Jeff continued driving north, away from the city and away from Kray"s villa. He circled around small villages, turned onto one-lane roads, always keeping the ocean in sight and on his left.
The woman trembled. Every few seconds a tremor swept through her. She clasped her hands tightly together, her fingers squeezing so hard, the skin around her knuckles turned white. Even Bobby was quiet, as if he somehow understood the danger.
At the top of a rise, Jeff pulled into a dirt turnout. There weren"t any other cars or people around. With a quick jerk of the key, he shut off the engine. Instantly the silence swallowed them.
Straight ahead was the blueCaribbeansea. Below, waves slowly slipped ash.o.r.e, aimlessly flowing onto the beach before retreating. Lush plants surrounded them. Large palm trees provided shade. After a few moments, the birds and insects scared off by the Jeep"s presence returned. The low hum of wings and sharp calls of separated mates filled the air.
He should have been able to smell the flowers, perhaps even the salty sea. Instead, there was only the scent of a woman"s fear. Andie Cochran had run out of options.
He glanced over his shoulder. Bobby was lying on the back seat. The boy had found a few leaves on the floor of the open-air vehicle and lined them up like soldiers.
Jeff knew the easiest thing in the world would be to walk away. They weren"t his responsibility. Maybe Andie would get lucky and find another way off the island. Maybe he would be able to finish the job he was here to do before she got caught. Or maybe Kray would choose not to be merciful when he found her. Maybe he wouldn"t kill her quickly, but instead would punish her for taking his son.
Jeff rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You have another plan?"
"Of course," she said brightly. "Just drop us at the edge of town. We"ll be fine."
"And pigs fly."
She turned to look at him. "I"m telling the truth." She made an X over her left breast. "I swear."
"You don"t know how much I want to believe that," he mumbled under his breath.
"You can, Rambo. Look, I don"t need to be with someone who thinks I"m slightly less worthy of life than the local variety of c.o.c.kroach. So get us back to town and forget you ever saw us."
He was surprised at her vehemence. He shifted in his seat, wondering how she"d been able to read him so easily. There"d been a time when no one had known what he was thinking. Of course it had been five years since he"d been in the field.
Rusty instincts or not, he was the best Andie and the kid were going to find on this island. Letting her go wasn"t an option. Not only because she could identify him, but because she was an American citizen. He didn"t have to likeher, he only had to get her away from Kray. He started the engine.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Back to town."
"You"re going to let us go?"
He glanced at her. The sungla.s.ses hid her eyes, but he knew what she was thinking. He was going to take her at her word and dump her. The problem was she couldn"t decide if she was relieved or terrified.
"Let"s get some food and more supplies. Then we"ll discuss your options," he said. "The man at the airport didn"t get a good look at me, so that helps. We"ll head to the shopping center by the harbor. The cruise ships stay in port until around six so the whole area will be crawling with tourists." He shifted into gear. "Your braid"s come loose."
He pressed on the gas, easing the vehicle out into the narrow road. As he headed back toward town, Andie dug through her purse for a brush. He tried not to notice as she drew her blond braid over her shoulder and brushed the strands free. He stared straight ahead as she raised her arms to begin refastening her hair in its neat style. But from the corner of his eye he could see the way her T-shirt tightened over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.
His fingers clenched on the steering wheel as he swore under his breath. He didn"t want to notice she was a woman. He sure as h.e.l.l didn"t want to feel his blood flowing hotter and faster through his aroused body. In the five years Jeanne had been gone, he"d avoided women and any connections, even the brief impersonal kind. He hadn"t needed anything but his pain and memories. He hated that his body chose this moment to come back to life. So what if she was attractive? She was Kray"s wife. She"d chosen to marry a killer. She and her kid were alive while his family was dead.
Refusing to look at her or acknowledge her, he drove down the coast toward town. As they got closer to the port, he began to check his mirrors. Up ahead, a white cruise ship sat in the harbor, an elegant vessel dwarfing not only the other boats, but the harbor itself.
"Do you think Kray already has men in town?" Andie asked.
He was still angry about getting turned on. "Yes," hesaid, the single word curt.
"If the man at the airport phoned about me, they"ll be looking for us in a Jeep."
"I know that."
