Escape from La Honda-a novel

Sunlight danced blindingly on miles of dazzling white sand as three military-type jeeps drove cautiously down a lonely desert road in the infamous Territorio Bandolero — Mexican bandit country.

In the lead jeep, Bradley Ellison, a retired U.S. Army colonel, scanned the hills and countryside for any sign of an escaped prisoner from an honor camp he supervised for the Mexican authorities. The other jeeps followed along closely in similar fashion.
Suddenly, Ellison signaled to stop and reached for his binoculars. He stood up, training the glasses on a distant knoll about two miles ahead of them. What appeared to be a pickup truck pursuing a fleeing auto drew his attention.
As the car began to outrun its pursuers, rifle fire broke out from the truck. Now it became clear that the fleeing driver was a young woman. Ellison gave a signal, and the three jeeps started racing toward the oncoming vehicles. Rifle fire erupted again from the pickup, directed this time at the jeeps. A withering hail of return fire struck the pickup. It turned tail and raced off across the open desert.
The car — a red convertible — skidded to a stop in front of Ellison's vehicle. As the young woman stepped out, he hurried over to her. That she was a beauty there was no doubt.