Deadly Race by Margaret Daley Read Free Book Online

heard about prisons in foreign countries flooded her mind, and her fear escalated even more, which she hadn’t thought possible. She leaned back and stared into his eyes. “What are we going to do? That soldier didn’t look too happy to find us.” The understatement of the year, she silently added, remembering the brief time she thought the man was going to shoot them and leave them to rot by the fence.
    “I don’t know. But whatever it is, we’d better do it fast. I doubt he’ll be gone too much longer. I’m sure he’s informing his commander right now who he has as prisoners.”
    “If we could just get that door unlocked.” She tried her best to keep her voice as calm as possible, but it came out in a squeak. She began to imagine what Mr. Martinez would do to her when he found out she was here. If only she didn’t have such a vivid imagination, she might not be quaking so badly.
    “Fresh out of keys. Maybe there’s something we can use in the room.” Slade made another quick scan of the area. “I’ve got it.” He scooted a chair under the light and stood on the wooden seat to unscrew the bulb from its socket. Jumping down, he smashed the light on the table.
    Ellie watched in stunned silence, wondering if their predicament had finally sent him over the edge. “Don’t tell me. You’re going to attack the guard with the broken light bulb when he comes in. I guess when you’re desperate anything looks possible, but truthfully, Slade, I don’t think that will work.”
    He shot her a disgruntled look as he went about picking the lock using the filament from the bulb.
    “Where did you learn that?”
    “Around.”
    “Is that your stock answer?”
    He shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I think I saw it on a TV show.”
    “And they say you can’t learn anything from television.”
    Slade eased the door open an inch and checked the reception room. “All clear. Our guard is gone.”
    “Probably gone off to tell his buddies about the great time he had giving me a body search. That was probably his highlight for the year.” Ellie shivered again as she recalled the soldier’s clammy hands as they had run over her body, checking her for heaven knows what in places a person couldn’t hide a weapon.
    Swinging the door wider, Slade hurried to the desk, stuffed their passports into the duffel bag, then grabbed it. “Ready?”
    Ellie nodded, her throat tightening at the prospect of what might be on the other side of the outer door.
    They managed to make it outside without being seen. They hid behind a stack of cargo boxes while Slade inspected the area.
    “I wish that soldier hadn’t taken your cell. We could call for help.”
    “Who are we going to call?”
    “The United States government. We’re taxpayers--well, you are, I’m sure. What I pay doesn’t amount to much, but--”
    “Remember I tried making a call. It didn’t surprise me there was no reception. I’d take out communications if I was taking over a country.”
    “If they aren’t allowing any planes to take off, then how are we going to get off this island?” Ellie asked, not feeling much hope as she watched more trucks filled with soldiers approach the airport.
    “For starters, I’m not going to waltz up to them and ask permission to leave. Something tells me they won’t give it.” His survey stopped. “But I am going to borrow one of their planes. They can pick it up in Puerto Rico.”
    “You’re a pilot?”
    “Yes.”
    “Oh, good,” she said with a sigh. “Because all I know is that airplanes use gas to make them go. They are kinda like cars, aren’t they?”
    “Kinda,” he said with a chuckle.
    “Well, if they need gas, how will you know which one has gas in it?”
    He took her hand. “I won’t until I’m in it.”
    Her eyes rounded. “Then we could run out of gas up there.” She pointed toward the sky, the prospects suddenly making her body leaden as if it could hug the ground.
    “Yep. Afraid so. Once we make a