Chapter 10

Paul stood along the side of the room by the trees. He looked like all the other men dressed in their white dinner jackets, white shirts and no tie. He stared intently and frowned as Kelly pulled Janet closer to him as they danced. He was a bit jealous at how close she was to him even though he had no claim on her either.

"When we finish this dance, go back to your table and accidentally knock your purse to the floor. I'll help you pick up the contents and give you the flash drive," Kelly explained to Janet.

"Yes, how nice," Janet answered as another couple danced close to them.

The band finished the song, everyone clapped and Kelly walked Janet back to the table. Paul started to join them when he saw Janet knock her purse to the floor. Both Janet and Kelly bent down to pick up the contents that had fallen out and handed her the flash drive. Paul stopped realizing that was how Kelly was going to give Janet the flash drive. As soon as they stood up, Paul returned to the table.

"Sweetie, is everything okay?" he asked as Janet was zipping close her purse.

"Yes, I accidentally knocked my purse off the chair and Mr. Kelly was kind enough to help me pick up the stuff that fell out," Janet replied looking around the floor to see if there was anything else lying around.

"Thanks for helping, Mr. Kelly," Paul said to him as Paul took Janet back out on the dance floor when the band started playing again.

"Did you get it?" he asked softly.

"Yes, it's in my purse which I will take with me where ever I go. When are we supposed to leave?"

Paul looked at his watch. It's only 9:00, the chopper won't be at the beach until 11:00. According to the map, it should only take us an hour to get to the house by the beach. I didn't look outside but I thought I heard thunder when you were dancing with Kelly. That will slow us down along with the chopper so let's leave at 9:30."

"I'll be ready," Janet replied as they finished up the dance. "I'm going to go to the ladies' room as who knows the next time I'll get there."

Paul and Janet walked out of the ballroom. While Janet was in the ladies' room, Paul looked outside and saw it was pouring rain, lightening and thundering. "Damn," he muttered under his breath and walked back into the reception area just as Janet was coming out of the ladies' room.

"Weather's not cooperating. It's pretty bad out there. I think we should leave now," Paul told Janet as they walked back into the ballroom.

"Fine with me," Janet replied going back to the table where Anton was cleaning off the glasses and napkins.

"Can we leave now?" Paul whispered to him. "Weather's going to slow us down."

"No problem. I'm going to take you out through the kitchen. Once I take my tray into the kitchen, follow me in there. Don't worry about the staff as I told them I was helping my friend sneak out of the party with his girlfriend. There's a small brown car parked across from the door to the kitchen. The keys are in it. Just follow the alley out, make a left, stay on the road until you get to Kalron Drive. Make a right onto the road and follow it down to the house on the right. A man will be there to guide you to the beach. There's some black clothes in the back for you to change into. That white is bright even at night. Good luck."

"Thanks for your help," Janet said as they waited until Anton had cleared the table. He walked to the kitchen door, went in and Paul and Janet followed him. As they entered the kitchen, Kelly also followed them in.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Paul asked sharply.

"I'm defecting to the US so you're not leaving with out me," Kelly demanded.

Anton was getting nervous waiting for them to come out the door. He saw a man giving them a hard time and figured it must be Kelly. He motioned to them to hurry up.

"All right come on," Paul said quickly as the three of them went out the kitchen door to the car.

Before Anton returned to the kitchen, Paul gave him the key card to the hotel so he could remove their luggage and ship it back to the States. Anton was glad this part of the operation was over. He would go to the hotel after the reception and pick up their luggage.

Paul headed for the driver's seat while Janet and Kelly went to the passenger side of the car. Kelly looked at Janet as he held back the seat so she could climb in the back as there was no way he would fit back there. He was as tall as Paul.

Paul hopped in the car as Janet was getting into the back seat. "Shit," he said loudly.

"What's wrong," Janet asked worriedly as she noticed some people entering the alley.

"This damn car is a stick shift. I can't drive stick. Kelly can you drive a manual trans?"

"Hell no," Kelly replied.

Sighing deeply, Janet said, "Kelly get in the back, Paul scoot over, I can drive a stick shift." She removed her purse from her shoulder and put it on the seat beside her.

Both men did as they were told. Once in the car they both stared at Janet amazed that she could drive a manual transmission. Janet started the car and put it first gear since Anton had backed the car into the parking spot. She pulled into the alley and made the left onto the road.

"It's sure crowded back here. I can hardly move," Kelly complained.

"Do you want to walk to the US?" Janet snapped. "If not I suggest you be quiet."

They had been driving for thirty minutes in the pouring rain. Janet was driving as fast as she could but the lightening would blind her as she drove down the dark road. They could see flashing lights up ahead and a car across the road.

"I wonder if there's an accident," Janet said as she slowed down before she got to the car.

"Possibly or maybe a road block," Paul told her.

