The Only Way Out

Damn. If only she hadn’t picked today to try her heroics. Kray would be dead by now and all their problems would be solved.

“Are you going to turn us over to him?” she asked.

He returned his attention to her. She’d squared her shoulders and folded her arms over her chest. Bobby still stood behind her, watching him warily. The kid had spunk, he thought, then frowned. It wasn’t right. Kray’s child lived and breathed while J.J. was long since dead and buried.

The familiar sense of loss swept over him, making him wonder if he would ever be able to look at a young boy and not think of his son.

“I won’t turn you in,” he said shortly and shifted his backpack. He wasn’t going to turn them in, but if he let her go, and she was captured by Kray’s men, she would tell them about him. Once they knew he was on the island, he would be dead before he got another shot at Kray.

He glanced up at the sun in the clear blue sky, then back at her. “You’ve got the boy. How did you plan to get away?”

She clamped her lips shut.

Great. “Listen, lady, I just saw you kidnap Kray’s son. If I was one of the bad guys, don’t you think I’d turn you in and get some kind of reward for my trouble? Kray would pay big money to get you and the kid back.”

She balled her hands into fists. “He doesn’t want me back. I told you, I’m his ex-wife. It’s been over five years since we—” She shook her head. “Why am I explaining this to you? I don’t even know who or what you are. Look at how you’re dressed. My God, you’re probably some paramilitary psycho who gets his kicks out of torturing innocent women and children.” Her voice trembled on each word, and by the end of her speech he could see she was fighting tears.

“Mommy?” Bobby looked up at her. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” She blinked several times, then smiled down at her son. “I’m fine. We’re going to go now.” She took Bobby’s hand and turned away.

“Not so fast,” Jeff said, starting after her. “Not until I know exactly what is going on here.”

She looked at him over her shoulder. “It’s not your business.”

“You made it my business when you crashed my party. I don’t trust you. You’re not going anywhere without me.”

“I don’t need your help.”

Help? If things hadn’t been so twisted, he would have laughed out loud. “Who said anything about help? Lady, I don’t care what happens to you. I just want to stay alive on this stinking island. You’re in my way. I want you out of my way. End of story.”

The woman recoiled visibly. “Don’t hurt my son,” she pleaded. “I don’t matter, but he does. Please, please just get him away from Kray. Bobby’s the innocent one in all of this. Surely you can see that. He didn’t even know who his father was. Kray had never even seen him until three weeks ago. I’m begging you, help him.”

“I won’t hurt the kid,” Jeff said in disgust. She was Kray’s ex-wife. She’d known what the man she’d married was and now she was paying the price. That wasn’t his problem. But he understood about the child being a victim. Like J.J. had been a victim. “I can’t let you tell Kray I’m here.”

She laughed. The sound had a slightly hysterical edge to it. “Mister, if he finds me, he’s not going to bother with questions. Trust me.”

“It’s not that simple.”

They stared at each other. The woman blinked first.

“I guess we have a standoff,” she said. “What happens now?”

“You tell me your plan and then I decide what to do with you.”

She swallowed hard. He could see her weighing her alternatives. Her gaze strayed to the gun at his waist.

“If I wanted you dead, it would have been done by now,” he said.

“Thanks. That makes me feel better.”

He shrugged. “If you don’t want me coming with you, then you’re coming with me. Willing or not.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“That’s smart. But the way I see it, you don’t get a vote. I’m stronger, armed and I know what I’m doing.”

He could see her weighing her alternatives, and knew the moment she’d realized she didn’t have a choice in the matter. She must have figured out that he’d been telling the truth when he’d said if he’d wanted to kill her, she would be dead by now.

She’d been strong so far, but she was beginning to unravel around the edges. She had a lot of nerve to keep talking back to him. He would guess she was so close to the edge she either had to fight back as best she could, or fall off the other side. He gave her about four more hours on her own before she lost it completely. She didn’t know it yet, but he was her best hope for survival. What irony. Here he was, standing in the middle of some goddamn tropical jungle talking to Kray’s ex-wife. Somebody somewhere was having a good time at his expense.

“What do you want to know?” she asked quietly.

“A short version of the truth.”

She nodded. “I met Kray six and a half years ago while I was in Europe. I was young and stupid and…I suppose that’s no excuse, is it?”

Bobby crept out from behind her and stared up at him. Jeff forced himself to smile at the boy. The woman rested her hand on the child’s head.

“It was a whirlwind courtship. We were married for a short time. When I realized he wasn’t—” She paused, then grimaced. “When I found out what he was, I left.”

“I find it hard to believe he let you go.”

She shrugged. “I wasn’t nearly ornamental enough and was far too outspoken. I came back to the States and—Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m not fit to clean your boots. You have a real attitude problem.”

Jeff stared at her. She was right. He did. He hated everyone involved with Kray. “An occupational hazard.”

“I’ll bet.”

“Mommy, I’m hungry.”

She crouched down next to her son. “I know you are, Bobby. You haven’t had any breakfast yet, have you?”

He shook his head.

She placed one knee on the ground and pulled a mangled roll out of her jeans pocket. “Here. Have this. We’ll get some more food later.”

“Get to the point,” Jeff said.

The woman looked up at him. Wide blue eyes, the color of the Caribbean sky, held his gaze. Fear flickered there. Concern, anger, but no subterfuge. His gut told him she wasn’t lying. At least not yet.

“I came home, then my doctor confirmed my pregnancy. Kray divorced me. He never said anything about the baby. I wasn’t even sure he knew. I got on with my life. Three weeks ago, he showed up.” She turned away, but not before he saw the tears. “It was Bobby’s fifth birthday. Kray said he was old enough to learn about the business and took him.”

“Just like that?”