Watched from a Distance

by Allison B Hanson

  “Soon,” he whispered to her. She nodded at him and smiled.

  “Soon, baby. I’ll be coming for you soon.”

  “Love you, Mama.”

  “I love you, too, baby. So much.”

  He expected her to weep when she disconnected the call, but she looked up at the ceiling and nodded once. As if making a decision. “I feel like maybe that time it was the truth,” she said.

  He sat next to her and pulled her closer. “I think so, too.”

  As they ate their bagels, he noticed her phone sitting on the nightstand.

  “Give me your phone,” he said, holding out his hand. “Please.”

  She handed it over without even asking what he wanted with it. He saw that as progress. She trusted him with the lifeline to her daughter.

  “This is the number that calls you to speak to Kenzie?” he verified, pointing.

  “Yes. But don’t call it. I won’t be allowed to talk to her. I can only speak to her by Viktor’s order.”

  He wasn’t surprised. No one did anything without Viktor’s approval.

  “I’m not calling the number. It’s okay.” Holding her phone out, he used his own phone to text the number to Angel with a simple message.

  Dane: Track this number please. We’ll need a location.

  A few minutes later, he received an answering text.

  Angel: On it.

  He realized if he wanted Lena to trust him, he needed to communicate better.

  “I’m having the number tracked so we can figure out where he’s holding our kids,” he told her.

  She paused as if putting a piece of the puzzle together. “They’re not keeping Tobey with Kenzie.” She blinked a few times then shook her head.

  “How do you know?”

  “Because I heard Weller tell Butch he was going to spend some time in his homeland.”

  Dane frowned as she continued.

  “I didn’t know what that meant, but I just remembered. Butch is from Canada. I have no idea what province or where. I guess it’s not a very helpful clue.”

  “It’s still a clue.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and smiled. Then he thought of something. “How do you know Kenzie isn’t in Canada?”

  “I can see palm trees through the window sometimes when she’s talking to me.”

  “Could she still be in Miami?” He remembered that was where Lena said she had her salon.

  She shrugged. “There are an awful lot of places with palm trees. That clue is about as helpful as the one about Canada.”

  “Every little thing helps us get closer to finding our kids. Once we find them, we’ll be able to save them.” He wanted so badly to rush forward to that part, but he knew successful missions needed to be carefully planned and thought out.

  He couldn’t just rush in and take Tobey without repercussions. Even if he knew where he would be rushing to. Every contingency needed to be planned for.

  “I hope you’re right,” she said with a weak smile.

  “I have a plan, but it means you’ll need to trust the rest of my team to help. What do you say?”

  “I can’t keep lying to my daughter, and I have no idea how to get us out of this.” It only took a second for her answer. “I’m definitely in.”

  He held out his hand and she took it, shaking it firmly.

  They were in this together. Both their children were in danger. But now they were a team.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Dane offered to drive, and Lena handed over the keys easily. Whether it was right to trust him or not, she was tired of going through this nightmare alone. She didn’t have the strength to keep going the way she was. And she didn’t have the resources to plan a counter attack.

  Not that he’d said that was what they were doing…but she hoped so.

  She wanted nothing more than to walk into Viktor’s home with a dozen soldiers and walk out with her daughter. Maybe she watched too much television.

  Whatever Dane’s team planned to do, at least it was something. She was sick of doing nothing, afraid to make a move and be caught. Her daughter would pay the price if she messed up. But now there was a team of professionals gathering to help them take out Viktor Kulakov.

  She glanced over at Dane and smiled. She was so energized and excited, she leaned across the seat and kissed his cheek.

  “What was that for?”

  “For helping me get my daughter back.”

  “We’re going to do our best, but it won’t be easy,” he warned. “There are no guarantees.”

  She was aware. She knew he didn’t have special powers. She’d seen the scar on his leg, proof he was a mere mortal. But he was her hero.

  “I understand. But if it doesn’t work, at least you’ve given me hope.”

  He smiled over at her, took her hand, and gave it a squeeze. “We can’t do anything without hope.”

  What a difference it was to travel with him now, compared to a few days ago when he’d hated her. Her lips pulled up wryly at the memories from their earlier encounter.

  “You’re smiling,” he said.

  “Am I? I must be thinking about the chocolate shake I’m planning to get for lunch.”

  “Right.” He laughed, the sound warm and comforting.

  She liked this man. The fun, happy guy-next-door she knew could morph into a fierce deputy marshal in a flash…or a kind, giving lover. He was the hard outer shell with the soft, gooey center.

  A few hours later they needed to stop for fuel. She froze in the midst of running the card and looked up at him.

  “We forgot about the gas,” she said.

  “What?” He reached out for her arm.

  “You reserved our hotel room in another state, but we’ve been paying for gas with this card. Viktor will know we’re not heading south any longer.”

  “You think I’d miss something like that?” He shook his head and smiled easily. “I’m a professional. And you, my lady, insult me.”

  His joke allowed her to relax. He wouldn’t be teasing her if there was danger. “But how…?”

  “I text Angel with the information, and she goes in and changes it. The charge will show up on Viktor’s card from a different location.”

