The Only Way Out

by Susan Mallery

  Jeff pulled off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. With the brim shading his eyes and covering his short, cropped hair, she hadn’t seen his coloring, but she’d expected him to be dark, like Kray. Instead, Jeff was blond with blue eyes and the clean-cut good looks of a California surfer. The image was so contrary to what she’d just experienced that she almost smiled. Almost.

  Their gazes locked. She saw a flash of cold determination flicker in his gaze, the confidence and willingness to do anything to get the job done. He wasn’t some guy on holiday; he was a professional at this. She didn’t know why he was here, and she didn’t want to know. Better for both of them if she just got out of his way.

  “I’m ready,” she said quietly.

  He nodded, then dropped his gaze to her legs. “You don’t have any shorts, do you?”

  “No. Why?”

  “We obviously can’t pass as natives. The next best thing is to go as tourists.”

  At that she did smile. “Yeah, right. No one’s going to notice your unusual outfit there, are they?”

  Bobby, who’d been following their conversation, sidled over to her and peered at Jeff. “Why’s your shirt all funny like that?”

  Jeff glanced down at the fatigues he was wearing. He winked at the boy. The friendly act, so incongruous when compared with who he was and what he’d done, made Andie feel as if she were trapped in a carnival fun house. Everything was distorted and nothing was as it seemed.

  “I was playing hide-and-seek,” he said. “With this shirt and these pants, it’s harder for people to see me.”

  “Mommy didn’t see you.”

  “That’s right,” Andie said. If she’d seen him, she would have taken off in the opposite direction.

  “There’s a baseball cap in the trunk,” Jeff said as he started unbuttoning his shirt. “Bobby can wear it.” He nodded his head toward the boy.

  When he had unbuttoned the shirt to the waistband of his fatigues, he jerked it free. Andie didn’t know if she should turn her back or run like hell.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Trying to fit in. As you pointed out, I don’t look like a tourist. Yet.”

  He pulled the shirt off, exposing a red tank top. He sat on the bumper and unlaced his military boots. After taking off the boots and his socks, he unbuckled the thick leather belt at his waist and laid it on the driver’s seat. He unzipped his pants and slipped them down. Underneath he wore wrinkled white shorts. He pulled the pistol from its holster. For a split second Andie thought she’d made a life-threatening mistake, but he tucked the weapon in the waistband of his shorts, against the small of his back, and pulled the tank top over the bulge.

  From his backpack, he dug out a second baseball cap. This one advertised a local brand of rum. He slipped one on his head, then took the other from her hands and adjusted it to the smallest size, then gave it to Bobby. A pair of worn leather sandals completed his outfit. In less than two minutes he’d gone from trained military expert to beach bum.

  He was tanned, with long legs and strong arms. She could see the ripple of muscles as he moved. The shorts fitted over his narrow hips, then hung loosely past his thighs. He was right—he did look like a tourist. She glanced at his face, but the brim of the hat hid it from view. It also covered most of his blond hair. Only a half inch or so stuck out the bottom. Conservative haircut, familiarity with weapons, knowledge of Kray and his line of work. If Jeff wasn’t military, he sure was government. She didn’t know if that piece of information made her feel better or worse. She shrugged. At this point, she couldn’t afford to be picky.

  Working quickly, he put his fatigues in his backpack. He transferred money and a mean-looking knife to his shorts pocket, then dropped the backpack into the trunk and closed it.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  Andie nodded and picked up Bobby. Instead of letting him climb into the back seat, she sat down and pulled him onto her lap. Just in case, she thought. She wanted to be able to run with him, if she had to. Despite the fact Jeff hadn’t taken her to Kray, she still didn’t trust him.

  Jeff slipped in beside her and started the engine. He pulled the Jeep in a tight circle, then headed toward the road. As they drove out of the brush, she held her breath, afraid that Kray’s men would be waiting. There was no one on the side of the road. Just her rental sitting in the shade.