He continued on the waterfront road until they reached the edge of the shopping district. On the left were ancient stone buildings with low ceilings and small windows. Tourists swarmed along the narrow sidewalks. Laughter and bits of conversation carried to him. Everyone was having a wonderful time. Brightly flowered dresses and shopping bags blended into a kaleidoscope of colors. Tour buses lined up across from the shops, while cruise pa.s.sengers disembarked.
Jeff scanned the vehicles in front of him,then checked the mirrors again. Kray"s men could be anywhere. There was an alley between a linen shop and one of the many jewelry stores. He turned left into the alley and parked next to three other Jeeps. Only then did he look at Andie.
She clutched her purse to her stomach. Her skin was pale under her tan. Her sungla.s.ses hid her eyes, but the fear was still tangible.
"Look like you"re having a good time," he said, getting out of the driver"s side. Bobby scrambled after him.
"I wanna hot dog!" the boy announced.
"I know you do, sport." Jeff tugged on the brim of the kid"s baseball cap. "We"ll find one here."
Bobby"s smile was brilliant. And exactly like his mother"s. Jeff stared at the child, seeing instead another boy. J.J. had had Jeanne"s smile. The flash of pain was an explosion in his chest. Jeff swallowed hard and fought to keep his face expressionless. When this was over, when Andie and her kid were gone, he would remember one last time. He would recall the face of his wife and his child, remember their laughter; then he would have his vengeance. Maybe then he could lay his ghosts to rest.
Andie joined them. She settled her purse on her shoulder and took Bobby"s hand. "I"m ready," she said.
Jeff pocketed the key,then led the way out of the alley.
Bright sunshine flooded the shopping district of St. Lucas. Cruise pa.s.sengers jostled for position on the narrow sidewalks. Jeeps and buses filled the streets. The sound of horns, conversations and vendors filled the air. The scent of suntan lotion, expensive perfume and sweat mingled with tempting aromas from tiny restaurants. Jeff ignored it all as he carefully searched the crowd, looking for any of Kray"s men. So far, he hadn"t seen anyone suspicious. If Kray knew Andie hadn"t been able to get a private flight off the island, he knew she would be looking for another way out. How? What would his old enemy think a frightened woman would do?
The cruise ship? She could easily pa.s.s for one of the pa.s.sengers. Perhaps a fishing vessel or a private boat. Maybe a commercial flight. Jeff doubted he would expect her to be in town. That was to their advantage.
Behind him, Bobby chatted with his mother. The boy took an interest in everything he saw, laughing at some of the funny hats people wore, gasping with delight as a native man walked by with a colorful parrot on his shoulder. Andie responded quietly, as if afraid to draw attention toherself . For the hundredth time Jeff wished she"d picked another day to rescue her son, or even another time. He"d only needed two more minutes to finish what he"d come to do.
The narrow street ended abruptly at a large, square, open-air market. The crowds were thicker here, the call of the vendors, louder. Jeff was jostled by a group of tourists, one of whom turned and smiled an apology.
"There"s a hot dog stand over here," Jeff said, pointing. "Let"s feed Bobby first."
"Good idea."
Within ten minutes they"d bought several hot dogs, potato chips and icy cans of soda. Jeff paid for everything with American dollars, knowing most of the tourists wouldn"t bother to get any money exchanged for local currency. There were picnic tables set up under a woven gra.s.s awning. He led the way,then paused to pick a seat. A couple of tables were empty, although most were filled with cruise pa.s.sengers. He spotted an older couple sitting by themselves and headed in their direction.
"Afternoon," he said, as he took a seat on the vacant end of the bench.
"h.e.l.lo," the man replied and smiled. He was short, with gray hair and a ruddy complexion. His wife, also in her sixties, was dressed in a floral print sleeveless dress that fell loosely over her considerable bulk.
Andie gave Jeff a confused look,then urged Bobby to slide onto the bench. She took the seat next to him, directly across from Jeff.
He introduced them, being careful to avoid last names. The subtle implication was that they, too, were on the cruise ship. TheColemans were fromOmaha. After a minute or so, Jeff got them to talk about the small town they lived in and their grandchildren. Conversation flowed around them. Jeff didn"t bother to do more than pretend to listen. He concentrated on watching the square. If one of Kray"s men came looking for a woman and child alone, or with a single man, he wouldn"t find them. Instead, he would see tables of happy cruise pa.s.sengers all chatting together, including this one. For the moment, they were safe. But he still had to get her and kid off the island.