  She made a face. “I’m impressed, but also a little freaked out by your capabilities.”

  He shrugged. “Not mine. Angel is scary good at this computer stuff.”

  “Angel?” She smiled. “Is she a real angel? Is that how she’s able to see all and know all?”

  He laughed at her joke. “No. She’s a spunky little thing who has been through hell. I hope you’ll get to meet her someday. You’ll like her.”

  “She won’t be at the meeting?” Lena was nervous about walking into a room full of marshals. She wasn’t exactly on the right side of the law at the moment, with the kidnapping and all. Granted, she wasn’t a criminal by choice, but would they care?

  “No. Angel and her husband have a new baby. She’s not active anymore. Except when I need her.” He smirked.

  “I’m glad you’re both on the good side.”

  “Sometimes it’s difficult to tell which side is good, and which is bad.”

  She couldn’t agree more. She was technically on the bad side, but she sure didn’t belong there. “There’s no good in Viktor Kulakov,” she said.

  Even though her daughter was being well cared for, and even had a nanny, Lena knew it wasn’t out of the kindness of Viktor’s heart. She wasn’t deceived into thinking her daughter was safe just because she had a few new dresses and craft time.

  “No. There’s no confusion on that one,” Dane agreed. “He’s pure evil. He needs to be stopped.”

  “Why hasn’t he been arrested? He’s done so many illegal things. Isn’t there anyone who can put him away?” Even just what she’d seen would be enough for an arrest, she’d think.

  “The man Viktor sent us to bring back. He can put Viktor away. The D.A. is just waiting for the right time and more hard evidence.”

&
nbsp; “The right time would have been years ago,” she said fiercely. “Before he was able to harm so many people.”

  “We’ll find out more about the case against him at the meeting tonight.”

  She took her eyes off the road long enough to look over at him. “I’ll be welcome at this meeting?”

  He nodded. “Of course. You have information that could be helpful. And you have a big stake in the game. Why wouldn’t you be welcome?”

  “Because I technically work for Viktor.”

  “You never worked for Viktor. You don’t have a choice. And as I said, sometimes it’s difficult to tell which side is good and which is bad.”

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Dane pulled the Jeep into an empty campground an hour after they’d planned to be there. Later in the summer this place would be filled with the hustle and bustle of campers, but for now it was nearly deserted.

  He drove past a row of small cabins and stopped in front of the main lodge. He took Lena’s hand when she got out of the car. She held onto him tightly until they got to the door of the lodge. Then she let her hand slip from his.

  She’d been quiet for the last hour, and he understood why she would be anxious about meeting a whole team of U.S. Deputy Marshals. She probably expected a lot of black suits and dark glasses, but that wasn’t how his team worked.

  Task Force Phoenix was made up of people from all walks of life who had one thing in common—they were all starting over with a new life. Some of them—like Angel—had made a choice to start over, while others—like Dane—had been forced to start over because their old lives were no longer safe.

  They all looked like normal people. Maybe a little more muscle than the average guy—especially Justin—but they could easily pass for construction workers or bartenders or bodyguards, or pretty much any other profession. And they acted like regular people, for the most part. Other than ducking questions about their pasts.

  Lena would see they didn’t mean her any harm, and she’d soon warm up to them. Or so he hoped.

  He didn’t reach for her hand again. Instead, he opened the lodge door and followed her inside. The main room was large and filled with tables. The long table closest to the door was surrounded by people he knew.

  Including a few people who shouldn’t have been there.

  Samantha McKendrick sat next to her father, Supervisory Deputy United States Marshal Josiah Thorne. Sam’s husband, Garrett, leaned over her to point at a map in front of them. Across from them, Angel was jumping up with a baby in her arms and a smile on her face. Her husband, Colton, moved his chair to face the newcomers, and Dane gave him a nod.

  He was about to make introductions, but was distracted when Sam gasped and rose from her seat.

  “Oh, no!” she cried, and moved to come help him. “You’re still limping. Because I shot you. I’m so sorry, Dane.”

  He waved her off. “Don’t start. It’s not your fault.” She had only done what any normal person would do when threatened.

  “Kind of her fault,” Garrett said with a cough, next to her.

  “I didn’t realize I’d caused so much damage.” Her hand covered her mouth in distress.

  “Relax,” Dane told her. “The limp is not just from the gunshot wound. It’s Angel’s fault, too. Her dog bit me in exactly the same spot.”

  “You’re blaming the mother of your godson?” Angel said with a frown he hoped was feigned.

  Christ Almighty. The women in his life! If they weren’t shooting him, they were guilting him to death.

  “Besides, I fixed you up,” she added with a bratty little sister smile. She hadn’t been able to heal him completely. But he still wasn’t blaming anyone.

  “I’m fine,” he insisted. “I’m just a little stiff from the long car ride.”

  Sam gave him a wilted smile and went back to sit beside Garrett, who rubbed her arm.

  Angel deposited baby John in Dane’s arms, and the baby reached out with a fierce little fist and made a disgruntled noise.