  He stopped long enough for her to drive it back into his vehicle’s hiding place; then he glanced both ways and hit the gas. They took off toward town.

  Andie fought the urge to glance behind them. With the Jeep’s open top and low doors, she felt as if they were completely exposed. That as soon as they were spotted, they would be gunned down.

  Violent pictures filled her mind. Not just her wild images about what Kray would do to her if he caught her, but ugly memories from six years ago. From the moment when the pieces had clicked into place and she’d realized her husband wasn’t the man she’d thought him to be.

  “Just a couple more hours and you’ll be safe,” Jeff said. “Once you get off the island, you’ll be okay. When you get back to the States, you’re going to have to lay low.”

  She nodded. She already knew that much. She had money stashed in a couple of safety deposit boxes in different cities. After Kray had stolen Bobby, it had taken her three weeks to figure out parental kidnapping wasn’t high on anyone’s list of crimes to be solved. Especially when the father in question had taken his son out of the country. Once she’d realized no one was going to help her, she’d come up with her own plan and had quickly put it into action. Ironically, the generous settlement Kray had given her at the time of the divorce would pay for her escape from him.

  Bobby leaned back against her and closed his eyes. “You tired, honey?” she asked.

  “Nope.”

  But his eyelids fluttered shut. She couldn’t blame him. After the morning they’d had, she was exhausted, as well. She wished she could trust someone enough to watch Bobby so she could curl up and sleep for a week, but she couldn’t. She only had herself to depend on.

  “There’s a private airstrip north of town,” Jeff said quietly, a few minutes later. “Is that the one you’re going to use?”

  Andie glanced at him. He slowed the Jeep and met her gaze. Dark blue eyes, almost the color of her own, stared back at her. His lashes were thick and only a couple of shades darker than his hair, although the tips were lighter, as if they’d been bleached by the sun. He squinted slightly and lines fanned out to his temples.

  He was good-looking enough to be the poster boy for the local tourist commission. Come to St. Lucas and find romance. Only, she wasn’t looking for romance, and from what she’d seen of Jeff, he wasn’t too fond of her. She wondered how much of that was because she was obviously in over her head and how much was because she was Kray’s ex-wife. Did it matter? As long as he helped her get away, he could think what he liked.

  “Yes,” she said, after a moment. “I’m supposed to meet a pilot there named Michael.”

  “How will you know him?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “He has a tattoo of a snake on his left wrist.”

  “That should inspire confidence.”

  She smiled. “I’ll admit I would feel better if it had been of a flying creature rather than one that slithers. But he didn’t ask any questions.”

  Jeff returned his attention to the narrow dirt road. “That doesn’t mean he won’t.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you have a story prepared?”

  “Yes.”

  “You want to try it out on me?”

  “Not really.”

  He chuckled. “Good.”

  She stared at him. He was smiling. Honest to God smiling. “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “Nothing. It’s good that you’ve already learned not to trust anyone unless you have to. At least you’re not as dumb—” His lips straightened.

  “As I look,” she finished for him. “Thanks for th
e compliment.”

  She was twenty-seven years old. She should be used to it by now. The average male assumed pretty equaled stupid. No doubt from Jeff’s perspective, her coming to Kray’s island and kidnapping Kray’s only son by herself did seem pretty stupid. So what? Kray hadn’t caught her yet.

  Andie stared out the passenger side, watching the tropical trees and vines give way to flatter plowed fields. Her eyes burned. She told herself it was fatigue and the wind, nothing else.

  “Look, I’m sorry,” Jeff said abruptly.

  “Forget it.”

  “It was just a knee-jerk reaction.”

  “I’ll accept the ‘jerk’ part of the apology.”

  “I guess I am, huh?” The Jeep slowed to a stop.

  She turned and looked at him. He angled himself toward her, resting his left forearm over the steering wheel. Bobby murmured softly in his sleep. Andie shifted him so her legs wouldn’t go numb.

