Susan Mallery - The Only Way Out

But none of those experiences, none of those fears, prepared her for the heart-pounding terror that had gripped her ever since her ex-husband had stolen her son. She’d lived with the fear, had even grown used to the sweaty palms and jumpy nerves. Until today. Until she’d come so close to escaping with Bobby, only to be captured by a stranger who looked at her as if he hated her.

So if I’m with Kray, this is where I make my move.

Andie still clutched the binoculars in her hand. She lowered them to her waist, prepared to throw them at him if he made a move. Not that being hit by them would slow him down much. As he’d already pointed out, he was bigger, stronger and armed. He also moved through the jungle with the casual competence of someone who had been through this before.

Was he with Kray, or someone else? She didn’t know. He hadn’t killed her. Yet. She took a step back toward Bobby. Her son was her only concern. He had to get away from Kray. If he stayed with his father—She shook her head. She couldn’t think about that.

Jeff didn’t budge from where he leaned against her rental. She moved back again, then held out her hand. Bobby slipped his palm against hers as his fingers closed around hers trustingly. They would run, she decided, trying to pick a direction without actually looking around them. She would have to count on adrenaline to give her speed.

Jeff pushed off the vehicle and placed his hands on his hips. He didn’t tower over her, so he couldn’t be more than six foot one or two. His hat shaded his face, hiding his eyes and concealing his expression. He wore a camouflage-colored shirt and pants, heavy boots and a holster. There were several compartments attached to his leather belt. She studied them to avoid looking at the pistol.

“Once they dock, it’ll take them about two minutes to get mobilized,” Jeff said, his low voice calm, as if he were discussing the weather. “He’ll call for reinforcements from around the island. They’ll be looking for a woman and a child traveling alone. Within the hour he’ll know about the rental car charge on your credit card, and by nightfall he’ll figure out you flew from the States into San Juan.”

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Someone who’s willing to help.”

Andie wanted to believe him. She’d spent the past six years looking over her shoulder, always afraid that Kray would show up to take her child away from her, or maybe even drag her back. She hadn’t dared get close to anyone because she couldn’t explain about her past. One mistake, she thought for the thousandth time. How long was she going to have to pay for one mistake?

“Are you with the U.S. military?” she asked, hoping he would say yes.

He shook his head.

“Let me guess. You’re some sort of spy.”

His posture didn’t change, nor did the straight line of his mouth. I can’t do this anymore, she thought, clinging desperately to her fragile grip on reality. It was too much. She was so far out of her element; she didn’t know the rules anymore.

“How were you planning to get off the island?” he asked again.

If he was with Kray, he would already be taking her back to the house, she told herself. If he was with Kray, she wasn’t getting off the island anyway, so what did it matter if he knew her plan? And if he wasn’t, well, she could use a little expert assistance.

“I still don’t trust you,” she said.

“Good. You don’t have to trust me. Just pay attention to my instructions and we’ll all get out of this alive.”

That’s all she wanted. To get Bobby and herself out of here alive. Once they were back on American soil, she could disappear.

“I’ve hired a private plane to fly us to San Juan. There are several flights from there to Florida tonight.”

“How do you know you can trust this guy?”

“I don’t trust him, but I’m paying enough.”

“What if Kray pays more?”

She didn’t have an answer for that. She couldn’t bear to think about it.

“What time are you supposed to meet the pilot?” he asked.

“One o’clock.”

He glanced up at the sky as if he could use the sun to tell time. “Then we’d better get going.” He bent down, picked up his backpack and flung it into the back seat. When she didn’t move, he glanced at her. “You driving or do you want me to?”

“Where are we going?” Now that she’d thrown in with him, she was nervous about getting into the Jeep. What if he had been toying with her?

“We need to get out of here. My Jeep is about two miles down the road. It isn’t a rental, so it can’t be traced. We’ll leave yours there and then—”

“I can’t just leave this at the side of the road.”

“Why not?” he asked as he sat in the passenger seat.

“The rental company will assume I stole it. I don’t need them looking for me as well as Kray.”

“If you’re worried about that, you can call the car rental company when you get to Florida. Tell them that you’ve returned home unexpectedly and that they should come and collect the car. We’ll leave the key under the seat mat.”

She couldn’t think of any more excuses, so she led Bobby over to the Jeep and opened the driver’s door. The boy scrambled in to the back seat. Andie then slid in and inserted the key into the ignition.

“Drive back the way you came,” Jeff said, not bothering to look at her. “In a few minutes you’ll see a dirt turnout, like this one, only deeper. My Jeep is concealed behind some trees. We’ll leave yours in its place. With any luck, Kray and his men won’t find it before you’ve left the island.”

“I think I used up all my luck getting Bobby,” she said and backed the vehicle up so that she could turn it around and head toward town.

Jeff didn’t answer her. She wasn’t surprised. She could feel the disdain radiating from him. He judged her by Kray’s standards. She supposed she couldn’t blame him. She still judged herself for what had happened six and a half years ago. She should have known. She should have seen the clues. But she hadn’t. She’d been young and stupid, and now she and her child were paying the price.

The steering was stiff on her rental. Andie gripped the plastic wheel tightly and concentrated on the road ahead. There wasn’t any traffic this far out on the island. She hadn’t seen anyone when she’d driven in, either. That was something. The man beside her sat comfortably in the bucket seat. Almost as if he were relaxed. If she hadn’t noticed the watchful pose of his head or the way his right hand was never far from his gun, she would have assumed he wasn’t worried about what they were doing.

They rounded a bend in the narrow two-lane road. “Over there,” Jeff said, pointing toward a turnoff.

As she turned off the ignition, he opened the passenger door. He bent over and collected her purse from the glove box, then grabbed his backpack from the seat behind him.

“Through here,” he said, leading the way without bothering to make sure she followed.

Andie wondered if it was because he assumed she would trail after him, knowing he was her greatest chance at survival or if it was because he didn’t care if she came with him or not. Then she frowned. He’d taken her purse, which had all her cash. Subtle but deadly. That’s how she would describe Jeff with-no-last-name.

She opened the trunk and removed the small suitcase she’d brought. Bobby climbed out of the rental and stood next to her.

“I’m hungry,” he said.

She opened the bag of bread and pulled out a slice.

He grimaced. “I want a hot dog.”

“Later, honey. This is all we have now. When we get to San Juan, I’ll buy you a hot dog.”

“He needs to get changed,” Jeff said.