Lila

Dane used Chris's belt and some baking twine from the kitchen to tie Chris up. Working quickly, efficiently, and near-silently, he found Chris's phone in his back pocket and tapped on it for a while, before cursing and throwing it aside. "Can't figure out his key," he muttered. Then he scanned the kitchen, muttering under his breath, before his eyes lit on the notepad and paper that sat on the end of the counter.

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Pulling it over, he wrote quickly, then tore the top piece of paper off and let it flutter to the floor in front of Chris's face.

YOU CAN THANK LILA FOR SAVING YOUR LIFE.

IF I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN, I WILL KILL YOU.

I'M KEEPING THE FILE THAT PROVES YOU KILLED DAD

IF YOU EVER COME AFTER ME, I RELEASE IT TO MEDIA

DEAD MAN'S SWITCH

"Is that wise?" she asked carefully.

"He almost killed you, Lila. It's the plain truth."

"No, I mean the threat. What's a dead man's switch?"

"It's a series of planned events that get kicked into motion when someone dies—so their enemies know if they succeed, they'll pay a price regardless."

She looked at him then and he finally met her gaze, his bright green eyes troubled and dark. She walked to him and pulled him down to a gentle kiss. "Thank you for saving me."

He snorted. "I didn't. You saved yourself. I just finished the job."

"We make a good team," she said with a bare smile.

"The best," he whispered, and kissed her briefly again, then released her to turn and grab his bag. "We're leaving in two minutes."

Dane searched Chris one more time, Lila checking his breathing again, then they rushed through the Penthouse, grabbing clothing, phones, and a couple more guns that Dane had hidden in the bedroom, then she joined him in the closet to use the laundry stairs.

He threw the bag over one shoulder, took her hand, and led her down without looking back.

*****

Half an hour later, finally free of the city, they were blowing down the freeway in the Charger Chris had used to come to the Penthouse and Dane was on the phone with John, the older man's voice filling the cab of the car.

"You should have killed him."

Dane glanced at Lila and took a breath. "I almost did. But… Lila's right… it's not worth carrying that for the rest of my life."

"He wouldn't have hesitated. You know that."

"I know. He almost killed Lila."

John gave a little grunt of disapproval, but as was his way, he moved the conversation on. "So, you're headed North, you said?"

"Yes. The traffic in the other direction was too heavy. We'll swing around when we get clear of the city."

"Good, okay. You're fine, it turns out. I changed the route, so you need take the exit for Burbank airport."

"For what time?"

"As soon as you can. I have an ally there who's headed on a trip and they don't mind letting a couple friends ride along."

Lila took notes as John laid out where they should go, and how to find the entrance to the airfield. "You're not going into the terminal, remember. This is the private airfield next door. Don't get anywhere near the actual airport, it's crawling with security cameras."

"And the airfield won't be?" Dane asked skeptically.

"Not this one," John said, and Lila could hear the smile on his face. John gave them a few more directions, and double-checked that Dane had the new identification cards and information for both of them. "Lila, you'll need to study yours."

"I will," she said, "Don't worry."

"I'm not. It sounds like Dane's the one who should be worried."

Lila smiled, but it was forced. She looked at Dane from the corner of her eye and he reached across the gap between the seats to take her hand. She ached, but she knew now wasn't the time to put anything else on him. So she just squeezed his hand and smiled.

*****

Dane

They reached the odd little airfield forty minutes later. In the middle of a suburban-industrial area there was a large open space behind chain link fences, a massive, semi-circle shaped hangar in the field, and a rutted airstrip beyond. Dane pulled the car under a large stand of trees near the street and turned it off. John had assured them he'd have someone move it after the plane took off.

When the roar of the car engine cut off, the car was suddenly silent. Dane turned to Lila who was staring out of the window. The afternoon light lit her pale face beautifully and made her hair shimmer.

She must have felt his gaze on her, because she turned, smiling and reaching for his hand that was still resting on the gear shift when she caught him staring.

"Are you ready?" he said softly.

Her brows pinched in. "To be away from this madness? Yes, definitely."

"Are you ready to live quietly. To not have… all the things we've had. The conveniences…"

Her head tilted and a glinting light entered her eyes. "Dane Daniels, are you trying to imply that I'm only interested in you because of your money?"

"And my ravishing good looks," he said with a grin, but it was forced. A tiny voice in the back of his head said that he wasn't the only one used to looking for a fight. And how was she going to feel in six months when life got boring?

She shook her head and leaned toward him, putting a hand to his face. "This is a ravishingly handsome face, I'll admit," she murmured. "But that's not why I love you, Dane."

He crossed the last two inches between them and kissed her slowly. When he pulled away, it wasn't far, just far enough to meet her eyes and she smiled at him sadly.

"What's wrong?" He asked, then realized what a stupid question that was.

Her smile got tight. "Nothing, really, I just—"

The phone in his pocket buzzed and they both froze. Dane's stomach dropped. John had said he would talk to them after they'd connected with whoever was going to help them inside. If he was calling… he pulled the phone out of his pocket and his breath caught.

UNKNOWN NUMBER.