  She studied Jeff’s short haircut, the lines of weariness around his eyes, the firm set of his jaw. She wanted to look lower, but she was suddenly aware of the fact that his loose tank top and shorts left very little of his lean, tanned body to the imagination.

  Something flickered in her belly. Horror filled her as she realized it was attraction. Unnecessary, unwelcome, ill-timed attraction. Oh, God, not now.

  “Who are you?” she asked.

  “Nobody you want to know.”

  She was willing to believe that.

  “There’s a road to the airport that goes around the town. We can avoid most of the city. We’ll take that.”

  “Fine with me.”

  He reached his right hand toward her face. He was going to touch her. She didn’t know whether or not to bolt or lean forward. Bobby prevented her from doing the former and panic from acting on the latter. So she simply stayed still as he touched a loose strand of hair.

  “People are going to remember this,” he said, then frowned and turned back to the road.

  “Am I expected to cut it off?” she asked.

  “We don’t have to be that extreme. There’ll be several carts selling things for the tourists just outside the city. I’ll get something there to help disguise you.”

  “But I’m going to be getting on a plane in a couple of hours. No one’s going to see me but you and the pilot.”

  “Exactly,” Jeff said, pausing to read signs at a crossroads, then turning left. “Better for all of us if the pilot can’t describe you in detail.”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t thought of that.

  Jeff drove through the narrow streets, careful to keep within the speed limit. As they neared the city, three-and four-story buildings rose up on either side. Wide wrought-iron balconies jutted out several feet above the ground. The architecture dated back to the first Spanish explorers, but its beauty was lost on Andie. She tried to look straight ahead and not draw attention to herself. At the same time, she wanted to look around and see if anyone had noticed them. It was hard to tell who was watching whom. Shoppers crowded together on the almost nonexistent sidewalks. Drivers blasted horns as they fought for small parking spaces on the busy road.

  From open-windowed restaurants and bakeries, Andie could smell food and exotic spices. Her stomach gurgled.

  “Sounds like Bobby isn’t the only one who’s hungry,” Jeff said.

  “I’m fine.”

  Being near town made her nervous. She didn’t want to stop and eat. They could do that once they got to San Juan. There it would be easy to get lost in the large tourist areas. Several cruise ships docked every day and unloaded thousands of passengers who crawled over the old city. From there, it was only a short hop to Florida and safety.

  Jeff took a right turn, leaving the busy street behind them, then turned right again and came out on a paved two-lane road.

  “We can circle around the rest of the city from here,” he said.

  “Great.”

  Up ahead was a freestanding stall manned by an old woman in native dress. Hats, printed T-shirts and locally made dresses hung from the rickety sides of her place of business. Jeff slowed the Jeep and pulled onto the red clay shoulder. He angled the nose of the vehicle in slightly, so that the passenger side was blocked from the woman’s view by a large tree.

  “I’ll get you a hat,” he said, stepping out and moving toward the stall.

  Andie stared after him, watching his long, bare legs cover the distance in a matter of seconds. She could see the power in his stride. His blond good looks and clothing tagged him as an American tourist. The old woman could see there were other people in the Jeep with him, but she wouldn’t be able to identify the occupants and she hadn’t seen a woman and young boy traveling alone together. Jeff had thought of everything.

  Andie glanced down at the driver’s side and the key dangling from the ignition. Except he’d left her with a means of escape.

  She could simply drive off and leave him stranded. By the time he could arrange other transportation, she would be away from St. Lucas.

  She shifted slightly, ready to lift Bobby off of her. Her gaze drifted to the stand where Jeff was buying her a hat. He could have left her on her own, or even turned her in to Kray but he hadn’t. Obviously he wasn’t overwhelmed by her feminine charms. If anything, he seemed to alternate between disgust and ambivalence. She trusted those feelings more than she would have trusted an unreserved effort of assistance. She didn’t know why he was on the island and she didn’t want to know. Was he part of some agency’s plan to capture Kray? She wouldn’t want to interfere with that. The sooner Kray was locked up for his crimes, the sooner she and Bobby would be safe from him.

