She turned back to Luke and spoke quietly. “I’ve been working with a lawyer back home who has a suggestion for how to get you out of here.”

Luke stilled, fully alert as he locked gazes with her. “How?” A world of hope was contained in that single syllable.

She began carefully, for he wasn’t going to like her answer. She outlined how easy it would be to hire a Cuban lawyer to change his plea. The only tricky part would be getting the Cuban authorities to grant bail, but in this Gray could help. He had powerful connections throughout the Cuban planting class.

Given the way Luke crossed his arms over his chest, he didn’t like the idea. “The problem is that I’m guilty,” he said. “I did everything they accused me of, so what good would getting me bail do?”

“We could smuggle you onto the Pelican and send you overseas,” Gray said quietly.

Luke stood and began pacing the tight confines of the cell. “Absolutely not. Don’t you dare ask me to participate in something like this.”

“It’s the only surefire way to get you out,” Gray said.

Luke whirled to face him as he pointed at her. “You’re going to drag Caroline into this mess as well?”

“I’m here of my own accord,” she defended. “I’m willing to run the risk.”

“I’m not.” Luke’s voice was definitive. In a swift move, he flung his Bible, and it smacked her in the chest. “Maybe you scoff at that, but I don’t. Honor and dignity mean something to me, and I’m not going to swear to the conditions of bail if my next move will be sneaking onto a ship and out of the country.”

“What honor is there in rotting in a jail cell?” Gray demanded.

Luke opened and closed his mouth several times. It looked like an explanation was trying to claw its way out of him, but he clamped his mouth shut and went back to pacing. Two steps, pivot, then two steps back. Was this the limit of his ability to move for the past seven months? Anguish welled up, threatening to swamp her.

“Luke, please . . . I can’t bear the thought of you in this cell forever. It’s such a pointless waste when we can get you out.”

He leaned against the cell door, arms crossed. “Don’t cry over me, Caroline. I’ve had a lot of time to read and think while I’ve been locked up. There can be honor and dignity here. Paul the Apostle was imprisoned, and he found dignity in it.”

“You’re comparing yourself to Paul the Apostle?” Gray asked in disbelief.

Luke’s face darkened. “Use your head, Gray! I’m trying to save her from getting implicated in a felony. You shouldn’t have even brought her here.”