “Everything is ready. Jamie is dressed, Mitchell’s bag is in the car and Bobby is keeping watch to make sure no one gets dirty.”

  Andie rolled her eyes. “He’s the one who gets dirty the most.” She slipped on her shoes and tugged at her gown. “How do I look?”

  Jeff grinned. “Like a lawyer.”

  Andie turned and glanced at herself in the full-length mirror. Her long hair hung down the back of her black graduation robe. “I feel old. Do you know how long it’s taken me to get through law school?”

  Jeff came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Yeah, I know. But you had a few distractions along the way.” He nudged her hair aside and started nibbling on her neck. “And I can hear one of them in the living room.”

  “Mo-om, Mitchell’s crying” came the confirming call.

  “Bobby, check his diaper for me,” she yelled back.

  “That’s gross.”

  “I’ll check,” Jeff said, giving her a quick squeeze before walking into the other room.

  Two-year-old Jamie came toddling in. “Mama, we go in the car,” she said.

  “I know.” Andie smiled at her daughter. Two children, a new house, a husband and now a law degree. It had been a busy three years. She resisted the urge to glance at her watch again. They wouldn’t be late for her graduation, she told herself. They couldn’t be.

  “He’s dry,” Jeff said. “But we’d better go.”

  Andie grabbed her purse from the dresser, then picked up Jamie. Her daughter had white-blond hair and big eyes the same color as her father’s. Six-month-old Mitchell looked more like Andie. She thought all her children were beautiful.

  Jeff stood by the front door. He had Mitchell’s baby seat hooked over one arm. He was holding Bobby’s hand and propping the door open with his heel. Her oldest stood tall and proud in his new suit.

  “Don’t forget your hat, Mom,” he said, pointing to the flat black graduate’s cap on the hall-tree shelf.

  She grabbed it as she went by. Within minutes, they were all strapped into the car and speeding down the highway toward the university. The spring air was warm, almost tropical. It reminded her a little of St. Lucas.

  “What are you smiling at?” Jeff asked.

  “Just thinking about how we met.”

  He reached for her hand and brought it to his mouth. He kissed her palm. The tingles had never gone away. Even now they raced up her arm and made her wish they were alone.

  “There they go again,” Bobby grumbled. “Gettin’ all mushy.”

  Jeff read the desire in her eyes. “Tonight,” he promised. “After the party celebrating your graduation.”

  “Tonight,” she agreed.

  Tonight, and tomorrow and for all the nights left to them. He loved her with a passion that made her catch her breath. They’d survived the mourning and the pain. They’d found their way out of the past, toward a future filled with promise.

  “I love you,” she said, smiling at him.

  “I love you, too,” he answered.

  “Ah, you guys,” Bobby complained. Little Jamie just giggled.

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-4779-6

  THE ONLY WAY OUT

  Copyright © 1995 by Susan Macias Redmond.

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  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

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