"Pretend you're sleeping and just play along with me. I'll get us through," Janet told the two men. Before she started to drive, she pulled down the sleeves of her dress exposing a little more cleavage. Sorry Lee, she thought and continued to the car and flashing lights.

A man with a flare raised his hands stopping them when they got to the car. Two men in uniforms with high powered flashlights walked over to the sides of the car.

Janet rolled down the window, "Is there something wrong?" she asked as she pulled her skirt a little higher exposing more of her thighs.

"Who's in the car with you?" the man asked as he waved his flashlight at the passenger seat and the back seat.

"My husband's in the passenger seat and my brother's in the back. We're coming from a family wedding, they had too much to drink and I had to drive. We're going to my uncle's house a little way up the road."

Paul let out a groan. "Are we home yet...sweetie you promised me if I didn't throw up in the car I would get 'lucky' tonight," Paul said as his hand grabbed Janet's breast.

"Can we please go?" Janet asked sweetly hiking her skirt up a little higher. "You wouldn't want to deprive a man of getting 'lucky' now would you?"

The men looked at each other over the roof of the car and nodded agreeing to let them go.

"No, I wouldn't want to do that," the man on Janet's side of the car replied smiling as the other man moved the vehicle blocking the road out of the way.

"Thank you," Janet said as she quickly put the car in gear and drove down the road letting out her breath.

She drove a couple of miles down the road before she stopped and put herself back to together.

"Nice work, Janet," Leon said from the back. "You handled that like a pro."

"Thanks Leon," Janet replied as Paul leaned over and whispered in Janet's ear, "Sorry about the free feel but I had to make it look real."

"I understand," Janet said as she put the car in gear and continued down the road puzzled as to why there would be a road block unless they were looking for someone.

As they were driving, Leon found the black bag with the clothes in it. He pulled out two black turtlenecks and handed one to Paul so they could ditch the white jackets and shirts.

They hadn't driven much further when Janet asked, "Paul, why a road block...were they looking for us...but why...no one knows why the real reason we're here?"

"I was wondering the same thing. I'm a bit worried about it as who would've known we would be on this road as it's pretty deserted. We haven't seen another car since we left the city."

Leon sat in the back seat not saying a word.

Janet drove for another forty-five minutes before Paul saw the sign for Kalron Drive. It had stopped raining when Janet made the right turn and slowly made her way down the bumpy unpaved road. On the right hand side of the road there was a light on the house they were looking for. Janet pulled into the driveway, turned off the car and put her purse around her neck and shoulder. The three of them got out of the car and walked to the front door. Before Paul could knock on the door, a man opened it up. "Josif?" Paul asked.

"Yes and it's about time you got here," he said grumpily. "Don't like being out in the storm. Follow me."

((()))

After letting Janet drive away, one of the men's cell phone rang. "Hello," he said quickly.

"Has anyone come down the road?" a voice asked hurriedly.

"Just one car, a couple and a brother coming home from a wedding, we checked them out and let them go."

"Were the men dressed in white jackets...the women in a black dress?"

"Yes sir, they were," the man answered starting to sweat.

"You fools those were the people we're looking for. Did they say where they were going?"

The man on the phone looked over at the driver trying to remember what Janet had said. "Yes, they were going to her uncle's house down the road."

"There aren't too many houses down that road so they're probably heading for the beach. Take the road you're on now to Kalron Drive and turn right. Follow it until it dead ends. There's a small tree lined area before you get to the beach. Stay in the trees, I'm going to send help. I need you to stop them from leaving...I don't care how you do it. Understand?"

"Yes sir," the man replied and disconnected his call. "We need to get to the beach and hurry." He explained to the driver what their instructions were as he grabbed their automatic weapons from the back seat of the car.

((()))

Paul, Janet and Leon followed Josif down a short gravel path before they got to the beach. The beach was all rocks and no sand. Janet was having a hard time keeping up with the men in her high heel pumps so she took them off. The stones were cutting into the bottoms of her feet but at least she was able to stay with the men.

"Here's where I leave you. I only had to make sure you got to the beach. Good luck," Josif said and turned around and went back down the path as a flash of lightening lit up the sky and a loud clap of thunder followed.

Paul had an uneasy feeling they were being watched and even with the flashes of lightening he couldn't see anything. There was some tall grass on the edge of the beach so they would hide in there until the chopper showed up.

"How much longer until that chopper gets here," Leon asked several times.

"The weather is probably holding them up," Paul said impatiently. "You're starting to irritate me so I suggest you sit there and be quiet."

Janet watched Paul as he continued to look around. She also had a feeling they were being watched but couldn't see anything either. After waiting for thirty minutes they finally heard the chopper coming and watched as it landed on the beach. The three of them came out of the grass and started towards the helicopter when gunshots erupted.