Chapter Eighty

Lena was losing her mind.

It had been three days since her last phone call with Viktor. She was still in Savannah. She spent most of her time camped out in front of Viktor’s abandoned complex, hoping he would come back with Kenzie.

Two handguns sat next to her on the console of the Jeep. She didn’t think they would be enough to take down Viktor and his entourage, but from watching the Wizard of Oz, she fantasized that if she melted Viktor, all his followers would be grateful and swear their allegiance to her. Maybe they would even break into song. In one daydream, she imagined Butch telling her to keep his Jeep in thanks for saving all their asses.

Right.

She took a break from her delusions to wonder where Dane might be. Was he okay? Was Tobey okay? She knew he’d needed to go. She had sent him off even though he’d offered to stay.

But this whole situation reminded her painfully of the strict promise she’d made to herself.

The one she’d broken for Dane.

She knew she shouldn’t—couldn’t—rely on anyone but herself to get through life. Her marriage with Brandon had sent that message home in a big way. It had been nice to allow Dane to take some of the burden and worry off her shoulders, but in the end, this no-win situation was all on her.

It wasn’t Dane’s fault. He’d tried his best to help her, and she knew there were no guarantees. He hadn’t sugar-coated the possible outcomes. There’d been no way to know Mackenzie wouldn’t be there when they arrived at the compound. Lena knew if her daughter had been where they’d expected her to be, Dane would have done whatever necessary to get her out safely.

But now Lena was alone. She hadn’t called him yet. She liked to think it was because she spent all her time sitting in the Jeep and didn’t have a working phone, but she knew there was a different reason.

She was afraid.

What if he still harbored anger for her part in Tobey’s kidnapping and didn’t care what happened to her or Kenzie? She didn’t think that was the case. She’d experienced his kindness. But she didn’t know what she would do if he told her they were at the end of the trail, nothing to do, her daughter was gone and so was he.

It was easier to sit here, waiting for Viktor to come back so she could end this.

One way or another.

She only slightly wondered if she was losing it.

The tapping on the glass next to her made her jump and hit her head. She rolled down the window to see Angel standing there. Her expression grim.

“Let’s go,” Angel said, and nodded to the console. “Bring those.”

Lena shook herself out of her surprise, scooped up her weapons, and jumped out of the Jeep. She stopped at the back to grab her bag, and tucked the guns inside.

“Where are we going?” she asked as she hurried after the woman, who walked really fast for having shorter legs. “Where’s everyone else?”

Everyone meaning Dane.

“We’re going to a funeral.”

Lena stopped walking. Fear gripped her heart, and the guilt she’d felt earlier shattered into worry for the man she’d come to care for. He’d said someone on his team had been injured. It appeared it was worse than that.

“Justin,” Angel answered before Lena had the chance to ask.

“Oh God. I’m so sorry.” She’d come to care about all the people on the team. It was obvious they all loved one another like family. And they’d taken her in and accepted her, even though she didn’t belong.

“Dane is making the funeral arrangements. That’s why he didn’t come get you himself. He called, but your phone was disconnected. Luckily, I could still track it.”

Of course she could. The woman was scary.

“I don’t have anything to wear to a funeral,” Lena said, feeling embarrassment heat her cheeks.

“We’ll stop somewhere before we fly out.”

“I can’t get on a plane. I don’t have ID.”

Angel smiled. “It’s a private plane.”

They sent a private plane to pick her up? She appreciated everything they were doing, but there was one thing that was more important right now. “What about my daughter?”

“We’re still working on the plan,” Angel said. “We’ll finalize after the funeral.”

“Of course.” Lena didn’t want to be rude or disrespectful. She just wanted her daughter back. When they got to a black SUV in the parking lot, she hesitated.

Her daughter had been in Savannah. That was the last place Lena had seen her…even if it was by phone. True, Kenzie could be anywhere by this point, but what if they brought her back here and Lena wasn’t there?

“Are you coming?” Angel asked, popping back up from the driver’s door.

Her daughter’s life was at stake.

Could she really trust these people to get her back?