Dane

Dane took the car back home, planning to send Yosif back to the office just in case she'd gone for lunch, or something, and was planning to come back to it. Though he'd yell at her about that, too, if she had. What was the point of using the car between home and the office if she didn't use if for errands? He could have called another car if he'd needed it.

​​

He hadn't exactly been kind to her before she left. She could be forgiven for thinking he might not want to do something nice for her.

Fuck.

He'd messed everything up again and now she was loose in the city and…no. She was probably just in her apartment, spitting mad at him for being such an ass. He'd find her and make it better, then yell at her to make sure she never did it again.

Except, if she was home, why wasn't she answering her phone?

Then it hit him. She hadn't had her phone with her when she'd taken him to the party. She'd left it at home. He dialed her number himself this time and waited, fingers tapping on his thigh, staring out the window as Yosif drove him up the parking complex so he'd be as close to the Penthouse as possible. But she didn't answer.

She didn't answer the second time either.

Every instinct he had was screaming that she was out there, without a phone, and she needed him. Fuck.

Stabbing the phone screen as he got out of the car and barked for Yosif to wait just in case, he called Chris.

"Yeah?"

"Trace her phone. She left it at home this morning when we left—"

"Already done. It's at her house. I figured she was just pissed off with you and not answering."

Fuck. "Has it moved?"

"What?"

"The coordinates. Has the phone moved at all since ten am this morning."

Fierce tapping and a curse sounded on the other end of the line. "No."

"Not at all? Not even—"

"The gyro hasn't even engaged, Dane. No one's had a hand on that phone since… nine oh nine am."

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, Fuck.

Lila, where are you?

"You worried?" Chris asked seriously. He knew Dane's instincts. Knew they'd rarely turned him wrong.

"Yes. Very."

"Very? Why? He probably doesn't even—"

"It's my birthday, Chris."

"Fuck."

Dane's thoughts exactly.

Where was his father?

*****

Lila

The pounding was so loud, Lila dreamed Dane's father had driven a tractor into the building as he pursued her. It took seconds for her to break through the veil of sleep and realize the noise was real.

She sat bolt-upright on the couch. Rubbing her sleep-blurred eyes she looked around the apartment. Rupert stretched between the folds of the blanket next to her, but immediately returned to sleep. She was about to join him when the pounding began again, punctuated by her name.

Someone was shouting for her?

Leaping off the couch, she caught sight of the melted tub of ice cream currently leaving a wet ring on her coffee table, and swore. But the pounding was frantic, so she left it, stumbling around the couch to the little entryway of her apartment and yanked the door open—to come face to face with Dane, eyes near black with rage, his shoulder heaving with his breath.

She blinked again, but he was still there. Was he shaking? "Dane?"

"You didn't take the car." His voice was dark, gravelly, like his throat was raw. It was the sexiest thing she'd ever heard. Was she still dreaming? He was in that fabulous sweater he'd worn to the office this morning, and holding onto the frame of the door like that, his shoulders seemed even broader as he loomed over her.

"I—what?"

"You didn't. Take. The car. It was still at the office. They didn't see you."

She shook her head, trying to clear it. The office. Today. The party. The kiss. Then… "You didn't leave a car," she said quietly. She folded her arms and tried to glare, but she was in her sweats. She'd removed her make up because she'd cried. She was sure her eyes were puffy. She looked like a chubby child next to his trim model looks. Curse him. The messiness of his hair just made him look like he'd walked off the cover of a magazine. "I waited and waited, but it never came. I assumed you were trying to tell me something. So, I walked."

Dane's head sank. "I told you I'd send the car."

"You also acted like you were ashamed for your brother to know you'd kissed me, so forgive me if I didn't assume your first thought was for my comfort!"

"The car wasn't for comfort, it was for your safety! We've been calling you for three hours. We have a team out looking for you!"

"What? Why?" she gasped.

"Didn't you hear anything I told you today? About my father? About the danger?"

"Why would he care about me?"

"Because I CARE ABOUT YOU," Dane roared.