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TRIGGER WARNING

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Dane

When he blinked awake, his head aching and swimming, his first thought was LILA.

His mouth was dry and his head felt like something was trying to claw through his skull, but he forced himself to open his eyes.

He tried to sit up, to look for her, but he was only able to roll over. A quick scan told him that while he was in a different room than he'd been in before, he still didn't recognize where he was from the Lila photographs. And she wasn't here, either. His head screamed at him when he turned his neck, but he forced himself to do it. Which is how he found his father, sitting in a chair, a few feet away, watching him.

Still sprawled on the floor, Dane put a hand to his head and pushed himself up slowly. He was completely naked, which didn't bother him too much. But he knew everything in this room would be recorded—probably watched live. His father was sick.

He sat up in stages, slowly, pausing for breaths and to gives his head space to clear as it hummed against each movement. Then, when he was finally sitting with his knees up, he rolled his head back and forth, rolling it slowly on his shoulders, wincing against the pain. "That wasn't necessary," he croaked.

"You didn't wear a wire. And there were no trackers in your clothing." His father's voice was calm, but curious.

Dane covered his eyes with his hands, clawing into his hair, desperate to try and stop the spinning so he could think straight. "I told you, I came to you to stay. That would be counter-productive."

"Smart boy."

"No. Well trained."

His father chuckled.

Dane opened his eyes and forced himself not to squint against the pain. "So, do you believe that I'm not trying to trick you yet?"

His father stared. "I'm not sure. I'm more inclined to, yes. That's true. I'll admit that I made them check three times. I really didn't believe you'd come alone."

"Unless something has changed dramatically, I didn't see any point in not coming alone," he mumbled, then hissed when the pain shot behind his eyes. "So?"

"So, what?"

"So, what are you going to do? Do I have to sit here naked for three days before you decide I'm telling the truth and we can get this done?"

"Impatient."

"Stubborn, actually. Someone taught me the difference."

His father smiled again. "Very stubborn."

"Yes. Again. Well-trained."

His father leaned his temple on his hand and regarded his son. "You are surprising me. I didn't expect that."

"Isn't that the definition of surprise?"

"Stop being a smart-ass. You have… softened. Toward me. I didn't expect that."

"I told you, Dad," he groaned and rubbed his temples between his fingers, "I've been fighting it for years. It was… almost a relief when I realized I'd lost. Like, I'd been waiting for it."

"There's that stubbornness again."

"Agreed."

The room was quiet, and Dane left his father to stew on the questions he obviously had, knowing that would intrigue him far more than Dane fighting for what he wanted.

"And yet, you won't hurt her."

"No."

"So there is some part of you that has a conscience."

Dane frowned and thought about that. "I'm not sure it's a conscience, because I don't really feel it for other people. It's more like… she makes me feel something nothing else does. And I don't want it to stop. I can't deny it. You were right. And I was happy to be wrong about it. But now… now it leaves me here," he said, trying not to let his bitterness color his voice.

The room was quiet for a full minute then. As Dane's vision cleared and his headache began to throb less intensely, he cleared his throat and got to his feet, somewhat shaky, but at least able to be there. "Now that you know I'm not bugged, will you answer some questions for me?"

"Certainly."

Dane shot him a look, knowing his father was hardly cheerful about giving up information, but he didn't say anything. He rubbed the back of his neck, massaging it between his thumb and forefinger and wincing as he spoke. "Why Talia," he said quietly. "She was your daughter. She never crossed you. Yet you executed her like an enemy. Why?"

"Because she'd served her purpose."

"That's bullshit," Dane growled. "She hadn't worked for you, ever. Yet you treated her like she was special. Was it all an act? I don't think so. I think something changed. Something dramatic. Was it purely to get to me? You aren't usually so transparent. And it seemed like you liked her."

"Not as much as I like you," his father said simply. Dane opened his eyes to meet his father's cold gaze. "But she'd become loyal to you. And I knew how that would affect you. She strengthened you. Emboldened you. Made you think you could be a success without me, could exist apart from me. Make no mistake, Dane, I'll remove anyone who does that for you. And I'll use every resources in my arsenal to do it."

"Why?"

His father got to his feet and walked toward him, suddenly intense. "Because you're my son. You're mine. You belong to me. You're my legacy in this world. My heir. My creation. It's up to me to decide what you will succeed in, and where you'll go. Not her. Not your wife. Not your mother—no one. Don't be naïve, Dane: I know you're only here now because of Lila. But I also know this is the first step. And it excites me. With the right time and stimulus, you'll finally, truly give up. Together we'll be unstoppable."

"I've already given up," Dane said flatly.

His father snorted. "I'm not so stupid as to think that, yet, Dane. But if that's what you have to tell yourself to make this okay, that's fine. You do that."

They both went quiet again, until Dane sighed. "So what now? How do we move forward?"

"You wait."

"Sure. As long as I can see that Lila's safe. Otherwise I will fight my way out of here until you kill me, Dad. Show her to me. Let me see her alive and well—in the flesh, no recordings that you've doctored—and then I'll wait for whatever you need."

His father pursed his lips. "I think I can do better than that."

Every hair on Dane's body wanted to stand up. His father gave away nothing that didn't benefit him. "What's that?"

"Since we're waiting, you can wait with her. Twenty-four, forty-eight hours will be plenty for me to make my enquiries. I'll let you wait with your wife before you say goodbye forever."

Dane's mouth went dry. He could see her and touch her? Talk to her? He wanted that so badly. But he knew his father knew that. Which meant that whatever he had planned, somehow giving this to Dane would make it all that much worse. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. I'll keep you guys together until I'm confident you don't have the calvary showing up."

"Then what?"

"Then we talk. All three of us."

"Then you let her go."

"Yes. Eventually."

"No, Dad. She gets out of here, or I don't stay, it's that simple."

"Don't worry, Dane. Not only will she get out of here she'll leave on her own two feet, of her free will."

Dane eyes him. "She gets free of you. completely. You leave her alone—no surveillance, no nothing. It's my only condition."

"Agreed."

"She walks out of here—safe. Not dead. Not disabled. She can go back to her life."

"Sure. She did fight us yesterday, so she's got a few bruises, but nothing that won't heal with time."

Dane ground his teeth and his hands clenched. "Show me."

"Soon enough. Don't get your panties in a twist. We need to finish our negotiations. You say you'll stay as long as she gets out. I say she gets out when I'm certain you'll stay."

"So how do you get certain?"

"I'm not sure yet. I have some ideas that I'll refine while we're waiting. But I will agree to this: When Lila leaves here, it won't be because she's been battered into submission. When she leaves, she'll leave on her own feet, and by her own choice."

"Give her that choice now, I'll make sure she takes it."

"Oh, no, son, I can't do that."

Dane tensed and his father held his tongue, intentionally baiting him, he knew. Dane couldn't see any way around it. He had to ask.

"Why not?" he ground out.

His father came to stand right in front of him, eye to eye, nose to nose, toe to toe. "Because, Dane," he said putting a hand to Dane's shoulder. "If she left right now, she'd be fleeing me."

"And?"

"And I'm going to make sure that when she leaves here, she's leaving YOU."