Watched from a Distance

by Allison B Hanson

  Instantly, her eyes went from despair to anger. Tears filled them and she sprang at him, poking her finger at his chest. “Damn you, Dane! Damn you and your self-righteous judgment. I’m sick of it! You don’t know anything!”

  “I know you tricked me into a situation where my son might not survive, while you get to chat every day with your kid.”

  She shoved his chest. “I haven’t seen my daughter in eight months, other than on the phone. I’m only allowed to talk to her when Viktor worries I’m not committed enough to his projects. You probably think it’s a gift having contact, but it’s like a knife in my stomach every time the screen lights up with her name. The very first thing she asks is ‘When are you coming to get me?’ and it kills me to have to lie and say ‘soon.’”

  He swallowed down the pain that thought produced.

  Tears tumbled down her cheeks. She brushed them away with the back of her hand but more took their place. The tears did nothing to dampen her fury. “I’m in the same situation as you are. Maybe worse,” she said with a sob.

  “How could it possibly be worse than someone threatening your child’s life?”

  She gave him a tearful, pitying look. “Viktor uses the possibility of your son’s death to motivate you. But he’s promised a different fate for my daughter. He sells people, Dane. And he has a lot of clients who will pay dearly for a little girl.”

  Shit. Horror and disgust swamped over him, and he let his arms fall to his sides.

  She flinched backward at the motion, and he felt his stomach surge again. This time, with revulsion for himself. He’d treated her abominably.

  Christ Almighty. He should have figured it out. The clues were all there. At the very least, he should have asked her why she was loyal to Kulakov. When Dane had seen them together, she’d seemed more afraid of the man than respectful. But Dane had been so caught up in his own problems he hadn’t even considered that she might have been forced to do Viktor’s bidding.

  Sympathy, guilt, pity, and regret all swirled through him.

  God. They were both living the same nightmare.

  Moving slower, he stepped forward and cautiously wrapped his arms around her.

  He couldn’t change what he’d already done, but he could offer her his support from now on. It was the least he could do.

  He gently kissed her hair, and murmured. “Tell me what happened.”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  It was time to get things out in the open, and Dane hoped he hadn’t scared Lena so badly she wouldn’t feel comfortable to tell her story. He didn’t have to wonder for long.

  She seemed relieved to have someone listen. Did she not have anyone else to talk to?

  She let out a deep breath and nodded before speaking. “My ex-husband, Brandon, took a job with Viktor Kulakov when Kenzie was three. He and I were already having trouble in our marriage. I didn’t know what he was doing for Viktor, and I didn’t care. He made good money. When we divorced two years ago, all I was concerned about was that he could pay alimony and child support. But then he stopped. Each time he came to see Kenzie he looked worse and worse. Eventually, I figured it out.”

  “Drugs?” Dane asked. He recognized the signs.

  She covered her face and nodded. “Yeah. He asked me for money and even stole some out of my purse when I was putting Kenzie to bed. His eyes were unfocused, and his speech was off. He told me he owed his boss a lot of money.”

  “Did he say how much?” Dane asked.

  “Fifty thousand dollars.” She shrugged. “Even if I’d wanted to help, I couldn’t. I made good money managing the salon, but not that kind of money.” She waved her hands as if to ask who did.

  There had been a time when Dane had that kind of money sitting around. But then he’d realized it was dirty, and tried to make amends. Instead, he ended up fake-dead.

  “I didn’t see Brandon for a few months. I didn’t know what had happened. I thought maybe he was dead. But then he showed up at Kenzie’s daycare when I was at work and took her. Someone new was working, and Kenzie had called him daddy.”

  Lena’s lip trembled, and Dane wondered how many times she’d punished herself for not preparing for that possibility. Hindsight was a smug son of a bitch. He knew from experience it was easy to see where you went wrong when you were looking backward.

  “Viktor contacted me immediately. Told me if I went to the police, he would sell my daughter to recoup the money he’d lost.” Her voice broke, and only a monster would have not responded to her pain.

  Dane sat on the bed and pulled her onto his lap. He held her while she cried noisily into his neck.

  In the package with the gun and the GPS unit, there had also been a copy of Colton’s file on Viktor Kulakov. He was a drug smuggler who had branched out to include human trafficking. Many a missing persons case had ended at his doorstep, but he was slippery and clever. When the federal prosecutor hadn’t been able to make any arrest stick, a DEA undercover agent—Colton Williamson—had been sent in to gather evidence. Even after Colton had infiltrated his business and could testify to what he’d seen, the federal prosecutor didn’t feel they had enough proof to put Kulakov away for a long time. He was holding out for more so they could put him in prison for the rest of his life.

  Colton had set it up that a container of Kulakov’s drugs was seized just after a deal. He was supposed to be caught red-handed. Instead, he’d somehow found out, and had Colton shot six times.

  The incident was just one of the many reasons Kulakov was nervous and itching to find Colton. For revenge…and he didn’t want any loose ends.

  Dane knew from his own experience with his bosses that rich men could get away with murder. They had enough power to get people to do their bidding. Like lure a U. S. Deputy Marshal to a hotel room so he could be kidnapped.

