Desperate Escape

“Do you see anyone out there?” Grant asked.

Antonio studied the darkness around them. “No. Not yet.”

Grant tried a fourth time. The engine sputtered and then roared to life. Letting out a whoosh of air, he shifted the car into first and turned on the vehicle’s parking lights. Half a tank of gas should easily get them all the way to the ferry crossing.

“Antonio?” he said, stepping on the gas and heading down the rutted path that led away from the compound. “I might be the driver, but you’re going to have to help me find our way out of here.”

“There’s a dirt road up ahead to your right. According to the map I have, it will take us across the island lengthwise, and we’ll end up at the port, where we can try to catch the ferry.”

There were no guarantees. He knew that. But that didn’t stop him from feeling the weight of responsibility for everyone in the car pulling on him. Because the variables of this escape were too numerous to count. They’d be driving through a drug-trafficking hub that had no law and for the moment no way for them to communicate with the outside world.

“What about land mines?” Maddie asked, adding another worry to his growing list. “After last night...”

“If we stay on the dirt roads we should be okay,” Antonio said.

Grant wanted to laugh. Calling this a road was a joke. He double-checked to ensure the car was in four-wheel drive. The vehicle bounced under them as he fought the loose sand in order to stay on the narrow path without running into a bush or a tree. Which meant he couldn’t go faster than ten miles an hour. And even at that slow speed, with no shock absorbers to cushion the deep ruts, they could feel every bump beneath them.

“How long?” Maddie asked.

Grant glanced at the backseat where she sat with Ana’s head resting in her lap, while holding on to the armrest with her free hand, knowing she was worried about her patient.

“If you need to stop...” Grant began, understanding the effects of cholera, but knowing they weren’t far away enough from the compound to even consider stopping yet.

“She said she’s okay. For now.”

“In the dark and with these roads in such bad condition, it’s going to take us a couple of hours,” Antonio said. “While most of this island is uninhabited by the general population, there’s a small town where we can stop and try to call for help. It isn’t too far from where we should be able to find a boat out of here.”

Headlights flashed in the rearview mirror.

“Grant...” Maddie sucked in a breath of air. “There’s someone behind us.”

“Hang on.” Grant pushed on the gas, still fighting to keep the tires in the ruts.

“The main road has to be just ahead of us,” Antonio said. “It not paved, but you’ll be able to drive a little faster.”

“Maybe it’s not them,” Maddie said. “Maybe it’s just another driver.”

“Not out here,” Antonio said. “The only vehicles you’ll see belong to them.”

Grant glanced in his rearview mirror. “Maddie, I want you and Ana to stay down.”

He didn’t have to verbalize what he was thinking. The other car presumably had weapons. All they had was a stolen Jeep.

He leaned forward as the headlights caught the turnoff onto the main road up ahead. The Jeep fishtailed as he made the turn, then jerked to a stop as the engine died. Grant quickly restarted the engine and tried to move forward, but the wheels started spinning. He banged on the steering wheel and then quickly threw the car into Reverse and backed up. The quickest way to get completely stuck was to let the tires spin. They didn’t have time to dig the Jeep out of a hole.

He eased off the gas. “Come on...come on...”

“Grant...” Maddie’s voice was laced in panic.

“How close are they?” Grant asked.

“I don’t know, but they’re gaining on us,” she said.

Antonio jumped out of the car.

“Antonio!” Grant shouted, still trying to get the vehicle unstuck.

“Give me ten seconds.”

“We don’t have ten seconds,” Grant shouted, but Antonio was already gone.

Grant shifted into first again and then eased on the pedal. This time the car moved forward enough to get them free.

Antonio jumped back into the car, slamming his door shut. “Get us out of here.”

Grant eased down slowly on the gas, then sped onto the main road. The headlights were still behind them.

“What did you just do?” he asked, picking up speed on the packed dirt road.

Antonio gripped the dashboard. “There were a couple fallen palm tree fronds on the side of the road. They happen to have these sharp thorns on the back of them that can be extremely painful if you step on them. They’ve also been known to puncture a tire or two. I thought if I laid them across the road it might delay our friends. With a little luck, they won’t even see them.”

“I knew there was a good reason for bringing you along.” Grant chuckled.

“It looks like they’ve stopped,” Maddie said a few seconds later.

“Which means you, my friend, just bought us some more time.” Grant looked back in his rearview mirror as the other vehicle’s headlights began to fade into the distance.

But while they might have lost them, this was far from over. They were unarmed in a territory that was not only unfamiliar, but run by local drug traffickers. How many more second chances to get out alive were they going to get?

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.