Part 22 (2/2)

”You know what I mean.”

”You think it's not real?”

He settled down and rested his hand on her bare shoulder. ”It's real tonight, Andie, and that's all that matters. I need you to stay with me.”

”Good.” She snuggled closer to him. ”I wasn't planning on leaving.”

His eyes closed and his breathing became more regular. As she stared into the dark night she thought that sad goodbyes might make for great country music, but they hurt like h.e.l.l in real life. They had less than twelve hours together. Then she would be gone and Jeff would once again stalk his prey.

A sharp pain cut through her heart. He was lost to her. That was the worst of it. If he killed Kray, he was gone. It didn't matter if Kray's men caught him or not, if he lived or died. Once he pulled the trigger and crossed the line to the other side, the man she loved would be gone.

Chapter 14.

It was the middle of the afternoon and Andie felt as vulnerable and exposed as a duck sitting in a very small pond. She fought against the need to twist around in her seat and check the road behind them. The last time she'd done it, Jeff had threatened to tie her in place.

She brushed her damp hair from her face. Sometime in the night a storm had rolled in. The clouds produced more mist than actual rain, but it was hot and muggy. In the middle of the day, there was no point in trying to hide in dark clothing so both she and Bobbywere dressed in shorts and T-s.h.i.+rts. Once again she'd packed everything in her soft-sided bag. A pistol rested at the small of her back.

”Is it going to be a big boat, Mommy?” Bobby asked.

”I'm not sure. Big enough to get us toFlorida.”

”You'll likeCort ,” Jeff said, glancing at the boy over his shoulder. ”His wife, Faith, runs a breeding center for snow leopards.”

Bobby looked puzzled.

”They're big cats, like tigers or lions,” Andie explained. ”They have thick fur coats and live in a very cold part of the world. They're endangered. Do you remember what that means?”

Bobby nodded. ”There's not enough left so we gotta protect 'em,” he said proudly.

”That's what Faith does,” Jeff said. ”She has several breeding pairs. After the cubs are all grown up and know how to survive, some of them will be introduced back into the wild.”

”Can you pet them?”

”Not the snow leopards. But she does have a black leopard named Sparky. You can pet him.”

”Can we go see him, Mommy?”

Andie smiled. ”Not on this trip. We're going toFlorida, first,then we have to fly somewhere else.”

Fortunately Bobby didn't ask where. He saw a colorful bird dart around a tree and that distracted him. Andie didn't know where they would go when they leftFlorida. Whichever plane left first to a large city would determine their destination.

She was scared. Her damp palms and rapidly beating heart didn't let her pretend any longer. She was afraid of Kray, of leaving the island, of staying on the island, of losing Jeff, of the future and the past. Except for Bobby, there wasn't anything in her life that didn't frighten her.

She glanced over at Jeff. He drove competently, constantly checking the mirrors and the road and staying at the speed limit. They'd spent the night together, making love, talking and sleeping some. In the morning they'd made breakfast with Bobby and played outside. Like a family on vacation. It was all pretend, but she hadn't wanted it to stop. Apparently neither had Jeff. He'd stayed until the last possible minute. Now they'd begun their journey and there was no turning back.

Jeff's profile was familiar to her. Dark sungla.s.ses hid his thoughts, but she didn't mind. She'd touched every part of his body, had loved him to exhaustion, had held and been held, had told him she loved him. She had no regrets save one.

That she would lose him. She'd spent her whole life waiting for the right man to come along. She'd been too young when she'd met Kray. She hadn't had the experience to see him for what he was. The next six years had pa.s.sed in a blur, with her looking over her shoulder wondering when he would come and destroy her fragile happiness. Instead of taking responsibility for her own life, she'd been waiting. Reacting instead of acting. For the first time she was ready to act and it was too late.

In a few hours Jeff would be dead. Or a killer on the run. She couldn't even come up with a decent wish. If only they'd what? Met sooner? Met under different circ.u.mstances? She wasn't sure Jeff was over Jeanne enough to be in a relations.h.i.+p, but it didn't matter. Even if he got away with it, the second he pulled the trigger, he would be destroyed inside. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. She believed that with her entire being. He was too honorable to survive crossing the line.

A faint lazy breeze stirred the afternoon's heat. She wiped the perspiration from her forehead. Once again St. Lucas had changed her life.

”If something happens, get away from the dock as quickly as possible,” Jeff said. She started to interrupt, but he silenced her with a quick shake of his head. ”Listen to me. This is important.”

He glanced over his shoulder at Bobby. Her son was staring at Jeff, his eyes wide. ”Mommy, are we in trouble?”

”No, honey.” She reached back and patted his hand. ”We're fine. Jeff is telling me what to do in case there's a problem, but everything is going to be fine.”

”Am I going to be with Daddy?” She could hear the fear in his voice.

She turned in her seat and stared at her son. ”I promise you won't have to go back with him, ever.”

Bobby stared at her for a long time. His mouth twisted in confusion. Finally he gave her a slight smile. ”Will I have my toys on the boat?”

”Of course you will, honey. We'll play all the way toFlorida.”

She settled back in her seat and returned her attention to Jeff. ”What else?”

”You'll be safe back at the house for no more than three days, so don't stay there longer than two. The cruise s.h.i.+ps will come in the day after tomorrow. Go down by the port when it's crowded and use a pay phone to call this number.” He reached in his shorts pocket and pulled out a small piece of paper. ”Callcollect . Tell them who you are and that you need help getting off the island. Tell them you're with me.”

”Won't they ask any questions?”

”No. Use my name and everything will be fine.”

She took the paper and studied the number.

”You have to memorize it,” he said. ”It doesn't matter if anyone else has the number, but you can't afford to lose it.”

”Anything else?” she asked.

”No.”

She stared at the phone number and repeated it silently several times. Then she closed her eyes and tested herself. When she could recite it perfectly without hesitation, she tucked it away in her shorts. With a little bit of luck, she wouldn't have to use the number. Jeff's plan had to work. If it didn't, he would likely end up dead.

They continued to drive along the coast. They pa.s.sed several cars but no one seemed to notice them. She was grateful. She didn't think she would be able to fake her way through anything right now. If the police stopped her, she would probably just blurt out the truth.

They drove around a small village then came out onto a road that paralleled the sh.o.r.e. She could see the ocean stretching out to the horizon. It was gray, like the clouds, but smooth. At least their journey wouldn't be a bouncy one.

She could see the small marina up ahead. Several boats were tied up, with more scattered out at sea. Jeff pulled off the side of the road. He grabbed his binoculars and scanned the moored boats. A man stood on the front deck of one of the larger cabin cruisers tied at the end. He bent over something,then straightened. A flash of light caught her attention. She saw that he'd dropped some kind of reflective buoy over the side of the craft.

”That's him,” Jeff said. ”Let's go.”

He parked the Jeep and got their suitcase out of the back. Bobby clutched his bag of toys. Jeff left them by the vehicle for a couple of minutes while he checked out the path.

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