  For the last five years, these people had been his surrogate family, doing their best to fill the void in Dane’s life. He smiled down at the infant he was cuddling, happy to reaffirm his team was about much more than encrypted codes and handguns.

  Looking up, he realized everyone was staring a Lena.

  Ah. Right.

  “Everyone, this is, uh, Lena Scott.”

  Chapter Forty

  As happy as everyone was to see Dane, Lena had felt totally out of place as one by one they noticed her standing behind him. It was obvious they were all good friends. And she was an intruder.

  Not just an intruder, but someone who’d played for Team Viktor. They had no way of knowing she’d been forced into it.

  One of the men—a giant—narrowed his gaze on her. “Lena Scott? Isn’t she the one who knocked you out so Kulakov’s men could grab you?” he asked.

  Lena swallowed and stepped back. She should have realized they would know that. Dane had told his boss everything that had happened that night.

  She wasn’t going to win them over with that story.

  “Yes,” admitted Dane. “But she is being coerced into helping Kulakov.”

  A warm, fuzzy feeling stole through her at his defense of her.

  She glanced around the table…and spotted someone she’d seen before. She let out a quick breath of surprise. She’d thought the man seemed familiar when he’d turned to face them, but she assumed she was getting him confused with some tough guy from a movie.

  But that wasn’t where she knew him from.

  Robbie Vanderhook was sitting right in front of her. Smiling.

  No. Not smiling. He was beaming with pride as his wife reached for their baby from Dane.

  Lena had seen the man—Colton was his name, according to Dane—in photos Viktor had given her to identify him. The man looked different now, but she knew it was him. The difference was the light of happiness in his eyes.

  A kind of happiness she had nearly forgotten existed during the last eight months.

  Except for those few precious hours with Dane.

  Without a moment’s hesitation she realized what she had to do.

  As Angel took the bundle of burbling baby back into her arms, Lena pulled the gun from the back of Dane’s jeans.

  And leveled it on the only man who could get her child back.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Dane was just about to tell everyone Lena was a friend when she swiped the Beretta from his waistband and leveled it on Colton.

  Fuck.

  This was not the way to make friends. Not with this crowd.

  Sure, they liked to joke around about shooting one another, but for the most part it was frowned upon.

  “What the hell are you doing?” Angel snapped.

  Colton jumped up and put himself between her and the gun. Dane grabbed Angel’s arm and pulled her back to safety at the same time Garrett stood to push her out of the way, over by the door.

  “Lena, this isn’t the way,” Dane said calmly, as he would when easing a skittish horse.

  Colton held out his hand to Lena in greeting, as if he hadn’t noticed she was holding a gun on him. “Hello. You’re Lena, right? You know me by another name, but I’m Colton Williamson.”

  That had not been a wise thing to do. It was obvious from the gasp by the door that Angel agreed.

  Lena twitched, and Dane realized what Colton was doing.

  “This is my wife, Angel. And our baby, John,” Colton said with a smile.

  Lena’s chin quivered and she pressed her lips together. “I… I’m sorry, but—”

  Dane should have realized the temptation would be too great. Kulakov had promised to turn over Kenzie if Lena brought Colton in. Dane knew she was too smart to believe it would go that way, but she wasn’t thinking straight at the moment.

  She’d recognized an opportunity and was desperate enough to try it. Dane knew, because a similar feeling had shivered down his spine when Colton fi
rst smiled at him.

  He shook away the thought, embarrassed and disgusted with himself for thinking it, even for a second.

  Angel, Colton, and John shouldn’t have been here. Destroying a family was not the way to save another one.

  “It won’t work,” Dane whispered in her ear. “Think about it. You know you can’t trust Kulakov to do the right thing. Even if you could get away from here with Colton—which will never happen—Viktor will kill Colton, then he’ll kill you, and sell Tobey and Kenzie to the highest bidder.”

  She made a noise of despair, and he knew he was getting through to her.

  “You can’t win playing his game. You have to be smarter. We’ll find another way. One that will get your daughter back safely, and allow all of us to go home to our families.”

  Everyone but him.

  Dane wouldn’t have that opportunity. He no longer had a family. Not really.

  “It’s true. You know Viktor Kulakov,” Colton said slowly. “I still have nightmares about the man.”

  Lena swallowed loudly but didn’t move.

  Dane would have been able to unarm her in a few swift moves. Not to mention, the Beretta had an external safety that was still engaged. Which everyone in the room was aware of, except Lena. They were just following his lead. It was important for her to make this decision on her own. Once she realized this wasn’t the way to go forward, she’d be ready to join them.

  Colton continued to work on her emotions. “If you’ve spent any time with Kulakov, you know his word isn’t worth shit. He ordered me shot six times and walked away while I bled out. He has no regard for human life. He will have someone kill you, and then sell your innocent daughter to some pervert without blinking an eye. But if you put the gun down, we can help you get her back. You can trust us.”

  The gun shook in her trembling hands and tears welled up in her eyes. “I’ll think of something,” she said, and used her forearm to wipe away the tears before steadying her aim. “I have to save Kenzie.”

  Chapter Forty-Two