19. Selene

19

SELENE

A soft sigh escapes me as I roll over and stretch my arm out for Dane. Instead, I only touch rumpled sheets. Cracking an eyelid, I see that his side of the bed is empty, and I’m all alone.

My eyes dart to the bathroom, but the light is off. The mirror is placed in such a way I can see much of the bathroom interior, so unless Dane is crouching awkwardly and scrunched into one half of the tub, I don’t think he’s in there, either.

Where is he? Possibly making rounds of the campground or something else outdoorsy and macho. Ernest Hemingway would love Dane. All action, no rumination on feelings.

The thing is, Dane can be sweet. Tender, even. But only when he really lets his guard down, which isn’t very often. I can almost feel the tragedy coming off of him. Something happened, before, during, or after his service. And given how little time he’s been a civilian, the third option doesn’t seem likely.

I heard from my cousin Emory that Harlowe and Dane’s father was an infamous criminal. High-end thievery, jewel heists, that sort of thing. I can only imagine what it would do to a kid growing up with a parent like that .

Plus, it’s not like going to war is easy on the human psyche. Even if Dane avoided catastrophe, he could still bear many scars that would take years to heal. If they ever do heal.

I’m not an idiot, nor am I a blushing virgin. Dane’s not the first emotionally unavailable man I’ve been involved with. The question is, will Dane open up to me eventually, or is this just the way things are going to be?

I feel his side of the bed. It’s clammy with sweat. I bet he had another nightmare. He could have woke me up and maybe I could have helped, but instead he decided to leave me here all alone.

My heart starts beating faster when I remember the Morenos are after me. Then I remember where we are. No way could they find us out here. Dane made sure no one followed us.

Once I feel safe again, my mind seizes upon Dane’s emotional distance. He’s opened up to me from time to time. Could there be hope he would make that the default instead of the exception?

Dane certainly scores high in many other ways, even if he is distant. He’s easy on the eyes, for one. He can get shit done, both in and out of the bedroom. I feel safe and seen and taken care of whenever Dane acts to protect me. I guess that means I trust him.

My eyes widen as I stare up at the ceiling. Shit, is that what’s going on? I’m so used to taking care of Justin, it feels weird to have a man take care of me? Do I have some kind of martyr complex?

Or maybe I’m trying to put all the blame on Dane, instead of on myself. Face it, Selene. You’re not the most emotionally available beast, either. You can talk for hours about the nuance between Sam Winston’s practical effects from genre to genre, but when it comes to the serious, emotional stuff?

That’s when I vanish. Or change the subject. I used to think I just didn’t want to talk about my fucked up family situation. Now I’m not so sure. I guess I’ve got more in common with Dane than I thought.

Speaking of Dane, where is he? If he needed to take a walk and cool his head, I get it, but he should have gotten back by now.

I’m dressed and out in the hallway in mere minutes, quietly padding through the darkened cabin. I see no sign of Dane inside so I head outside. The evening breeze stirs my hair.

It’s peaceful. Too peaceful. Somewhere out there, Justin could be hurt. Suffering. And here I am, having sex with a hot former SEAL and enjoying an evening breeze. It doesn’t seem fair.

I shake my head in silent admonishment. This has been my mindset for a long time. It’s what leads me to letting Justin back into my life again and again, even though I know how it always turns out.

This time was different, though. Justin didn’t seem like he wanted to get me involved, and the Morenos are certainly a far more direct and physical threat than the usual problems that Justin brings into my life.

Something moves in the shadow, but I’m not afraid. It’s got to be Dane, finally finishing his rounds of the campground.

“Hey, you,” I say as he approaches.

“Hey.”

I freeze. That’s not Dane’s voice. Petty strides up to me, sweat glistening on his brow. I back away, inhaling a deep breath to let out as a scream.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Petty says, leveling a gun my way. I hadn’t even noticed he had it in his hand. “I’ve gone through enough goddamn trouble to lay hands on you.”

“You won’t kill me. Moreno needs me for something.”

“Nobody ever said he needed you alive, kid.”

His cold-blooded declaration freezes me solid. He could be bluffing. He probably even is. But can I take that chance?

I think I might have to. I don’t want to be at the mercy of the Moreno family. As if guessing my intentions, his eyebrows arch and his finger curls around the trigger.

“Try me, little girl. And if you’re in the mood to gamble with your life, you should probably think about your brother first.”

I gasp. “He’s alive?”

“Maybe,” he replies with a shrug.

“How did you even find me here?” I blurt.

A grin spreads across his face .

“Networking. Simple networking. People think they know who works for our type of organization. Strip club owners, shady accountants, junkyard night watchmen…but the truth is we have associates everywhere. Including the two-bit junkie who watches this campground overnight. He sold you out for a rock of crack.”

He motions with the gun. “Now come along.”

I get closer and he grabs my arm with his free hand, ushering me along. We reach a steep, short hill at the edge of the campground. A slash of shadow bisecting the hill is a dirt bike trail, which Petty urges me to climb. I get about halfway up when I lose my balance and fall to the dirt.

“Quit fucking around,” Petty growls. “I hope you don’t expect me to help you get–”

He has trouble speaking because my foot is in his face. I stomp hard, and push my way up. Petty falls back and the gun fires, a long retort that seems to echo on forever. No way Dane didn’t hear that.