  Her indecision cost precious time, and before she could make up her mind, Jeff had paid the old woman and was starting back toward them.

  She glanced from the dangling key to him, and saw the exact moment he figured out what she was thinking. His pace didn’t increase or his stride lengthen, but his shoulders straightened slightly and his gaze narrowed.

  “You made the right decision,” he said, tossing her a paper bag and sliding into the driver’s seat.

  “What would you have done if I’d gone?” she asked, then told herself she was a fool for wanting to know. The way her luck was running, Jeff would tell her the truth.

  “Either fired a shot and blown out one of the tires, or told Kray where you were going.”

  “Whatever happened to chivalry?”

  “Put on your hat so we can get out of here.” He waited until she’d set the large-brimmed straw hat on her head before starting the engine and pulling out onto the road.

  The bag also contained sunglasses and a gauzy cotton shirt in bright blue. “What’s this for?” she asked.

  “When you get to San Juan, dump the jeans. Buy some shorts. You’ll look more like a tourist. The shirt is something for you to wear until you can stock up on supplies. If the pilot describes you to Kray, you don’t want to make it easy for his men to find you.”

  Even as he gave her instructions, his voice was edged with contempt. “Why do you hate me?” she blurted out.

  Jeff was silent so long, she decided he wasn’t going to answer. Just as well. It didn’t matter what he thought of her. She needed to concentrate on Bobby and how to keep him safe.

  The road narrowed and a small plane flew overhead. The thick island air seemed to press down upon her. Six and a half years ago, she’d thought St. Lucas was paradise. Now it was a prison.

  They rounded a bend in the road. Up ahead was a collection of wooden buildings, all small and in need of paint. Tin roofs rusted from the elements. An assortment of planes stretched out next to a long single runway. The plane she’d seen in the air came down slowly, drifting like a leaf on a breeze. Its engine got louder as it descended; then the plane touched down and rolled to a stop.

  “We made it,” she said, shaking Bobby gently. “Come on, honey, wake up.”

  Bobby stirred on her lap. “I’m hungry.”

  “I know. There’s som
e bread.”

  He shook his head. “I wanna hot dog.”

  “In a couple of hours we’ll be in San Juan and I’ll buy you three hot dogs.”

  Hazel eyes stared sleepily up at her. “With ‘tato chips?”

  “Sure, and a soda, too. But not yet, okay?”

  Bobby nodded.

  Jeff pulled up in front of the large building and turned off the engine. Andie gave him a tight smile. “Thanks for the lift and the lesson in survival.” She touched her wide-brimmed hat. “We’ll be fine from here.”

  He nodded. “I’ll stay to see that you get off all right.”

  “It’s not necessary.”

  “It is to me.”

  “Yeah, right. That’s why you’ve been so friendly to me.”

  Blue eyes met and held her own. Something ugly and painful flashed across his expression. Something that made her want to touch him and ease the suffering. Then it was gone and she was looking at the cool expression of a handsome, but deadly stranger.

  “It’s not you. It’s your lousy taste in men.”

  If he was talking about Kray, she had no rebuttal. She understood why he made his judgment, but she didn’t have to like it. “Everybody gets one mistake. He’s mine,” she said flippantly, so he wouldn’t know how his words had stung. “Come on, Bobby. Let’s go find our pilot.”

  She collected her small cloth suitcase and filled it with the remaining water bottles. Bobby refused any bread or fruit, stubbornly insisting he wanted a hot dog. Andie prayed for patience.

  When she’d settled her purse strap over her shoulder, she looked at the buildings, then started out toward the largest. It wasn’t much bigger than a two-car garage, but she could hear voices from inside. Before she entered the building, Jeff touched her arm.

  “Let me keep the boy,” he said.

  She stared up at him as her heart began to pound against her ribs. Oh, no. Not that. She’d trusted him and now he was going to steal her child? It wasn’t fair. She glanced around wildly for a weapon or something to hold him off.