Watched from a Distance

by Allison B Hanson

  Was that true? Was that the reason she hadn’t asked until it was out of her control? If she’d asked at the bar and he’d told her about Tobey, would she have been able to lure him into her room and club him over the head with a bottle?

  She couldn’t do anything about the past. She needed to focus on what was next. “Please tell me you know where this guy is. We can go get him, turn him over to Viktor, and get Tobey back.”

  Had she thought she missed his smile? She didn’t like the one on his face now. It was twisted and spiteful.

  “In addition to being a cold-hearted bitch, you must be the stupidest goddamned person on the face of the earth if you actually think that’s what will happen. Tobey has seen Viktor. I have seen Viktor. We are as good as dead.”

  She swallowed as that sank in. Dane had a point, however morbid. She’d seen enough movies to know the bad guys normally wore masks in hostage situations. Presidents, bunnies, or just a run-of-the-mill ski mask, they kept their identity a secret so the victim couldn’t describe them to the police. Not covering their faces meant they didn’t plan to leave behind living victims.

  Her breath caught in her throat at the thought.

  She had seen Viktor, too.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dane ate everything on his plate as Lena picked at her silly salad. Everyone knew you ate hearty during a crisis because you didn’t know when you’d get the chance to eat again. She obviously wasn’t trained for this kind of thing.

  His comment about him being as good as dead had made her face go pale with fear. No doubt she’d finally realized she was just as expendable as Dane was.

  Nourishment had fueled his brain, and he was thinking through several plans. Unfortunately, the scenarios he came up with also came complete with a deadly ending if the plan went wrong. He already knew he would be too cautious to actually follow through on any of them. No way would he risk Tobey.

  He wasn’t going to be able to do this alone. He needed someone on the outside to call the shots. He needed his team.

  But how would he get word to them without Lena knowing? He didn’t have his phone. They’d kept it, along with his wallet and keys. He should have asked to borrow someone’s phone in the restroom. But he’d been too furious to think of it at the time. Talk about being an idiot.

  He needed to get Lena to trust him, but he’d already lashed out. Badly. He should have played it differently. Now he’d have to backpedal. After calling someone a soulless bitch and telling them you wanted to kill them with your bare hands, it would be a little difficult to change tactics at this point. Not to mention impossible. He wasn’t that good of an actor.

  As she paid for the meal with Viktor’s card, he stood and waited for her to walk out of the restaurant first. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t a lady, he could still be civilized.

  They were back on the highway heading south, and he hadn’t come up with any way to convince her to jump ship to help him. What would it take? Money? He had some, but not as much as Kulakov.

  The afternoon came and went in silence. The sun went down and it began to rain. She kept her eyes on the road, her fingers clenched around the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.

  Maybe offering to drive would endear him to her. But surely, she wouldn’t let him drive. She would lose all the control if he were allowed behind the wheel. Except for the fact that he didn’t know when she was supposed to call Viktor next.

  He debated for another hour whether it was worth it to ask her for anything. Pride kept his mouth stubbornly closed. He didn’t want to give her even the smallest inkling of power over him.

  At eleven-thirty she pulled off the highway. “We need gas. And food. And I— I need a break, okay? I’m so exhausted, I’m worried I’ll fall asleep and kill us.”

  It was the first time she’d snapped at him, despite the way he’d treated her.

  He nodded and swallowed down the impulse to feel guilty. She didn’t deserve to be treated with respect. She was a monster. A criminal. But he needed her.

  “Damn it,” he muttered and got out of the car to go pump the gas. His mother—God rest her soul—would be repulsed by his terrible manners. If he did end up in heaven at some point, he’d rather not have to explain his poor behavior to his mother.

  “Go clean up and get us a table,” he demanded as he took the nozzle from her. He nodded in the direction of the truck stop restaurant with a frown.

  “I only need a few minutes and a gallon of coffee.”

  “We’re done for tonight.” He wouldn’t be able to help Tobey if they drifted off the highway and crashed into a tree.

  “I’ll be okay to keep going. I just—”

  “I’m not okay,” he cut off her argument. As chivalrous gestures went, his needed some work, but at least he would get the woman to rest.

  Chapter Fourteen

  It wasn’t easy for Lena to go inside the restaurant when Dane had the keys to the vehicle. She’d already used the credit card and put it in her back pocket with her phone. But that wouldn’t help her if he decided to run off without her.

  Calling Viktor to tell him she’d failed wasn’t an option.

  Could she blame Dane for leaving her here? She let out a sigh and ordered her meal and a burger for him. She was so hungry she would be able to eat both. Plus, if Viktor checked the receipts, it would look like a meal for two.

  How long would she be able to convince Viktor everything was going smoothly? If he asked her to put Dane on the phone, it would be game over. She had too much at stake to risk angering Viktor Kulakov, but she refused to condemn an innocent child for her stupidity.

  “Get it together,” she whispered, letting her head rest in her hands. She could have slept sitting at the table. Maybe she did. Because when she lifted her head, Dane was sitting across from her tapping a straw out of the wrapper, and their food was there.

