She nodded and followed her mother from the room. Emma shot Dani a look as she passed by me but I couldn't tell what it meant. I glared at her while I waited until Emma and Michelle were out of earshot.

"What the hell, Dani?" I snapped, struggling to keep my voice low.

She folded her arms, scowling. "Are you going to give me a chance to explain?"

"Oh, explain away. I'm sure there's a great explanation. Maybe even one I haven't heard a million times before."

Her eyes flashed. "Don't you dare compare me to Cindy. Just because she cheated on you..." She stopped and took a deep breath, calming herself. "I met Matthew on the plane. He helped me get my bag. We ran into each other at The Bar my first night here and I bought him a drink as a thank you. I told him I had a boyfriend and it was serious. We went to dinner, that's it. You've eaten Emma's cooking."

I took a step towards her. "You're lying."

"Excuse me?" Her arms dropped to her sides, her hands curling into fists. "You're the one with women all over you at matches and at the gym. Don't think I haven't noticed the way some of the female fighters look at you."

"I told you I wasn't interested in any of them."

"And I told you that I only wanted you. I love you. Doesn't that mean anything?"

I looked down at her. Her face was flushed and I could feel the anger and hurt radiating off of her. Still, there was more she wasn't telling me. After all the shit Cindy had pulled with me-unfortunately, I was an expert.

"You're telling me nothing happened with you and that Matthew guy? Nothing that would make him think it was okay for him to come ask you out. Again?"

"He knows I love you." She practically spit the words in my face.

It clicked. "So he never flirted with you? Asked you out for real?"

Her eyes flicked to one side and I knew I was right.

"Dammit, Dani!" I threw my hands up and stepped away from her.

"Hey!" She grabbed my arm. "This is exactly why I didn't think you needed to know. I told him flat-out that I wasn't interested in him that way. He flirted, yes, but never crossed the line, never tried anything. And I never flirted back."

"But you still went out to dinner with him."

"And you never spend any time with women who find you attractive?" she countered. "Do you really want to do this? We hardly have time to be together and now that we do, you want to argue about this? You should trust me, Luke. I trust you not to give in to those bimbos who go backstage at the fights with the sole goal of fucking you, and you can't fucking trust me about an innocent dinner?"

All of the anger went out of me in a rush. She was right. That was what it came down to. I loved her-that was easy. Trust-that was always the hard part for me.

"I'm sorry." I reached for her, and for a moment, I didn't think she was going to let me touch her. Then, she stepped into my embrace and I pulled her to me. "I'm on edge and I snapped. I should've just asked you about it."

She rested her head on my chest. "And I shouldn't have tried to hide it from you. I'm sorry."

I smoothed down her hair. "Let's make a deal that neither of us will keep things like that from each other. I know you're not Cindy, but..."

"She made it hard for you to trust," she finished my thought. "I know. And I should've thought of that." She looked up at me. "I promise I won't hide things from you again."

I lowered my head and gently kissed her. I wanted to claim her mouth, kiss her hard enough to bruise, but I knew that if I started that, it'd just lead us to a point where I'd eventually have to break my promise to Coach. So, a fairly innocent kiss would have to do for now.

I brushed her hair back from her face as I straightened. "Now, please tell me you saved me some of whatever smells so good."

She smiled and nodded. The two of us ate together without talking and then headed upstairs to our room. We passed by Michelle's room and Dani smiled at Emma as we passed, letting her know that everything was okay.

As we got ready for bed, I said, "We need to go over the plan for tomorrow."

"I know what to do, Luke." Her tone was soft.

"Please, for my peace of mind."

Dani turned towards me as she swapped her jeans and t-shirt for one of my t-shirts. All my blood rushed south at the sight of her bare skin, even if only for a moment, and then she he pulled on a pair of plain cotton panties, but no bra. Damn Coach and his stupid rules.

"Okay, here goes. I go out to Brian's cabin ten minutes after the fight starts. If Bruno's not there, I go in and get Cindy and Lacey to come with me. If he's there, I call your friend Brad."

I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it towards the hamper with the rest of my dirty clothes. My sweats went next, leaving me in the boxer briefs I'd put on after showering at the gym. I could feel myself getting hard as I watched Dani's eyes run over my body. I loved it every time she looked at me that way.

"You're not making this easy on me," I said as I climbed into the bed.

"Sorry." She grinned as she slid in next to me. "Want me to go find some long-sleeved thermal underwear?"

I put my arm around her shoulders and she snuggled up against my side. "It wouldn't matter. You're sexy in everything you wear...or don't wear. You don't even know the power you have over me, do you?"

She laughed. I closed my eyes as she put her hand on my stomach. Damn! The things her touch could do to me.

I pulled my thoughts back to the plan. "I don't know if it's a good idea," I said. "Having you go to the cabin by yourself. So many things can go wrong."

