The Only Way Out Part 15

"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 h.e.l.l 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 h.e.l.l 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, G.o.d, 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 island 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 pa.s.s 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 d.a.m.n 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 andmore 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 h.e.l.l 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. RogueU.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 att.i.tude, despite the fact that he'd been a complete a.s.s 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 washimself . 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 G.o.d help him, she got to him. Not just her body or the thought of making love with her. This wasn't just about s.e.x. The s.e.x 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 andfold 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 h.e.l.l 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 sh.o.r.e. 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 G.o.d."

"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 h.e.l.l 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 toFlorida. 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.

"I thought you were coming with us."

"We'll be fine, Bobby," Andie said,then touched her son's shoulder. "We're going on an adventure."

"But I want Jeff to come, too."

"He can't."

Jeff squatted down so he was close to eye level. "You're going to have to be real brave for your mom. Can you do that?"

Bobby nodded solemnly.

"Good." Jeff held out his arms. "Why don't you give me a hug?"

The child dropped his bag of toys and flew into his arms. Jeff stood frozen for a moment, unable to respond.He hadn't thought, he'd just reacted. He was being a.s.saulted by a battalion of memories. Bobby was bigger than J.J. had been when he'd died but the little-boy hug was almost the same. Thin arms pressing so hard, the narrow back, the scent and sounds. Jeff's heart ached. Slowly he wrapped his arms around Bobby. They clung to each other. He hadn't expected to care. He hadn't expected to miss the kid.

Bobby sniffed once,then stepped back. Jeff didn't want to let him go, but he released him. "I'll be good," the child promised, then picked up his toys.

Jeff stood up. Andie tried to smile. "I still don't know your last name."

"I know."

"I wish-" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

He stared at her, at her perfect face. He wished it, too. That it could have been different. That she could have been someone else. He thought about kissing her, but he was afraid of what they would feel and say. Better to just move on.

"I'm going down to the boat," he said, stepping away from them. "If everything's all right, I'll click on my flashlight three times. Walk quickly to the boat. Don't run on the dock. Once you're there, get on and get down. Is that clear?"