  His gaze stayed on hers as he popped the straw in his drink and sucked down a swallow. She pressed her lips together to hide a stupid smile. He didn’t trust her. Not remotely. But this was something, at least.

  They ate in silence, and she paid the check leaving a bigger tip than normal because she was too tired to figure out the math.

  He stood with a groan as she signed the bill. Enough was enough. She found the bottle of pills in her purse and grabbed his hand to pull him closer. “This is ridiculous,” she snapped, shaking one of the capsules into his warm palm. “Take it.”

  “Do you think this is going to win me over?” he asked, his voice low.

  “No. I’m just tired of seeing you in pain when you don’t need to be.”

  “And who’s making sure Tobey isn’t in any pain right now? Huh? I have no right to take something to dull the pain when Tobey could be hurting, or worse.”

  “I can assure you, he’s being well taken care of.”

  “Oh, yes. Viktor seems like the most amazing host. He’s planning to kill him. Why would he treat him civilly?”

  She let out a sigh and looked Dane in the eye. “Because he wants to make sure you still have hope. If he mistreated Tobey, you might reach a point where you’d be content to let him go to end his suffering. Viktor would lose his power over you.” She shook her head. “No. He will make sure your son is treated well. Right up until the moment he gives the order to kill him. Until then, you still have a chance.”

  She hadn’t said it just to make Dane feel better. It was true. Tobey still had a chance. And so did she.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lena’s words—calm and sure—sliced right through him, and nearly had him choking up his dinner. Thankfully, she was right. He still had a chance to save Tobey.

  Viktor Kulakov was a master of manipulation. He knew that much from what Colton Williamson had told the team. Colton had worked for the DEA and was undercover in Kulakov’s organization for two years before being shot six times and declared legally dead. That’s how he ended up joining Task Force Phoenix.

  Kulakov wou
ld use Tobey to keep Dane in line, and it would be much more effective if Tobey was left unharmed…right up until Viktor no longer needed him.

  Dane wouldn’t give Kulakov a reason to use Tobey to motivate him into compliance. He would make sure Viktor thought he was working on finding Colton. But while he was doing that, he also needed to find Tobey so he could get him out of Viktor’s clutches. Before it was too late.

  And with that thought, he was back to his original question of how he would do that with Lena watching him.

  She put the key in the ignition, but he stopped her before she could start the engine. He let out a sigh and decided to just go for it. He didn’t have time to feign friendship, and doubted he’d be able to make it believable, anyway.

  “Do you have my wallet and phone?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” She pulled her giant purse from the back seat and dug through it until she found his wallet and handed it over. His ID, credit cards, and cash were all gone. He now had two condoms and a gym membership. Not helpful in his current situation.

  He rolled his eyes and tucked the useless accessory in his back pocket as she handed over his cell phone.

  “Who are you going to call?” she asked.

  “My team. I’ll need a minute.” He reached for the door handle, wanting privacy.

  “Wait.” She grabbed the phone back. “What are you going to say?”

  He’d expected a flat out no, so he offered a truthful explanation. “I’m going to tell them what happened, and see what they suggest I do.” Because he still couldn’t come up with a viable plan on his own. He was too close to the situation. He needed help.

  “You’re not going to go get this Robbie guy?”

  “That Robbie guy is a good person. He was a decorated marine before he joined the DEA. His father and four brothers were all cops. The only reason Viktor hasn’t gone after his family is because he’s so well hidden. He’s in witness protection because he was willing to give up his old life to put Viktor behind bars.”

  Dane wished Colton would have been successful in putting Viktor away.

  “That Robbie guy is married to my best friend, and they have a baby. While you might be vile enough to put a child at risk, I’m not. So, no, I’m not just going to go get this Robbie guy. He’s a real person. A good person.” Dane ran his hand through his hair before adding, “Besides, I don’t know where he is.”

  She handed over the phone. “Make the call in here. I know you hate my guts, but we’re in this together. Whatever we have to do to make this right, we’ll do.”

  He stared at her for a long moment, not seeing anything but sincere regret. He knew better than to trust her.

  “Make the call here, or don’t make it at all. It’s up to you,” she said. She might have sounded like she was in control of the situation if her voice hadn’t shaken twice as she delivered her order.

  Rather than push her on it, he took the phone and made the call.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It began to rain as Lena sat in the parking lot staring out the windshield, wondering if she’d made a huge mistake. Twenty minutes later, Dane was still on the phone with someone from something called Task Force Phoenix, recounting every detail of his ordeal.

  He didn’t leave anything out. Not even her role in the horror story. To her surprise, he didn’t embellish the tale with nasty names. He kept it simple, referring to her as the woman who’d hunted him down and hit him with a bottle. She considered that a step in the right direction. And much better than soulless bitch.

  She couldn’t blame him for his choice of words. From where he was sitting, she probably seemed that way. And truth be told, she was starting to feel like she really had lost her soul. Or rather, it had been taken from her. Each day that passed, she felt another piece of her soul stripped away, leaving behind more numbness.

  Last August, her world had been turned upside down and tossed around like a dingy in a storm. And now she’d landed here in this parking lot with Dane. Maybe if she’d told him the truth from the beginning, he would have been willing to help her instead of hating her.