“Bitch,” Petty sputters. I try to run but I slip on the rugged terrain. Petty’s weight falls on my back. His arm snakes around my neck and he squeezes tight. I can still breathe, but my vision dims on the edges, and then goes almost totally black.

He lets me go, and I flop face-first into a pile of dead leaves. I struggle to stay conscious as he drags me up to a logging trail. I try and fight him off, but it feels like I’m moving through thick mud. Thinking through it, too, for that matter.

He doesn’t have any trouble getting me into the back of his SUV. I flop onto the floorboards, and find myself staring at a finely polished dark brown Italian leather shoe.

Slowly, I lift my gaze up to see the owner. Moreno. His face splits in a grin as Petty gets in the front seat.

I realize that Moreno and Petty are not alone. There’s a driver as well. Petty gives the driver a dirty look. I take it the driver refused to help in the actual abduction.

Not that Petty had needed help. The truck speeds away, and despair creeps in. Had Dane even seen what happened ?

“Selene,” Moreno says. “Try and comport yourself with some dignity, and get off the floor already.”

My glare intensifies as I scramble up into the passenger seat beside him. I consider jumping out, but the truck’s really moving now and I’m a makeup artist, not a stuntwoman.

Besides, it sounds like Justin might still be alive. I can’t take the chance. I just have to hope Dane can find me.

Somehow.

“What do you want with me?” I ask, finally lucid enough to speak.

He nods. “You’ll find all you need to know right here.”

He picks up a manila folder on the seat next to him and hands it over. Inside, I find a lot of printed out photos of a middle-aged, balding man with bushy sideburns. His thick glasses make it hard to tell what color his eyes are.

There’s nothing much distinctive about him, and I’ve never seen him before in my life.

“I hope this isn’t who I’m supposed to assassinate,” I say at length. I’m surprised at how calm and level my voice sounds.

“Oh no, Selene. We need you to use your unique skill set. This individual is named Paxton Rush. He’s a two-bit data entry clerk at a business holding of mine. He’s due in court next week, but between you and me, he’s not going to make it.”

His sinister chuckle makes my skin crawl.

“What do me or my brother have to do with any of this?”

“Simple. If Rush were to go missing, then I’d be suspect numero-uno. The prosecution would make a motion to de-exclude some, shall we say, touchy documents in light of the witness being unable to testify. I can’t have that.”

“I’m not a lawyer, I can barely even follow you.”

“You don’t have to. All you have to do is work your make-up magic on one of my associates so he looks like Paxton when he shows up for his scheduled testimony.”

I scoff, shaking my head.

“You’re insane,” I sputter, despite the danger. “You can’t just make someone up to look like somebody else. It’s almost impossible. In the movies they use camera tricks and, these days, CGI to make it look good.”

“Ah, but your mastery of silicone application techniques will make it possible. Plus, just wait until you see the ringer I found. This guy already looks a lot like the genuine article. Your work is more than half done.”

I’m still dubious as Hell, but I’m probably going to have to at least try if me and my brother are going to come out of this alive. Moreno is ruthless, and doesn’t take no for an answer.

Paxton’s kind of chubby. If the ringer isn’t likewise I might as well throw my hands up in the air, but if they have similar bone structure, and are around the same age…it might be possible.

“Wait, if this Paxton guy is a witness against you, why isn’t he in protective custody or something?”

“Oh, he is, but I’ve already bought off the two low level feds guarding him. Don’t you worry about logistics, honey, you just worry about doing that Hollywood magic.”

I want to slap him.

“Where’s my brother?”

“You’ll see him soon enough,” Moreno says.

Damn it, does that mean I’m going to meet Justin in the afterlife, or is my brother okay? I don’t think I’ll get any more answers out of Moreno. Especially not when Petty hands him my phone.

My jaw falls open when Moreno then hands me the phone.

“You’re going to text your bodyguard and tell him you left of your own accord,” Moreno says. “You understand? And don’t try any stupid secret message bullshit. I’ll approve your text first.”

My fingers type quickly, SOS and Moreno and help . Then I send. Moreno laughs.

“You think I’m stupid? It’s in airplane mode right now. That text isn’t going anywhere. Now, delete that bullshit and do what I told you, unless you want Justin to get fitted for a nice pair of concrete shoes.”

I delete the message, my hands shaking badly. An image of Justin sinking down into the water, vanishing forever, almost sends me into a panic .

Somewhere in the midst of my fear, an idea germinates in the shallow soil of my brain. There might be a way for Dane to find me, but only if his sister is as good at hacking as she seems, and this car is registered to Moreno personally.

I start to type, then look up at Moreno.

“I can’t believe you came here to abduct me yourself in your own car. I feel so special.”

I attentively await his response. Moreno shrugs.

“What can I say? You have to do things yourself to get them done right. And I like to ride in style. My car has all the climate control set up the way I like.”

That’s all the confirmation I need. I type the message and then hand him the phone. He reads it and nods.

“Looks good to me…sheesh, I told you to tell him you were leaving, not tear his heart out and stomp on it. Oh well, good enough.”

He sends the message and then tucks my phone away in his coat pocket. I sit back, staring sullenly out the window.

I hope that when Dane gets my message, he’ll understand what it really means.