  “This is why you’re cooperating with him?” Dane asked after the sobs subsided, and she nodded. He handed her a tissue from the stand between the beds, then another, and another.

  She held up her hands in helpless surrender. “I don’t know what else to do.”

  She looked up at him, her multi-colored eyes blazing with tears, more green now than the other colors. “I know you said I wasn’t allowed to apologize, but I really am sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t have many choices, but you have to believe me, I wouldn’t have endangered Tobey to save Kenzie. Especially knowing I might not save her anyway. It’s been so long, and I’m not that stupid. I realize I might not ever hold her again, but I can’t just turn my back and not try to save her.”

  He held Lena close and rubbed her back. “I understand now, and I’m sorry this terrible thing is happening to you. Of course you have to try. That’s what parents do; we can’t help ourselves.”

  He couldn’t seem to hold her tight enough. She was breaking apart despite his efforts. She’d been alone with this heartache for months, with Viktor constantly ordering her around. How scared she must have been.

  She deserved a good cry. She deserved to have something to hold onto.

  Hope.

  “Listen to me.” He gave her a little shake to get her attention. “We’re going to save both of them. Do you hear me?”

  She stopped sniffling but didn’t reply.

  “Can you trust me to get us out of this?” he asked, unsure if he would be able to agree if he was in her shoes. This was her child, and so far, she hadn’t been able to trust anyone.

  It took a full minute, but eventually she nodded and looked up at him. “Right now, I don’t have many options. At least you’re one of the good guys. So, I’ll trust you.”

  He wished her trust were based on something more than a lack of options, but he’d take it for now. After the way he’d treated her, he was surprised she trusted him at all.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

  He let out a sigh before saying the one thing he never thought he’d say to this woman. “I understand. I don’t blame you.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two


  It felt good to be held. Dane’s arms were warm and strong. His clean smell made Lena relax and snuggle closer. For a moment, she felt as though everything was going to be okay.

  She didn’t know what plan Dane had in mind, but she knew she had to do something more than simply follow Viktor’s orders and wish for the best. That course wasn’t yielding any results.

  Viktor’s promises to return Kenzie were all lies, and Lena was genuinely worried she would lose her daughter forever. Now that there was a chance to get her back, Lena realized she had slowly started to give up hope.

  She didn’t think she could hate herself any more than she already did, but disgust ran anew. What kind of mother gave up on her child?

  One that is broken, her heart answered.

  Another wave of tears hit, hot fire on her cheeks. She should have been embarrassed by the huge wet spot on Dane’s shirt. She didn’t even know how long he’d been holding her while she cried.

  His hand rubbed circles on her back, and occasionally she felt his breath in her hair as he cooed words of peace to her.

  “It’s going to be okay,” he said. “I’m here. I’ll help. We’ll get them back. We’re in this together. You’re not alone anymore.”

  His words—spoken to soothe—were what broke her. She’d had her child taken away, and she had been too weak to do anything about it. There hadn’t been anyone she could turn to for help.

  Brandon’s parents, who’d treated her like a daughter even after the divorce, would have wanted to help, but there was nothing they could have done. Worse, they would have insisted on calling the police. A surefire way to get on Viktor’s bad side and have him follow through on all his threats.

  She wanted to believe Dane’s words, she wanted to hope that she would see Kenzie again, but she wasn’t sure she remembered how to hope.

  When she got control of herself at last, she slid off his lap and stood. The room felt too small. She felt too restless. Her secret was out. She didn’t have to deal with it alone, but she didn’t know what to do with all the feelings jumping around under her skin.

  Dane stood and rested his hands on her shoulders. His touch quieted the noise in her head. Strangely, she felt stronger when his hands were on her. For the first time since her daughter was taken away, she didn’t feel quite so weak.

  Thank God.

  She wasn’t alone.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The alarm on Lena’s phone rang, interrupting whatever might have happened next. Dane didn’t know whether to be grateful or…well, confused.

  “It’s time for my call to Viktor.” She wiped the tears away and let out a determined breath. “I never knew I could hate someone this much.”

  He understood completely. He’d hated her that much at one time. But no longer.

  She dialed the number and held it to her ear. “I’m here.”

  Dane could hear Viktor’s silky smooth voice. “How is our guest?”

  “Upset and angry.”

  “Is he closer to finding Vanderhook?”

  “I think so. He’s not telling me anything.” She glanced up at him, and he frowned at the truth of that statement.

  “Has he tried to escape?”

  “No.” She rolled her eyes. “But I’m not letting my guard down.”

  “Very well. Call me at ten.”

  “Oka—” Before she had the chance to hang up, Dane seized the phone from her and addressed her boss. She reached out to take it back. As if she could stop him from doing anything.

  “Dane!” She winced.

  “Viktor,” Dane said, unfazed by her alarm, “I want to hear Tobey’s voice. I want to make sure you haven’t done anything to him.”

  Lena squeezed her eyes shut, and whispered, “Oh God.”

  Viktor surprised them both by answering, “Stay by the phone. I’ll have them call you.”

  He couldn’t believe Viktor had relented so easily. There had to be an angle. Or maybe he just wanted to remind Dane who held the cards, the way he did with Lena.

