Dani slipped into her customary place at the table for breakfast. Every morning of her captivity had started with breakfast with David, and then with Benny. Her guard from last night had changed shifts, and an older, more distant guy now escorted her from her room to the dining room. She eyed the grey-haired gentleman as they went down the stairs; he’d been in Benny’s employ for as long as she could remember. There would be no getting past this one. She sighed, trailing her hand down the banister, in no hurry to join the mobster for breakfast.

Getting back to her own room last night had been tricky. They’d had to wait until the shift change, as one of guards had refused to let the young, dumb one come back through the hall. Knowing this had left her some time in Luke’s arms, which she wished now she hadn’t wasted dozing off. She been honestly exhausted by their efforts, and even now was pleasantly sore between the legs.

He’d awoken her near dawn, and she’d stared at him for a moment, confused. His body, so solid, so warm had been near impossible to leave. In the semi-darkness of the room, she could almost convince herself that he loved her. Or at least that he liked her. But he’d turned his face away from her as she’d dressed, and though he’d accompanied her to the door, to hand her off to the trembling guard, he’d said nothing, had left no endearment for her to take back to her cold, empty room.

The guard had eyed her mussed hair and the way her dress hung on her, crumpled and limp from poor treatment, and snorted in contempt. Okay, so he knew the morning-after look well enough.

It was an unpleasant feeling, to have some idiot guard know she’d been rolling around with Luke. It wasn’t anyone’s business. Pissed off, with cheeks flaming from embarrassment, she’d stormed into her room, flinging off the hated dress and leaving it in the hamper for the staff to have dry-cleaned. It had fulfilled its mission. She never wanted to see it again.

She’d showered and dressed, though she hesitated before stepping under the warm spray of water. When she lifted her arm she could smell him there, still on her skin. She raised her hand, fingertips touching her swollen lips, imagining she could still taste him there. Hazily she stepped into the shower, wanting to hold the feeling of his flesh pressed to hers, not ready to wash it away just yet. But breakfast would be served soon and, tired as she was, she needed to dress. At the closet she stared at the red dress lying on top of other rumpled items in the hamper. With a shake of her head she found a t-shirt and shorts, feeling more herself as she laced up her boots.

Being escorted to the dining room chafed. Dani paused at the bottom of the stairs, wondering what would happen if she did something totally wild. Took out her own guard for example. Her training had served her well, and in this entryway alone there were at least three solid ways to do it, a couple more questionable as to how successful she would be. She glanced back at the impassible face and sighed again a little. No. It would serve no purpose at all. Not when there were easily a half dozen guards still in the house.

At least we have a plan.

Even that, she wasn’t so confident of now in the light of day. She dropped into her chair at the dining room table, paying no attention to David. The rat. No one escorted him back and forth all the livelong day. She eyed him as he drank his juice, wondering if there was some way to turn that to her advantage. Probably not. He was hardly the cooperative type to begin with, and even with this whole mess technically his fault he certainly wasn’t going to make any kind of amends until that stick turned up.

What the hell was on that thing anyway?

She played with her fork, waiting for the food to arrive. It flipped out of her hand to the next place and, blushing, she grabbed at it, thankful there was only David to see. Who, of course, snorted with derision as she snagged it out of the butter dish.

Wait. Since when was there a place to her right?

Her head came up. Yes, the table had been set for four. She was about to say something to David, when Luke arrived with two men as an escort. After the beating he gave the one goon, they weren’t taking chances with him. At least they hadn’t done him the indignity of binding his hands. But they were certainly not gentle as they manhandled him into the chair. He glared but said nothing, though it had to hurt where they’d gripped his arms.

You shouldn’t have tipped your hand so soon.

She couldn’t say the words out loud, though she wanted to. But could she really blame him? There was only so much rough treatment a person could take before you had to stand up for yourself.

Just wait... give me a little bit longer.

“Good morning,” Luke said, but made no move to touch or kiss her. His tone was chilly, as though last night had never happened. She flinched without meaning to, and found she was clenching and unclenching her fists in her lap.

What did you seriously expect? Did you think he’d fall into your arms or something? Dani’s chin came up. Fine. Let him be that way. She turned to give David a bright smile, but he only looked up at her with wounded eyes and said nothing at all. Oh, yay, it was going to be that kind of breakfast.

“Good morning,” Dani finally said to no one in particular, not sure where she stood with any of them.

Luke stared down the table to the empty place at its head. “So, we’re having a mystery dinner theater? We all try to figure out who gives a shit?”

“Not exactly,” Benny said as he strode into the room. The cook was obviously waiting for his arrival. As if cued, the door swung open and food began to arrive.

Luke had mentioned to Dani that he didn’t get a meal last night, so it was no surprise that he tore into breakfast like a man starved. In all likelihood, he was. Heaven knows they barely got to eat anything during all the wedding planning, even with so many dishes offered.

