Watched from a Distance

by Allison B Hanson

  If he was leaving the country, it could also mean he was going to meet one of his customers. The evil kind who brokered in little girls. With Lena’s betrayal, he no longer had any reason to keep her daughter around. The fact was, Kenzie could already be lost to that terrifying underworld.

  Lena felt sick and the room spun as if she’d had too much to drink, despite having gone to bed sober.

  Dane nuzzled closer and wrapped his arm around her waist. He was warm and smelled like soap and clean sheets. He was also aroused in the way men were in the morning.

  How nice it would be if this was her real life. If the only thing she had to worry about was being quiet so they didn’t wake Kenzie. If she could snuggle in bed with this man, knowing her daughter was safe in her own bed, right down the hall.

  The joy of that thought brought tears to Lena’s eyes, but she blinked them away.

  Dane’s job was saving people. Right now it was Kenzie, but it wouldn’t stop with her. He would go on other missions and jobs that would put him in danger. And that danger could possibly follow him home. The situation with Tobey had made that likelihood crystal clear.

  She couldn’t risk being part of that. Couldn’t put herself in that kind of danger. If she got Kenzie back, she would do whatever she had to do to keep her safe. Not just the normal things like stranger-danger and taking smaller bites, but the long-term things, like who was allowed in her daughter’s life.

  She had responsibilities, and she hadn’t taken them seriously enough before.

  She’d never make that mistake again.

  Dane stirred and made a small groan of happiness. She wasn’t sure if it was because he’d slept well or because his erection was nestled up against her hip.

  “Good morning,” he said in a voice deep and scratchy with sleep.

  “Good morning.” Her voice, by contrast, sounded high and flinty. It was impossible to disguise her worry.

  “Today’s the day we get your daughter back.”

  He sounded so confident she wanted to believe him. But they’d been in this place before. She’d woken up a little over a week ago with the same hope in her heart.

  Hopefully, today would be different.

  The outcome must be different.

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  It felt like Christmas morning when Dane walked out into the living room. Not the Christmas mornings he’d had after his mother died, but the fun kind with a tree and presents and a big breakfast.

  While there was no tree, there were plenty of presents. At least, of the weapons and ammunition variety. And Colton was in the kitchen fixing the big breakfast.

  The thing that really made it feel like a holiday was the spirit and excitement of everyone in the house.

  With one exception.

  He’d heard Lena crying in the bathroom on his way down the hall. He’d wanted to knock and go in to soothe her. But the only thing that would make her feel better was a guarantee he couldn’t give.

  They had even less intel than they’d had with the first raid. And like the first time, their resources would be split between the house and the yacht.

  Garrett and the two borrowed marshals were taking the house. It wasn’t a sprawling estate like in Savannah, so it wouldn’t take much to check it. And with Viktor being offsite, the place wouldn’t be heavily guarded. That would leave Colton, Angel, Lena, and Dane to check Glorious Morning and keep Kulakov from getting away.

  Facing Kulakov meant facing all his bodyguards.

  Lena had been given the option of staying with Garrett to check the house, but she had chosen to stay with Dane. He hadn’t said anything, had let it be her decision, but he was pleased with her choice. It meant he would be right there with her if she needed him.

  When she came out to join the rest of the team, she took a tiny portion of eggs and sat off to the side.

  Dane filled his plate and went to sit next to her. “Are you going to be able to do this?” he asked gently.

  She nodded immediately. “I’ll be ready. I just don’t know how everyone else can be so casual about this. I’m scared. Aren’t they scared?”

  “Of course. We just handle it differently. We can’t let fear take over, or we would be useless. We have to put it on the back burner and deal with it when the mission’s over.”

  “I don’t know how you do this constantly. I’m not just scared for me. I’m worried about you. And what if Viktor gets to Colton? Angel is so small. I know she could kick my ass, but compared to Weller or Butch…” She finished the sentence with a shudder.

  “We’re all trained for this. It’s our job.”

  “But Justin—”

  “Bad things happen to good people every day. Let me tell you, I was in more danger in my corporate office with the great view than I am today.”

  She shook her head. “That’s different.”

  “You need to find a way to push it out away from you so it can’t mess you up. If you freeze up inside, that’s when it gets dangerous.”

  “I think I need a minute.” She dumped her uneaten eggs in the trash and went out the back door.

  An hour later, she still hadn’t come back in. He went to the back door, and when he didn’t see her, he stepped out on the small deck.

  “Lena?” he called, but got no response.

  Holy crap.

  She was gone.

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  Lena should have let someone know where she was going, but when she walked out of the yard, she hadn’t known where she was going.

  Of course she would return. She wouldn’t miss something as important as her daughter’s rescue. But she didn’t want all those people put in danger, either.

  She pushed her sunglasses back up on her nose and secured the bun on the top of her head. As disguises went, this one was pretty broke-ass, but it was what she had.

  Pretending to focus her attention on the cell phone that didn’t work while walking and spying proved to be more than she could do on a single pass. Waiting ten minutes, she walked back down the street on the sidewalk closest to Viktor’s Long Beach home.

