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.