Dani looked with new appreciation at what was set out before her. Thick bacon, potato pancakes, cooked ham, fresh coffee with even fresher cream... the food was good, and there was plenty of it.

Or at least there was before the dishes made it to Luke’s end of the table. She snagged at a bowl of scrambled eggs as it shot past, barely managing to get any on her plate before Luke had the bowl and emptied the rest onto his ham. She scowled, and added the last pancake to her own plate before he could get that, too.

For a time her concentration was on eating. She found that she was hungry, too, as last night had worked up an appetite. After a time she darted a glance at Benny, who only looked at Luke with an expression of tolerant amusement and settled in to his food.

The four of them ate in silence for a time. As Luke reached for his third pancake from a platter newly restocked from the kitchen, Benny stood up and placed something in the middle of the table. Dani’s eyes crinkled in confusion. It was a portable digital recorder, the kind people used to dictate memos.

Benny made a flourish and a show of pressing a button.

Dani heard heavy breathing come from the little box and then her own voice. “I have a plan,” she said in the pause that followed; the sound of her fork hitting the plate echoed like a rifle shot. She ran a furtive glance at Luke. He was staring at his plate, with absolutely no expression on his face whatsoever. As if, somehow, he’d expected this.

“A plan for what?” Luke’s voice sounded from the recorder.

“To get us out of here,” Dani’s voice answered. “To get you to contact your...”

There was a long pause. Benny gestured with his fork like a priest blessing the recorder. “I’m assuming this is where the two of you kiss,” he said, “I edited the rest of the recording, as it’s not really pertinent to the discussion.”

Luke’s voice said something the recorder didn’t quite pick up. Dani remembered it perfectly. He’d warned her not to use names or to be too specific in case the guard was listening.

Dani had laughed. “If he was eavesdropping, he’s gotten his fill already. You were kinda loud. Okay, okay... I’ll be good.” Dani felt her face burning. She hadn’t thought she could be embarrassed, but hearing herself like this...

The recorded version of her continued, too loud, too self-confident. “I think I know a way to...”

I should have listened to him. Why do I always question every word he says?

Luke stood suddenly and brought his fist down. In his grip was a table knife. Nothing too sharp and by no means strong. Regardless, it went through the middle of the tape recorder, a puff of smoke rising from the wreckage.

So savage and sudden was his attack that Dani was on her feet before she realized it. The guards around them had drawn their sidearms and had them aimed at Luke. At least one had his gun cocked, and was ready to pull the trigger. David dove under the table with a cry of outrage and fear.

Benny reached for the butter. “So that’s what it takes to get under your skin?” he asked Luke as he smeared the butter on an English muffin. He added a spot of jam to it. “Or did you prefer decaf?” He looked at Luke innocently and tore a piece free with his teeth.

Dani couldn’t look at Luke. His face was red, not with embarrassment like hers was, but a suffused red, blood racing through his veins in a rage. He was shaking, his grip on the knife trembling in a fist white with the effort of holding it.

Dani marked her man. If it came to a fight, he would die. It was all she could be sure of. Sadly, they’d be killed before they could get to the doorway. There were just too many of them, and they were outgunned.

Luke slowly released his grip on the knife. It tipped over, falling like a dead tree, pulling the remains of the digital recorder with it.

He took a deep breath and faced the front of the table.

“I seem to be full,” he said, his voice flat. Expressionless. He turned and came face to face with his assigned bully-boy. The guard looked over Luke’s shoulder to Benny, who waved negligently. At Benny’s cue the thug moved aside, but Luke shot daggers of hate at the man before trudging back to the stairs, a child being sent to his room.

Dani dropped the napkin she hadn’t realize she’d been holding. “I think breakfast is over,” she said, rising also. Benny’s laughter followed her out of the room. They were freakin’ screwed. What the hell were they going to do?

Dani walked stiffly back to the room. She might have been the only one to fully realize how badly things had escalated. But to eavesdrop on their time together, to drag their lovemaking out on the breakfast table like that, was unforgivable. Whatever sympathy or fond recollections she had of her ‘uncle’ were killed this morning. She’d never been more embarrassed... or hurt... before in her life.

I thought I hated Father. But there are worse people in the world, aren’t there? I’ve been blind to a lot of things.

She slammed the door behind her, taking small satisfaction in seeing the guard jump back just before it shut fully. It was a stupid and petty move, but it felt good all the same.

I’ll be the one to turn him in. Or kill him. Either way, it doesn’t matter. The world isn’t big enough for the both of us. This wedding thing was stupid. Inconvenient. But this... this is...humiliating.

But hadn’t she purposefully humiliated herself last night just to get to Luke, to plan with him?

No... that kind of thing didn’t matter. What mattered was that he’d dragged that recording out in front of... well, everyone. David. Servants. That was no one else’s business but her own. And Luke’s. And that guard that she’d duped. But that was IT. She hadn’t expected to be playing to the masses. That just felt... icky.

