Deadly Race by Margaret Daley Read Free Book Online Page A

commitment, I doubt they’ll allow us to shop for a different plane with more gas.” Standing, he pulled her toward a plane that was parked away from the others and near the runway, its engines warming.
    “But—”
    A shout behind them cut off her protest. They were committed now to using the plane, whether it had gas or not. At the twin-engine aircraft Slade shoved Ellie unceremoniously into the cockpit, then dove in behind her. Quickly situating himself behind the wheel, he glanced over the instrument panel.
    As he guided the plane out onto the runway, Ellie saw a Jeep behind and to the side of them, racing toward them. Two soldiers raised their rifles and began firing. She instinctively ducked as the sound blasted the air near her. Yes, it is possible to be so scared that your body goes numb, your mind turning to mush . She gripped the seat, wishing this were one experience she could do without.
    “Let’s see if this little baby can outrun them. I think we’ll forgo a run up.”
    “A run up?” she squeaked out as another bullet shattered a hole in the side window by her and came so close she felt the air stir about her ear. She threw herself on the floor.
    “A final check of the plane at the end of the runway.”
    Ellie inched up to glance back at the soldiers pursuing them. “I can live with that,” she said as they began to pick up speed.
    She squeezed her eyes closed as the plane rushed toward the end of the runway. She still heard shots being fired, but everything faded from her consciousness except the fact they were almost off the ground. She hated planes. The smaller they were the more afraid she was, a piece of information she hadn’t thought important when they were running for their lives. A fact at the moment, however, that was very important when the beat of her heart thumped so loudly against her rib cage that it drowned out all other sounds, and her palms were so sweaty that she couldn’t hold onto the seat anymore.
    “You can open your eyes now. We’re off the ground.”
    “Are you sure?” All she could think about was what she had read somewhere—that most airplane crashes happened during takeoff.
    “Very.”
    His laugh caused her to ease one eyelid up halfway and peer out the side window. Sucking in a deep breath, she opened her eyes completely and released a huge sigh. “I guess we’re safe now that we’ve taken off. How much gas do we have?”
    “Enough.”
    “For what?”
    “To get us to Puerto Rico. We’re fine now that we’re away from the airport and the capital. We will have to fly across the island though. That’s the shortest route to safety.”
    “I’ll never be so glad to see American soil. I think I’ll kiss the ground when we land. Next time I leave the country, I’ll make sure the place is so tranquil that the most exciting thing to happen will be the sun setting. I love to travel, but this is it.”
    “I can see where this might dampen your urge to see the world.”
    Ellie made the mistake of looking out the window at the mountainous terrain below them. They were so high up! She diverted her gaze and stared at his profile. “You know, this reminds me of the time I was in London and I visited the estate of Lord Sommerfield. Oh, was that a divine place to spend a weekend.” She twisted her hands together in her lap and concentrated on telling her story. She had to do something to distract her from looking out the window at the ground far below. “He had the cutest little garden with one of those mazes in it. I got lost and they had to come in and rescue me. What an embarrassing, frightful day that was! I tell you, I wouldn’t care to relive that.”
    “Excuse me, Ellie,” Slade said, slanting a glance at her, his eyes dancing with amusement. “I’m curious as to how this reminds you of an estate in England.”
    “Lord Sommerfield had an old plane he loved to go up in and give aerial tours of his estate,” she said as if the connection was