  Was Kenzie in there? Could she be looking out the window? Would she recognize Lena if she saw her?

  It took every bit of strength she had to make sure she kept to the sidewalk and didn’t divert through the gate. She kept walking a mile and half to the marina where Glorious Morning was docked.

  The yacht was as pretentious as its name, and Lena wanted to light it on fire for what it represented. It wasn’t bad enough that Viktor had gobs of money, multiple homes, and a warehouse complex. He also owned ships and had enough people to protect him from people like her. Regular people whom he’d threatened.

  On board, she saw a few men readying the boat—none she recognized. A maid, burdened down with three large shopping bags, boarded with no help from the guard on duty.

  Surely, they wouldn’t bother to get the yacht ready unless Viktor was planning to leave on it.

  Noticing a car with the trunk still open, she stepped closer to take a look. The trunk was filled with more grocery bags. The maid was already on her way back for another load. This was a lot of food for a weekend excursion. This was enough to stock a galley for a number of weeks. Long enough to get to another country.

  Lena took a deep, calming breath and plastered a smile on her face. She had an idea.

  “Hi, I’m Jenny. Are you new?” she lied when the maid returned.

  “Kind of.” The other woman winced as if embarrassed it was that obvious. “I’m Rose.”

  “I know it’s a pain, Rose, but you should lock the trunk between trips,” Lena said, trying to look concerned. “In case someone came by and tampered with something Mr. Kulakov might eat.”

  Wow. Where was all this coming from? She’d opened her mouth and the lies just flew out.

  “Oh. Yes. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I won’t say anything. Did you need a hand carrying this onboard?”

  God. What was she doing?
She couldn’t just stroll onto Viktor’s yacht. What if he was onboard already? What if Weller or Butch were here, checking things over?

  But…what if Kenzie was onboard and Lena had a chance to sneak her off the boat without anyone getting hurt?

  “I wouldn’t want to bother you,” Rose said.

  “It’s no problem. I’m going up to check the media equipment for the trip. No sense going empty-handed. Besides, we don’t want this food sitting out here in the heat, right?”

  “Thank you. That would be great.” At mention of the food going bad, the maid hurried along.

  It wasn’t until Lena’s arms were weighed down with food and she was heading for the Glorious Morning gangplank that she realized this was a terrible idea that could easily go horribly, dreadfully wrong.

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  Lena’s hands trembled as she reached the guard standing at the gangway. He was probably going to ask her what business she had on the boat. Or her name, at least.

  What name had she given Rose? She was so nervous she couldn’t even remember.

  She needed to act like she belonged.

  “Rose?” she called to the woman a few feet in front of her.

  “Yes?”

  She made sure to wait until she was almost to the guard, then asked, “Did you remember the orange juice for his cocktails?”

  “Oh, yes. Three gallons.”

  “Good. I didn’t see them in my bags.”

  “No. They’re already inside.”

  Their conversation kept the guard from stopping her. In fact, he didn’t look remotely interested. She wondered how much the guy was being paid. Too much for the lax job he was doing. Not that she was complaining.

  It took a moment for her eyes to adjust from the bright sun on deck to the dim lighting in the galley. She set her bags next to Rose’s and turned toward the staterooms.

  “Let me know if you need any help. I’m just checking the televisions, then I’ll be heading out.”

  “Thanks for your help. I appreciate it.”

  Lena continued on her way, wondering what the hell she should do now. She was on the vessel Viktor would be using to flee the country. Surely, there was something she could do to ensure it wouldn’t be able to leave.

  Unfortunately, this was only the second time she’d ever been on a boat. And the first time was more of a canoe than a seafaring luxury yacht.

  All the important gauges and buttons were up on the bridge, above the deck where the other men were working. Even if she could get past them, she wouldn’t know what to do.

  On instinct, she pulled her phone from her pocket as if to call someone to help. But it was still useless. She’d kept it charged just in case Viktor reactivated it and called her about Kenzie, but for now it was nothing but a fancy way to tell time.

  She froze in the act of putting it back in her pocket and looked at it again.

  It wasn’t just telling time. It was also capable of being tracked by a certain little spitfire computer whiz.

  Oh, yeah.

  She smiled broadly, and turned her focus to finding a place to hide the phone so no one would find it and toss it overboard.

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  “I think your girl ran off,” Garrett said with a frown as Colton handed out the gear.

  Dane pressed his lips to a thin line. “Lena didn’t run off. She wouldn’t just walk away when we’re about to rescue her daughter.”

  He didn’t bother to mention that Lena wasn’t his girl, either…mostly because they hadn’t yet gotten around to classifying the relationship.

  A relationship that wouldn’t matter if she had, indeed, run off.

  Where the hell was she?

  He was picking up his car keys to hit the streets and look for her when the front door opened and she rushed in.

  “Am I late?” she asked, as if she hadn’t been gone the entire day.

  He tamped down his irritation. “No. But I was about to go search for you.”

  “I’m here now.” She looked…guilty or something. Guilt with a side of pride, maybe?