"You can't be in two places at once, Luke," she said. "You need to be at the fight to get Bruno."

"And what if he's at the cabin and you don't know it?"

"I've seen the rental car they are using. They had it at Emma's." She pulled the blanket up over us as I switched off the light. "If it's not parked outside of the cabin, it means Bruno's gone. He'd never let Cindy take it and go anywhere."

"What if there are...complications when you try to get Cindy and Lacey out?" I tightened my grip around her shoulders.

"I'm sure Lacey will come with me," she said confidently. "Especially when I tell her that I'm taking her to see you. And if Cindy won't come-well, I'll handle it."

"Handle it?"

I felt her smile. "Cindy may act tough, but that's only because she's had a man there to back up her mouth. She's all talk, no action. If I can't persuade her to come, I'll knock her out and drag her ass to the car."

I laughed quietly. "You're amazing, you know that?" I kissed the top of Dani's head.

"You're not so bad yourself," she said. "Now we need to get some sleep. We have a busy day tomorrow."

It was easier said than done, but finally I heard her breathing slow and deepen. Only then was I able to relax enough to sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

Dani I'd never been a naturally impatient person, but waiting for the fight to start was wearing on my nerves. To make matters worse, I had to lie to Emma yet again, at least about part of the plan. If I'd told her, she would've insisted on going with me and I couldn't put her in a compromising situation. Despite my air of confidence in front of Luke, I knew what I was doing was dangerous. I wasn't about to put Emma in a position where she would be in danger of losing custody, or getting herself killed. I'd never forgive myself if my actions resulted in Michelle losing her mother.

Finally, it was time. The fight was starting at six, which meant leaving right after dinner would get me to the cabin shortly after it started. That way, I could keep my cover that I was going to the fight to watch Luke and cheer for him. Emma told me to pass along her "'good luck"' and said she'd bought a victory cake for afterwards. I thanked her, hoping that my strained smile wouldn't give me away.

Emma had loaned me her truck, so the drive to the cabin was filled with a disturbing sense of deja vu. Only this time, I was going by myself to rescue the little girl. For Lacey's sake, I hoped Cindy wouldn't resist. I'd meant what I'd saidI'd knock Cindy out if I had to, but that wasn't something I wanted Lacey to see, especially since the two of us would be having a future relationship. Watching me punch her mother wasn't exactly the kind of introduction I had imagined when it came to meeting my boyfriend's kid.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I rounded the bend and saw that the driveway was empty. I'd hoped Bruno hadn't been tipped off and decided to take off with Lacey and Cindy again. If we'd gotten this close and lost them again, it'd kill Luke.

I considered trying to hide the truck, but then realized that wouldn't exactly be the best way to get them to trust me. I backed into one of the grassy spots that served as part of the driveway, angling the truck for an easy exit. I didn't think getting in was going to be a problem. Getting out was another story.

I climbed out of the truck and plastered a fake smile on my face in case they saw me coming. I walked slowly, scanning the area for anything suspicious. At the angle I was coming in, I could see into the front window before I reached the door. The minute my sights locked on Lacey, my heart began to race. She was sitting on the floor, watching television. Good. That meant Cindy was here. Now I just had to convince them to come with me.

I knocked on the door and then scrubbed my sweaty palms against my jeans. A few seconds passed and the door opened. Cindy stood there, visible only through a small space. Her face was pale.

"Hanna?"

"My name's Dani and I'm from New York. I know who you are, Cindy. You and Lacey both."

Her eyes widened.

"I don't have time to explain everything, but you and Lacey are in danger from Bruno and from a drug cartel. You need to come with me."

Before I could say anything else, the door opened the rest of the way, revealing that Bruno hadn't left Cindy and Lacey alone after all.

Behind Cindy stood Brian, grinning down the barrel of his shotgun at me. "Well, Hanna, looks like we have a reunion here. Or should I call you Dani? I like Dani better." His sneering smile dropped and he gestured with his gun. "Get inside."

I raised my hands out at my sides so he could see I wasn't armed, and I stepped past Cindy into the cabin.

"Hanna?" Lacey stood in front of the TV, her eyes wide.

My heart ached as I saw Luke in those eyes.

"Cindy, take the brat into the bedroom," Brian ordered. "I have some unfinished business with our friend here."

Cindy shot me a look and I nodded. Whatever was going to happen to me, I didn't want Lacey to see it. As they headed for the back, I scanned the room. When I'd been here before, I hadn't exactly gotten a good look at the main room so I didn't know what was in here that might help me get the upper hand. Unfortunately, it looked like Bruno or Brian had taken away anything that could've been used as a weapon. There was a fireplace, but no poker, no shovel. The only things close to weaponry were the logs and they were on the other side of the room.

