When All Else Fails (A Push of a Button Novella)

Chapter Ten

VIV STARED OUT the window of her new room in Dane's cabin. Trees crowded her view outside, the lush green foliage vibrant and full of a life she wished she felt. Dane's offer had been one she couldn't pass up. Freedom? The chance to let others know the truth? It was all she'd ever wanted. And he'd promised to let her friends go.

But now Mr. H was dead, and she had no idea where Seb was. He promised he'd be back for her, but when would that happen? Today? Tomorrow? Never? She wrapped her arms around herself and squeezed her eyes shut. The memory of Mr. H's still form twitching with energy assaulted her again, and she gasped. Opening her eyes, she stared out at the greenery and the morning sunlight dappling the forest floor.

Dane had promised the world. But at what cost? She hadn't even asked that back at the farmhouse. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She should have asked that first. Nothing came without a price. Dane might be on his own side, but that didn't mean he was a friend. Whether he was friend or foe would always depend on whether or not she and her goals got in his way. He had the ability to mess everything up just by being himself. Wonderful. She'd handed herself over without bothering to think about any of this, but being stuck in this room gave her plenty of time to think about it.

At least he hadn't tied her to the bed. Yet. She huffed and stormed to the door, rattling at the handle again. Nothing. Locked. A metallic clink and scratch outside filtered through the rough-hewn boards of the door. So, he'd finally decided to come see her. She backed away from the door and went to sit on the bed. The door swung open just as she'd finished settling in, and Dane stood there, a tray with toast and eggs balanced on one hand. He stepped inside, his gaze raking over her, and kicked the door closed behind him. "Tired of screaming, kicking at the door, and yelling at me?"

She refused to meet his gaze. He promised her freedom, and here she was, locked up. What did she have to show for it, anyway? She'd lost everything because of her own stupidity, and she was in the middle of nowhere with him. He was the only one who knew where she was. Of that she was certain. He'd never tell the government. Not until he knew he could get her to align her story with his and play nice in public. He wanted to break her. And in all honesty, that might be her only shot at survival. Otherwise, both he and the government might end up on board with brainwashing her, and she'd be dead. Essentially, anyway.

She pasted a smile onto her lips and nodded to the tray. "You brought breakfast."

"If you're nice, yes." He set it on the bedside table and sat beside her.

She ground her teeth but kept the smile. "You know, Dane, I believed you when you said you weren't a liar. But clearly, I'm a very bad judge of character because, at least last I checked, being locked in a bedroom doesn't qualify as free."

He sighed and laid a hand on her knee. "Vivian, there are always limitations to freedom. You're free to do many things when you're at a store shopping, aren't you? You can buy the eggplant or the truffles. But if you decide to steal? Well, you are not free to do that, and so, you face the consequences of trying to break the law and the limitations of your freedom."

She glared down at his hand. "So my freedom extends to a bedroom? I had more freedom before I agreed to do what you asked."

He pressed a finger to her lips with a sigh. "Really! Use your head, Vivian. We're here because of you. I have a goal, and I need your help to make it a reality. But right now, you hate me. You blame me for what happened even though it was an accident. You blame me for forcing Auclaire to leave because you were hoping he'd take me out so you two could have one less enemy." He leaned in until his minty breath fanned across her face. "But I'm not the enemy, Viv. The Supremacy is. I'm not on either side, but you could be on mine. Our goals aren't so different, really."