Mr. Coleman pointed to an ice-cream stand. Bobby shoved the last bite of hot dog in his mouth and nodded vigorously.
"Can I, Mom?" he asked, already scrambling out of his seat.
Mrs. Coleman rose also. "I think I"ll have an ice cream, too," she said, leaving her purse on the table and smiling at Bobby. "Chocolate"s my favorite flavor. What"s yours?"
"Strawberry," the boy said and smiled.
"Here." Jeff dug a bill out of his shorts" pocket.
"Nonsense," Mr. Coleman said, placing a hand on Bobby"s shoulder. "We haven"t seen our own grandchildren the whole time we"ve been on the cruise. Let us treat the boy."
"Be sure to say thank-you," Andie called after her son. She"d pushed her sungla.s.ses on to the top of her head. Jeff could see the worry in her eyes.
"He"ll be fine," Jeff said. "Mrs. Coleman left her purse with us." He pointed to the large straw bag in the center of the table. "Besides, they aren"t going to hurt him."
"How do you know?" she asked, giving him an angry glare before turning her attention back to the older couple.
"I can tell. They"ve never been out ofNebraskabefore. Mrs. Coleman"s idea of doing something wicked is putting walnuts in her chocolate-chip cookies."
"So she"s not a really bad person, then. Nothing like me. Thatis what you"re saying, isn"t it?"
Once again he was surprised at how well she could read him. "We don"t have time for that now. I want to leave you here with theColemans while I do some shopping. You need some clothes so does Bobby and we need supplies."
The older couple and her son were having a discussion with the ice-cream vendor. Apparently the decision about which topping to put on the ice cream was not one to be made lightly. Jeff stared at the trio and felt a twinge of longing. Had he ever taken the time to buy his son ice cream?
There"d been so many months spent away from his family. That was one of the reasons Jeanne had come toLebanon. She hadn"t liked the long separations. Jeff hadn"t enjoyed them, but they were a part of his job and he"d accepted them as such. It was only after Jeanne and J.J. were gone that he"d wondered about all he"d missed being apart from them.
"Wedon"t need supplies," she said, looking at him. "We don"t need anything from you. I appreciate all you"ve done, but this is where we part company."
Her wide blue eyes held his own. He studied the straight line of her nose, the shape of her mouth. She had the picture-perfect face of a model and the body to match. That was why she got to him. There was no other reason that being close to her made himwant things. No other cause for his arousal. It wasn"t her.
"What are you going to do?" he asked, resting his elbows on the table.
"I"ll figure something out." She glanced at Bobby,then glared at Jeff. "Don"t think I"m going to throw in with you, Rambo. You"ve made it perfectly clear what you think of me. Besides, I don"t trust you."
"You don"t have a choice." They were both speaking softly, whispering in the crowd of laughing tourists. "Besides, if you"d really wanted to get away from me, you would have brought your suitcase with you and slipped away in the crowd. I"m your only prayer of getting off of this d.a.m.n island and we both know it."
Jeff looked at her son. Bobby was licking a rapidly melting strawberry ice-cream cone covered with chocolate sprinkles. Mrs. Coleman was making almost as much of a mess while her husband smiled indulgently at her.
"It"ll take a couple of days, but I can get you safely away," he said, still watching Bobby.
He didn"t want any part of this, but he didn"t have a choice. His mission to take care of Kray took a back seat to a civilian"s safety, even if that civilian was Kray"s ex-wife. He didn"t have to like Andie Cochran, but he did have to get her off the island. Only then would he be free to continue with his plan. With a little luck, by the time she arrived inFlorida, Kray would be dead and her problems would be over.
"Why should I trust you?" Or like you? But she didn"t have to say that part.
"Face it,Andie, I"m all you"ve got."
She sighed. "I know. If I"d planned better or beenmore lucky I wouldn"t be stuck with you."
He turned toward her. She sat ramrod straight on the bench. Her mouth twisted with disgust.
"You"re not my idea of a good time, either," he said. "But if you want me to help you, you have to do what I say. No surprises, no secrets. I can get you out of here, but if you don"t cooperate with me, you"re going to get us killed. You andme being dead doesn"t help the kid."