"Now, Dani," he said my name like he could taste it. "We've been doing this little dance since we first met and it seems like I have the advantage, for once."

I had a pretty good idea where he was going with this and as much as it repulsed me, I knew the best thing to do would be to play along.

"Bruno would want me to shoot you, but what he don't know won't hurt him." He rubbed his crotch through his jeans. "What'd you say? You give me what I want and I let you go." He took a step towards me. "You might even like it."

I was overwhelmed by the urge to gag but kept my voice even and sweet. "I let you fuck me and you let me go?"

Brian grinned. "You got it, babe. I get to do whatever I want to that pretty little body of yours and you walk." He barked a laugh. "If you can, when I'm done with you."

I undid the top two buttons on the blouse I was wearing and gave Brian a coy smile.

"Figured you'd go for it," he sneered as he came towards me. "Knew you were a slut from the moment I"

His sentence was cut short. A grunt and then a cry of pain bellowed out of him as I put the full force of my body into a kick straight to his crotch. Instinctively, he doubled over, and I grabbed for the shotgun.

Pain exploded through my temple as the hand I hadn't been watching made contact with my face. My knees betrayed me and buckled as I slumped to the ground. My peripheral vision turned to black as the edges of my world faded, my consciousness slipping away. I fought against it, telling myself that if I closed my eyes, I'd never open them again.

"You bitch!" Brian loomed over me. He swung the shotgun around and pressed the barrel to my head. "We could've had some fun and you would've walked free."

He paused for a moment, like he expected me to beg or something. Or maybe he wanted me to plead and cry for mercy. I glared at him instead, throwing daggers with my eyes. No way was I giving him that satisfaction. If he was going to kill me, he'd do it with me watching.

"What a waste."

A deafening gun blast ripped through the air and I flinched, waiting for the pain that would end in nothing. But there was no pain. My mind and heart were both racing so fast, everything turned into a slow motion blur. Brian teetered, the gun fell away and a trickle of blood spewed out from the corner of his mouth. His eyes rolled back and he dropped with a thud. I'd scrambled backwards, splinters from the rough, wooden floor gouging my palms just in time to avoid him falling on me.

Only when I was away from him did my vision sharpen and I looked to see what had happened. My heart was pounding so hard against my ribs that I was afraid they'd break. I turned, still on the floor where I'd crawled to, in the direction where I heard the blast. There, in the doorway, was Matthew, a gun in his hand and a deadly expression on his face.

Chapter Twenty-Four.

Dani "Matthew?" I blinked. What the fuck? I must have been so delirious that my mind was playing tricks on me. Why the hell was Matthew standing in the doorway and not Luke? Here at the cabin...with a gun? This was getting too convoluted. It seemed he just appeared here out of the blue but how did he know...why was... A mixture of adrenaline and anxiety pushed through my body with such great force it felt like a large hand was wrapping itself around my throat and I couldn't breathe, let alone figure all of this out.

He gave me a grim smile. "Hanna. Or, Dani, if my hearing was correct."

I got to my hands and knees, trying to get up, but my legs were still shaking. I hung my head and took a deep breath before looking up at him with narrowed eyes.

"No matter." He waved the hand with the gun, then lowered it. He walked over and held out a hand to me. "In my line of work, aliases are more common than real names."

I finally found my voice and said, "Your line of work?" I let him help me to my feet, not sure if I should trust him and not wanting to piss off someone with a gun, even if he had just saved my life. He let my hand go once I was steady on my feet, and that kept me from completely panicking.

"Let's just say the men I work for don't take too kindly to those who welch on bets."

Shit. Matthew was part of the cartel that was hunting Bruno. I wasn't sure if this was frying pan into the fire or vice versa, but I knew it wasn't good.

Suddenly, I was aware of crying coming from the bedroom. Dammit! I'd forgotten about Cindy and Lacey. Matthew closed the door behind him and motioned towards the bedroom.

"Let them know that it's safe to come out."

I wasn't entirely sure safe was the right word, but I went to the bedroom and opened the door. Lacey let out a little scream that turned into a sob when she saw it was me.

"Cindy, there's a man out here who needs to speak with Bruno." I kept my voice calm, hoping Cindy was smart enough to read between the lines. "He's...taken care of Brian, so it's just him and us now." I glanced over my shoulder and saw, to my relief, that Matthew had covered Brian's body with a blanket from the couch. His feet were sticking out, but it was better than Lacey seeing everything.

Cindy nodded and turned to Lacey. "Okay, baby, we're going to play a game now. All three of us. If you win, I'll buy you that kitten you wanted."

Lacey nodded, her face solemn and tear-streaked. I had a feeling she knew her mother's game was just a fake-out, but she was going to go along with it anyway. I understood. Sometimes that's how we cope.