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “In ten words or less,” said Garrett, “we need to leave in about twenty minutes.”

  Lena straightened. “I was on Viktor’s yacht.”

  “What?” the whole team said at once.

  Startled, she took a step backward. “It just sort of…happened. I went for a walk and I knew where he lived because I’d seen the address on your maps. I just wanted to see if maybe Kenz was in the backyard playing or something.”

  “Was she?” Dane asked, hopeful.

  Lena shook her head. “No. So, I walked past the house and ended up at the marina. It’s obvious his staff is getting Glorious Morning ready to go on a long journey.”

  “What if he had seen you there?” Garrett snapped.

  “He wasn’t on board. I know because I was. I walked on with the maid who was stocking the refrigerator and pantry. I tried to think of a way to keep the boat from being able to leave, but I couldn’t come up with anything. So, instead, I hid my cell phone in one of the cabinets on deck. Angel should be able to track it if he gets away, right?”

  They all looked at her, then at one another in surprise. Dane was sure he had the same baffled expression on his face.

  Good God. She’d managed to get on board and plant a tracking device on Viktor Kulakov’s yacht? Dane was vaguely surprised she hadn’t stayed to cut and color his hair, too.

  Wordlessly, Angel whirled and headed for the dining room where their makeshift control center was set up.

  “Good job, Lena.” Samantha was the first person to break the stunned silence. Probably because she wasn’t as shocked as the rest of them, having been a normal person who’d had to live through an extraordinary situation.

  Dane knew Garrett had once underestimated her, but when it counted, Sam had stepped up and saved his life. Dane also knew while Garrett was glad to be alive, he hadn’t been too happy she didn’t listen to his orders but had put herself in danger.

  Dane could relate, big time.

  “I’m proud of you for thinking of it,” he told Lena when she tentatively stepped closer to him. “But I’m also mad as hell you risked yourself like that.”

  She shrugged. “It wasn’t much of a risk. I just helped the maid carry some groceries. Once I was onboard, no one seemed to care.”

  “Holy shit, it’s working,” Angel called out from the dining room.

  “I figured if he gets away, we’ll have another shot at him,” Lena reasoned.

  Dane felt the pride surge again.

  His girl had done one damn fine job.

  Chapter Ninety

  After the rush of adrenaline from her earlier adventure, Lena felt exhausted and ravenous. Unfortunately, she hadn’t gotten back in time for lunch, and there was no time for a nap.

  Instead, she was whisked off to sit in the parking lot at the marina where she’d been just an hour earlier.

  Her part of the plan was simple. She was supposed to stay close to Dane, and if—when—they saw Kenzie, Lena was supposed to have her daughter come to her. She would make sure she got Kenzie out of harm’s way as quickly as possible, in case bullets started flying.

  That part was more of an instinct that an actual plan. Getting her daughter to safety was imprinted in her genes. It didn’t take any thought or planning.

  Still, they’d gone over it all four times.

  She’d been caught up in all the preparations, but it was clear she wasn’t cut out for this. As much as she might have wanted Dane in her life, she wouldn’t be able to stand this constant tension. She didn’t have the strength to live her life on the edge like these people did. Planning for every possible outcome.

  For now, she would do her part. But more than that? She didn’t think it possible.

  Colton and Angel would be moving on the guards while Dane focused on Viktor.

  Initially, Colton had wanted to take point on Vi
ktor, but it was decided he might not be able to stop himself from taking the man down if Viktor actually surrendered. Viktor had cost Colton a lot, and no one would blame him for getting emotional and going over the edge.

  Certainly not Lena. She could understand better than anyone else what Viktor was capable of. He had to be stopped. She was fine with whatever happened to the monster.

  “I have a visual on Viktor leaving the main gate at the port. His cargo has been loaded on the freighter and he left the pier four minutes ago,” Samantha reported. “I just made an anonymous call to the port authority telling them I believe there may be something illegal inside the container. They are en route to investigate.”

  “Excellent. Garrett do you have anything?” Angel asked from the back seat where she was sitting with Colton.

  Garrett’s voice came over the com. “First floor secure, moving to the second.”

  Lena realized she was squeezing Dane’s hand too hard when he adjusted his fingers.

  “Sorry,” she whispered.

  “It’s going to be okay. We’ll find her,” Dane promised, two seconds before Garrett came back on the radio.

  “No one inside the house. It’s been cleared out. We’re going to redirect to the marina. Be there in twenty.”

  This was it, then.

  Lena prayed Kenzie was here. Because it could very well be their last chance to save her child.

  Chapter Ninety-One

  Dane expected Garrett’s news to have sent Lena into a panic, but instead, it seemed as though the opposite had happened. He’d felt the tension leave her body in one soft sigh.

  Her manic grip released, and she closed her eyes as if she’d found peace.

  Had she given up? Would she be able to move when the time came? If the time came?

  There was no guarantee that Kenzie was still with Kulakov. Had he put her in the container with a bunch of other captives at the port? It was a worry, but Dane didn’t think that was what had happened.