  Dane kept the phone and paced around their room. She followed along behind him, not saying anything. The tension was building to dangerous levels when the phone rang.

  “Hello?” His voice cracked with tension.

  “Dad?” Tobey’s voice was loud and clear.

  Oh, thank God!

  “Tobey, are you okay?” Dane wasn’t sure he’d ever felt such relief before. But hearing Tobey’s voice just about broke him.

  “I’m good. Do you know when I’ll get to go home?” he asked, and Dane felt the shooting pain Lena had described.

  How did she do this every day? How did she answer this unanswerable question? Tobey was older than Kenzie, so Dane decided to go with the truth.

  Or as close to it as he could without upsetting his son even more.

  “I don’t know just yet,” he said, “but it shouldn’t be that long. Are you okay? Have they fed you? Are you safe?”

  “I’m okay. They get a lot of pizza. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of eating pizza, but maybe I am, a little. There are a few other boys here, too. I get a top bunk. We get to play video games all day long. Don’t tell Mom. Oh. I guess you can’t tell her. Because you’re dead.”

  Despite everything, Dane smiled at his son’s reasoning. He was safe, fed, and even having fun. Or as much fun as a person could have when being held captive.

  Dane’s heart relaxed a little more.

  “Your secret is safe with me,” he said. “Play as many games as you want. She won’t find out.” But he would find a way to tell Caroline their boy was safe. “I love you. I’ll see you…soon,” he said, and realized he’d said the same thing Lena had told her daughter.

  “Bye, Dad. Love you, too.”

  He handed Lena the phone without bothering to disconnect the call.

  She seemed to be waiting for him to break down, but he didn’t. He felt slightly numb.

  His son was safe. For now.

  “He’s okay?” she asked, her voice small. She moved to touch his arm, giving it a light squeeze before pulling away again.

  Just as well. He wasn’t sure if he wanted her to touch him. Yes, he’d just held her in his arms and comforted her, but he wasn’t ready to be comforted himself. He’d been so angry at her before… But he knew she felt terrible. And knowing Tobey was doing okay, and knowing the reason she’d gotten Dane into this…well, how could he not forgive her?

  However, given the volatile situation, and his unbidden attraction to her, it was probably best to keep his distance.

  Using his own phone, he called someone who could help him with his next task.

  “Hello?”

  “Angel, I need to get a message to someone, and it has to be untraceable.”

  “My specialty is usually the reverse of that. I’m the one who traces the untraceable.”

  This was true. No one could hide from Angel. She was the master of tracking someone down. But she was also pretty good at hiding things. Last year when she was on the run, she’d virtually dropped off the planet…and fallen in love while she was at it.

  “What level tracking would the receiver have at hand?” she asked.

  “Local law enforcement. It’s a missing persons case.”

  She let out a sigh. “Dane, are you contacting your wife?” Angel had always been too smart for her own good.

  “Yes. I need to let her know Tobey is safe.”

  “Is he?”

  Dane didn’t want to think about that. “For now. I just spoke with him. He’s being taken care of.”

  “Do you think Caroline will believe a random message from an untraceable source?” Best friends didn’t bother to hide their skepticism.

  “You’re a mother. Wouldn’t you want any bit of good news you could get?”

  “I wouldn’t believe it. Not unless I spoke to him myself.” There was a pause and she gasped. “Wait. You just spoke to him? Do you have the number?”

  “No. It was a blocked cal
l.”

  “Blocked.” She snorted as if it was not that big of a deal. “What’s the number of the phone you took the call on?”

  Dane rattled off the numbers.

  “How are you holding up?” she asked. This was not business. This was Angel caring about him.

  “I’m not,” he admitted, noticing Lena had gone in the bathroom to offer him some privacy. “I feel like I’m going to fall to pieces any minute. But I know if that happens, I won’t be able to help him, so I force myself to keep it together a little longer.”

  “I can’t even imagine what it must be like.” Sympathy poured through her voice.

  “It seems like it shouldn’t be this bad for me. I mean, I don’t see him, or talk to him. Not like Caroline and Randy do. But even though I wasn’t able to be with him, I still knew he was at home. Safe and loved, you know? I feel so useless.”

  “Don’t worry about being a hero. Let the team work on coming up with a plan while you work on getting to the meet site.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  “Text me the message you want sent to Caroline, and I’ll make sure she gets it. I don’t know if I would believe it, but it would give me hope. Maybe it will help Caroline, too.”

  “I hope so. She must be a mess.”

  And rightfully so. Separating a mother from her child was the worst kind of torture. He glanced over as Lena walked out of the bathroom.

  “I’ll start working on tracing the number so we have a lead. Be careful, okay?”

  “I will. Give John a kiss from his godfather.”

  “Will do.”

  Lena was sitting on the edge of her bed with her chin on her knees when he tossed his phone on the nightstand next to hers.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  Her eyes moved in his direction, but her posture remained the same. “You mean am I over my little drama?”

  He let out a sigh and looked up at the ceiling. “No. You and I are in a situation that no parent should ever be in. I’m trained for high-stress missions, and I’m still not sure if I’m doing the right thing.”