The afternoon sun beat down on them. Jeff removed his hat and wiped his arm across his sweaty forehead. He wanted a shower and a decent night"s sleep. He could have the former as soon as they got back to the house, but he wouldn"t be sleeping much until he"d finished what he"d come for.
Jeff knew he was just enough of a b.a.s.t.a.r.d to hope Andie turned him down flat. He even thought about making it easier on her by setting the Jeep key on the table between them. She could grab it and the kid and make a run for it. If he didn"t follow too fast, he could let her get away.
The vision tempted him, but he squashed it. He couldn"t afford to let Kray know he was on the island. Kray would catch her before sundown and force her to tell him what she knew. Bobby would be safe from his father"s anger, but Andie would pay a high price.
She half rose from the bench, then sagged back down. Defeatslumped her shoulders. "You win," she said quietly, staring at her son. "I don"t have another choice. I"ll do anything for Bobby." She straightened. "No secrets, no surprises. I won"t run away."
Despite their situation, he grinned.
"What"s so funny?" she asked.
"At least you didn"t promise not to be any trouble."
"Getting in trouble is what I do best, Rambo. I don"t have to plan it. Things just seem to happen. You"ll have to live with that."
She blinked several times, as if fighting tears. He didn"t want to know she was afraid. It made it hard to hang on to his anger. He didn"t want her to be a real person to him. He wanted her to be an object Kray"s wife. He could hate her then. It didn"t matter that his body reacted to her closeness, as long as he could hold on to the hate. But the second she got vulnerable, he would start noticing things such as the bewildered innocence in her eyes. Such as the fact that she was in over her head and that if she really was a b.i.t.c.h, her kid wouldn"t love her so much.
A single tear slipped down her cheek. "I"m sorry," she whispered, brushing it away. "I"m trying to keep it all together here, but I don"t know if I can. I"m terrified. Of you, of Kray. What if I don"t get Bobby away from him? Do you know what that man will do to my son?"
Jeff knew. Worse, he understood her fears. "It"s going to be okay," he promised.
"How the h.e.l.l do you know?" she asked, her anger chasing away the tears. "You don"t have the slightest clue what I"m feeling."
"I know more than you think. I had a son once. I know what it"s like to be afraid for your child."
"Are you divorced?" she asked.
"No. My wife and my son are dead." For a moment he thought about telling her the truth. Then he realized where they were. Bobby was almost done with his ice cream, and he and theColemans would soon return to the table. "It was a car accident."
He spoke the lie he"d used many times before. Most people didn"t need to know the truth. But the lie wasn"t enough to keep him from seeing the bomb blast, hearing the explosion, feeling the heat or recalling the pain that had filled his broken body.
He"d long since realized he would never recover, never really be able to let go until Kray paid for what he"d done. He"d spent the past five years waiting to kill his enemy. Nothing was going to stop him now. Not circ.u.mstances, not even his enemy"s wife.
Andie leaned forward and brushed her fingers against his arm. Her touch burned at him, hotter than the fires of the explosion. "I"m sorry," she said quietly.
He stood up, doing his d.a.m.nedest to ignore the need that swept over him. He wanted to lash out at her, to make her suffer as he had. Compa.s.sion softened her expression, turning what was merely pretty into breath-stealing beauty. Despite the heat and the smudges of dirt on her shirt, despite the fear and concern, she was lovely. At that moment he hated her as much as he hated her husband.
"Stay here," he ordered. "Talk to theColemans until I get back. I"m going to buy you and the kid some clothes, then get some food. If you"re not here when I get back, I won"t bother looking for you. You understand?"
He didn"t wait for an answer. He turned his back on her and disappeared into the crowd.
Andie clutched the packages Jeff had thrust at her and followed him down the narrow street. The new hat he"d bought her to replace the one the man at the airport had pulled off made her feel slightly more hidden. The crowds in the shopping district were thinning as tourists made their way back to the cruise ship.
It was nearly three. Her body ached from lack of sleep, her nose was sunburned,her spirits sagged around her knees. Bobby chattered away at her side. He hadn"t wanted to leave his new friends, although the three plastic action figures Jeff had bought along with the other supplies helped to ease the parting.
"I hated doing that," Andie said, moving closer to Jeff. "They"re going to wait for us after dinner tonight, only we"re not going to show up. I can see them sitting in the bar wondering where we are."