The First Five Days by D. K. Willis

In January 1959, former World War II bomber pilot Sloan Masterson and his crew arrive in Cuba aboard the Rocinante, a C-119 Flying Boxcar Sloan co-owns with his feisty female co-pilot, Morgan Reilly. But before they can unload their cargo of government-requisitioned medical supplies, Sloan and Morgan learn that President Fulgencio Batistas brutal and corrupt dictatorship has collapsed, allowing Fidel Castros rebel forces to seize power. Amid the resulting high-stakes tension between the old order and the new, Sloan begins a desperate search for his ex-girlfriend, Carilla, and for the brother of a powerful millionaire to whom Sloan owes a favor. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Sloan, Morgan is persuaded by a group of prominent Cubans to help their children flee to America aboard the Rocinante. A vicious Cuban crime boss, secret government agents, and assorted criminals are all intent on thwarting Sloans and Morgans personal missions during the first five days of Cubas violent Communist revolution. Racing against time, Sloan and Morgan must outmaneuver dangerous revolutionaries, survive being double-crossed and adapt to rapidly shifting alliances. At stake is their human cargos only hope of reaching America and freedom.