Surrender at Dawn Read Online Free PDF Page A

to the beach.” She clutched the radio in her quivering hand as she surveyed the activity on shore. “There’s a boatload of new arrivals, and they’re heavily armed.”
    Silence on the other end.
    “Did you hear--”
    “Roger that.” He sounded out of breath, like he was running. With a heavy load. “Go to Plan B, over.”
    “Plan B.” Plan B was the other side of the island. “I’m there, over.”
    Did he have Davey? He must, or he wouldn’t be leaving. She clung to the thought as she scrambled into the seat and picked up the oars. She was too scared to start the engine, at least until she put some distance between herself and that crowd of armed men. She rowed for all she was worth until her shoulders screamed in pain and her arms felt like they were on fire. The current picked up as she neared the tip of the island. Finally, she stashed the oars and found the pull cord Jack had shown her when he’d demonstrated how to start the engine. Just one simple pull….
    After the third unsuccessful attempt, she was nearly in tears. She got up off her knees and stood in the middle of the boat. She gripped the handle and took a deep breath. She yanked fiercely, and the engine sputtered to life.
    She sat down and grabbed the rudder. She skimmed across the choppy water and rounded the tip of the island, praying all the while that no one could see or hear her.
    At her feet, the radio crackled. She snatched it up.
    “Bravo… dock… south end.”
    “What?”
    “I said… dock… side.”
    “There’s a dock?”
    “Affirmative.”
    “How will I--”
    “Flashlight… you… close as you can.... Roger that?”
    Pop!
    Charlotte dropped the radio at the sound of the gunshot. Someone was shooting at them! She groped for the radio and finally got her hands on it. “Jack? Jack, are you there? Jack? ”
    Panicked, she headed for the island. She hadn’t caught every word of what he’d said, but she’d gotten the gist of it. She was looking for a flashlight signal. Assuming he was still alive to signal her. Heart racing now, she curved around the southern tip of the island. Her stomach clenched as she saw nothing but the hulking shadow of the island itself. No lights. No signals. She tried the binoculars, but didn’t see any warm bodies or even anything resembling a dock. She maneuvered closer to the shore, hoping she wouldn’t get caught up on the reef she’d seen from Jack’s plane.
    Suddenly a flicker, there in the darkness. She peered through the binoculars. A large figure moved quickly toward the shore. Jack. And he had someone in a fireman’s carry.
    Please, please, please be okay. She didn’t know whether she was praying for Davey or Jack. Both, she decided.
    Another blink, close this time. Charlotte stowed the binoculars and steered the boat towards it. When she was almost there, she cut the engine and the dinghy drifted right into the dock. A shadow crouched to catch it.
    “Nice work.” Jack’s voice wrapped around her like a warm blanket.
    “Are you okay? I heard a gunshot!”
    “Yeah, one of the guards wasn’t too happy when he noticed his hostage was gone. Good thing his aim isn’t worth shit.”
    Jack lowered something into the boat. Davey. She grabbed hold of the body and instantly recognized her brother as she helped ease him aboard.
    He groaned, and Charlotte’s heart skipped. She got to her knees beside him. “What happened?”
    “He took a beating.”
    She jumped at the words.“Who--”
    “I’m Jane.” A woman stepped aboard the boat. It was too dark to even see her in the shadows.
    “Yeah, you didn’t tell me your brother had a girlfriend.” Jack finally stepped aboard, and they were packed together like sardines. He didn’t waste time jerking the cord and bringing the engine to life.
    Gunfire erupted from the beach. Jack shoved Charlotte’s head against the floor of the boat. “Everybody down.”
    The boat lurched forward, and they were skipping over the waves. Charlotte