The Only Way Out. Susan Mallery

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      “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 the 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 СКАЧАТЬ