She made a slow turn, facing what she thought was the general direction of the library. In her mind, she called on her mother and swore an oath to her that she would bring Benny down for what he’d done. In whatever way presented itself.

In the meantime, I swear I will harm, hinder, defeat, and bother every plan, idea, or thought he ever has. I will annoy, worry, and bother his every move. And if I have to come like a night assassin and go through his men one by one until he’s the only one left standing, then so be it. And then I will kill him, too.

Of course, she had no idea how. Being tough when you’re alone in your bedroom was one thing, but to implement said plan was another.

Her mind slipped back from the hatred that stirred her soul and reached for the memory of Luke. In the past few days, when her rage or despair had become too great, too heavy to bear, she thought of him and felt... lighter. She was besotted, to put a fine point on it, completely taken with him.

But now, when her mind ran to his smile, his sarcastic wit, his graceful way of moving, she only saw him trembling, a dull blade shattering the recorder with the force of his rage. Beating up the guard in the bathroom was one thing. That act was almost casual, negligent. He had been firmly in control.

That was the problem. Luke had lost all control. Benny got under his skin and he lost it completely. What was it Benny said? “So that’s what it takes to get under your skin?” It was a test as much as anything. He was trying to get Luke to lose his temper; he wanted to see what Luke was capable of when he pushed him hard enough.

She fell onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. She tried to remember every word of their conversation, tried to remember if either of them had ever indicated that Luke was a cop. He’d been very specific about not being overheard by the guard, so they’d spoken carefully, referring to Randy only as ‘your friend’ and so on. He did mention the USB stick a couple of times, thankfully only referring to it as ‘the stick,’ but Benny didn’t know about the USB. Without either of them mentioning that word, he wouldn’t have any context for it. Right?

It was easy enough to verify: if Benny knew Luke was a cop, he’d kill him. He hadn’t, so they’d dodged that bullet. Literally. So, the next step was to wait. If they were tortured to reveal the location and contents of the USB stick, then Benny knew there was one floating around and knew what to look for. On the other hand, if they were tortured to reveal what the stick even was, then Benny didn’t have context. Either way, there was probably going to be some questioning involved.

Chances were their faces and hands wouldn’t be injured, they had to be pretty for the wedding snaps. Likewise, she had to walk down the aisle, so her legs probably wouldn’t be broken. But there were a lot of options in between. Not a good feeling. More and more she was thinking she should have taken out the goon on the stairs and then just taken her chances on the rest. How many men did Benny have in the house anyway? She closed her eyes, trying to remember faces when they all seemed to blur together in her mind. She came up with a dozen that she was fairly sure of. Chances were they were local boys who went home to sleep at night. Or day, depending on their shift. Maybe a half-dozen, then, in the house at any given time? No more than ten.

She could take out ten.

Ha. Hardly. She could take out ten if she were armed. The most threatening thing she had in her bedroom right now was a ballpoint pen.

She lay in her bed, hand falling limply to her sides. Damn him. Damn the man for a thousand lifetimes. Last night had been freakin’ amazing. Wonderful. None of the fight dancing they’d done, slamming each other, kicking, biting... well, except that one time compared to this. Last night had been mutual. It had been precious. It was love, damn it, it was love; he’d made love to her and even the sweet memory had been forever soiled by that fat little man who had the balls to laugh at her.

Her thoughts returned to Luke. The strength that was required to jam a butter knife through a device like that was unthinkable. The muscles she’d seen rippling under the skin as he worked out were impressive, even gorgeous, but that was something that required herculean effort. That was one of those adrenaline-pumping-so-hard-he-could-do-inhuman-feats things.

And the way he shook. He had been ready. He would have given his life to get to Benny. If he’d thrown the knife he might have killed Benny, and then they’d all be dead. If he’d followed through on the motion his body was primed for, he would have been shot before he got across the table. Though she didn’t think that would have stopped him just then.

But he’d taken that rage, that blind adrenaline and stuffed it down, pulled in the beast and held himself against it. The testosterone battle with the guard on the way out notwithstanding, he managed to pull himself together and bank it down. That was the scariest part. He’d swallowed the beast.

An old teacher of hers warned her about the beast. It was an unthinking, unreasoning animal that lived in each of us, he said. It would kill with tooth and claw, and had neither finesse nor logic. It was simple rage or fear. It was to be harnessed, directed, but never ever fed. He said once released, it ran until it was exhausted, and there was no way to hold the reins once broken free.

It was here that she saw the old man had been wrong. There was someone who could hold the beast, that could pull it, screaming and clawing and roaring, and confine it behind tender and malleable flesh.

And make no mistake, girl, he did that for you. Because he saw you rise to the balls of your feet. He saw you pick your target. He knew that you wouldn’t survive unless he pulled it back.

Dani felt despair, anger, fear... who wouldn’t? But a tiny part of her mind smiled.

Hell, if that’s not love, what is?