  Other than a few muffled comments, she hadn’t picked up anything from the other end of the call. What were they planning, and how would it affect her and her situation?

  “Okay. We’ll meet you there. I can’t fly, I don’t have any ID. We’ll be staying at the Super Motel west of Kansas City. Can you send supplies tonight?” He nodded, and gave them the name of the hotel across the street. “Great. I’ll see you in a few days.”

  He hung up and pointed to the hotel. “We’re staying there. Go get us a room with your fancy platinum card.”

  She drove the few hundred feet to the other parking lot, and got out to go into the office. Dane didn’t move.

  Even if he ran off, she wouldn’t give him up and put his son in more danger. But Dane didn’t know that. Letting him believe she would tell Viktor was the only way to ensure his cooperation. It also kept him from killing her.

  After securing a room with two queen-size beds, she took a breath and stepped out of the motel, hoping he would still be there.

  She wasn’t even surprised to find the Jeep empty.

  Chapter Seventeen

  After his surveillance of the property, Dane headed back to the Jeep. When he came around the building, he spotted Lena standing by the vehicle, her phone in her hand and worry on her face. He picked up his pace and yelled to her, hoping she wasn’t sounding the alarms of his escape.

  “Yes. Okay. Goodbye,” she said into the phone as he walked up. “It was my scheduled time to call in.”

  “I thought you figured I’d escaped.”

  “You have no money, no ID, and your friends are sending supplies to this hotel.”

  She was smarter than he’d given her credit for. Evil and smart. A bad combination. “When do you have to call in next?” he asked.

  “I can’t tell you that.” She bit her bottom lip. At another time, the gesture would have interested him. But he’d fallen for that trick before. He’d like to think he was intelligent enough to learn from his mistakes.

  “Right.” He frowned. For a brief moment he’d allowed himself to hope he wasn’t alone in this ordeal. But, no. She was the enemy. Despite looking like the sexy girl-next-door, she was rotten inside. He would be wise to remember that.

  She led him to their room. Neither of them had any luggage. They would need to stop for clothes and necessities the next day. They would be driving for a few days and they didn’t need to make things even more uncomfortable by neglecting important things like hygiene.

  For now, the only thing he wanted was a bed. The pain killer had helped, but he was still sore from sitting all day. A groan escaped as he kicked off his shoes and socks. After washing his face in the bathroom, he wrestled off his jeans and winced as he fell back on the bed, stars crowding his vision for a moment.

  He heard a sharp gasp from his roommate and figured it was because he had stripped down to his boxers. Fuck modesty.

  He tugged off his shirt and threw it in the direction of the chair as he slumped back on the pillow and let out a deep breath. He had almost reached sleep when he heard the microwave come on.

  Not caring enough to see what she was doing, he kept his eyes closed and tried not to think about where Tobey was or what was happening to him. He’d never be able to sleep if he did.

  He felt the cooler air of the room hit his skin as the sheet was pulled away from his body. He shot up to a sitting position, then gasped in pain.

  “Damn it. What do you think you’re doing?” he yelled at the woman who had exposed him. She was still dressed, but her gaze was on his lower body.

  Seriously? There was no way he was having sex with her. Not happening.

  His cock stirred in protest of his conviction. No way, he thought again, for good measure.

  “You’re hurting. I want to help.” She held up a wet towel. She folded it and placed it over the damage on his leg. He sucked in a breath from the
scalding temperature.

  “Son of a bitch, that’s hot.”

  “It will help. Give it a minute.” She went into the bathroom.

  He’d had heat therapy before and it was helpful. He might have thought to try it, himself, if he hadn’t been thinking about so many other things.

  A few minutes later, she stepped back into the room and removed the towel that had cooled. She sat on the edge of the bed and opened a tiny bottle with the hotel logo on it.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m going to massage your muscles so you can sleep easier.”

  “No. I’m good. I don’t want you touching me.” He pulled away, but she didn’t move.

  “I have a certificate in massage. Let me help you.”

  “I thought you were a designer,” he scoffed as she squeezed the lotion into her palms and rubbed them together.

  “And you said you were in sales, Mr. U.S. Marshal. I think we both know we’re capable of lying when we have to.” She put her hands on him and he jumped from the contact. She concentrated her efforts on the outer muscles rather than just the areas that had been injured.

  It felt good. With each stroke of her hand, he could feel another fiber of his body unwind and stretch out. He made a happy moan and wished he could take it back.

  He didn’t want her to think he appreciated her help. Or needed it. Except, it was too hard to focus on hating her when she was making him feel so good.

  He opened his eyes to see her leaning close to his leg. She’d taken the ponytail out, and her long, brown hair fell around her, blocking his view of her face. The ends of her hair brushed against his leg as she moved.

  Then he saw another movement—against his will his cock had hardened and now it lurched to get her attention.

  It worked. She sat back, her gaze on his unruly member.

  Shit.

  “That’s enough. Good.” He swallowed and jerked the sheet up to cover himself, but the flimsy fabric did nothing to help. Especially when he twitched again.