Page 76 of Austen

“I’m not going anywherewithout Austen.”Declan had said that at least twice as Steinbeck threw his pants at him in the hotel room and made to sneak out into the corridor.

“I get it.But we need to act as a decoy and get the hounds away from here.Then Phoenix can grab Austen and meet us at the airfield.”

“Why the airfield?”

“Phoenix, as it turns out, is a pilot.”

Of course she was.

“How did you even know where to find us?”Declan said as Steinbeck opened the door to the stairwell.Darkness seeped up from the unlit lower floors.Steinbeck flashed on his Maglite and cast its beam down the steps.Declan headed down, Steinbeck after him, flicking off the light at the bottom.

“Hold here.”He slid outside.

Declan braced his hand against the cement wall and looked up.He should go back for her.Mostly because her story about Margo now circled in his head.She’d think he’d abandoned her.

Never.

“I need to go back,” he said.

“Dec, you gotta trust me.”

Declan stilled, gave Stein a hard look.“Do you trustme?”

Stein’s jaw tightened.“I think so,” he said quietly.“I want to.But mostly I want to get my sister off this island, so let’s go.”

He reached out as if to make a grab for Declan, but Declan swatted Stein’s hand away.“I’m right behind you.”

They slipped out into a back alley.Streetlights lit the entrance, but Stein ducked into the shadows, toward the back of the building.They cut through an alleyway, and then again through another narrow passage between houses.

“How did you survive the jump off the boat?”Declan kept his voice low.

“It wasn’t a long jump, so that wasn’t the problem.”He didn’t add any more except, “It’s a long story.We get out of this, maybe I’ll tell you.”

Steinbeck led him out into a lonely street, only one streetlight illuminating their path.Then he pointed to an old Russian Lada, a small sedan about the size of a Volkswagen.“Best I could find.Hop in.”

“Where are we going?”

“There’s an airstrip outside of town that isn’t monitored.If we get there, we can get off this island.”

“How—”

“I’ll tell you later.”Steinbeck pulled out.

“How did you know someone was after me?”

Steinbeck wore a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, not what he was wearing when he jumped off the boat, but Declan didn’t ask.Except—“Are you wearing flip-flops?”

Stein glanced over.“Didn’t want to run through Cuba in my bare feet.”

Oh, of course not.Declan shook his head.

“Listen.Phoenix and I’ve been following you for hours.We saw you outside the embassy when you left and watched you check into the hotel.I wanted to duck in and have dinner with you, but surveillance had a pretty good eye on you.And then they doubled their efforts at the square.We think there’s a group of Russians here waiting to grab you.Probably first thing in the morning, but it could be anytime.”

“Do you think we were betrayed?”

“After you left, so did your consulate buddy.He headed back to the wharf, where, surprise, surprise, our friends from the yacht pulled up.They met with him, so my guess is that whatever you told him and maybe whatever you paid him, they matched and raised.He sold you out.And it’s just a matter of time before your security is called away and you’re unprotected.”

Stein turned onto a street that headed out of town.“They want that obsidite.And I wouldn’t be surprised if they want Austen too.Because if they have to, they’ll use my sister to put a little pressure on you.”Stein glanced at him.“And I just can’t have that.”

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