One of the guys, a figure she hadn't noticed before this moment, was right by the fence. Close enough to touch it. The guy crouched… or on his hands and knees. Karen popped on her headlights again and saw him clearly.

Not crouched.

The guy was coming out of the ground.

On this side of the fence.

Reaching down now as head and shoulders appeared and another one came out of the ground.

Right in front of her. Not twenty yards from the car. Two guys breaking out and no siren or whistle going off, prisoners still crossing the compound, not even aware…

Karen leaned on the horn, held it down and saw the two guys by the fence, both Latins, looking into her headlights, poised there for a moment before taking off in the dark, down the fence that ran along the athletic field. By the time the third one appeared, came out of the hole followed by another convict on his heels, Karen was out of the car.

Buddy didn't see them right away. The woman commenced blowing her horn and that got him sitting up. He still didn't realize the break was on until the woman was out of the car and he saw her looking off to the left, along the fence. By the time he saw the two cons they were running away from the fence, cutting across the road that came in from the highway, the two all of a sudden in a spotlight beam that angled out from the tower at the far end of the athletic field, the spotlight following them, its beam holding, and now the sound of rifle reports were coming from out there, the guard in the far tower trying to gun them down as they ran for an orange grove and disappeared from sight.

When Buddy looked for the woman again she was right in front of him-her blond hair in his headlights, long slim legs, hell, a girl-at the trunk of her car raising the lid.

Buddy's first thought, She's gonna put a con in there, help him escape.

He watched her duck her head in the trunk and come out with a bolstered pistol, what looked like some kind of automatic.