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.