AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dallas yelped his thanks as my eyes fell back to where her hand rested on my jeaned thigh. I’d changed before we’d landed, but Diana, and her love of being cleaner than a bar of soap itself, had showered again. I’d opted to stay outside the bedroom that time, knowing well enough by now I had zero self-control around her when we were alone. That would also be problematic in our new temporary headquarters when we could be there for days or even weeks.
“I have no clue if I can stop an EMP weapon, but I’ll do my absolute best to try,” Diana answered the question Oliver hadn’t technically asked her. She had to be feeling the weight of the entire mission on her shoulders now.
“And we’ll all be here to help you,” Mya promised, sitting across from us.
I had a feeling Griffin had purposefully chosen to sit in between her and Oliver, hoping to be a barrier and prevent their typical married couple-like bickering from happening.
“Maybe we’ll also find your colleagues, and we can convince them to assist you.” Griffin may have been speaking to Diana, but his worried eyes were pinned on me. I knew that look. A warning or lecture of some kind was coming, and in this case, I deserved it.
Diana’s shoulders fell, and she turned her attention out the side window as we approached the home. Two other limos with the rest of Falcon and my second team trailed behind us, followed at a safe distance by an SUV full of our weapons.
I’d wound up calling the Irish billionaire family, the McGregors, for help securing a location and extra artillery. POTUS also made sure my jets weren’t intercepted by law enforcement upon arrival. After landing, thanks to the McGregors’ wealthy and well-connected Scottish cousins, we now had transport and a new home.
My path had first crossed with the McGregors while taking out Andrew Cutter. Apparently, I couldn’t escape my past no matter which way I turned.
“This place feels too pretty for what we’re here for.” Diana’s free hand settled on the window as we neared the front of the coastal estate.
“It could also double as the set for Outlander, minus the modern upgrades,” Mya said, taking in the view as well. “God help me if I have to see you in a kilt on this trip.”
“From what I remember overhearing on the jet,” Diana began, a sly smile crossing her lips, and I knew where this was going, “is that the only two people in this limo that have ever worn a kilt are Carter and Griffin.”
I smirked, and spied a grin tug at Griffin’s lips, too.
She was going to fit in quite well with the team and our awkward humor.
“So, back to this place, how’d we acquire it?” Diana asked as we waited for Teddy to manually open the five-car garage so we could park inside.
“A contact we’ve worked with before arranged it. The homeowners aren’t living here because it’s undergoing renovations to be placed on the market,” I told her. “The property already has a state-of-the-art security system, not to mention the choppy and rough waters as a backyard make it harder for an enemy to infil from that way.”
“Are these people famous or royal?” she asked, her curious beautiful blue eyes on me.
Teddy was back behind the wheel now, pulling into the garage as I shared, “Billionaire family, and you know how billionaires are”—I grinned, unable to stop myself—“they tend to be a bit paranoid.” The smile that pulled from Diana was worth every ridiculous word.
Once everyone was parked in the garage, the team quickly split up. A few guys to do a perimeter check, and the rest of us filtered in through the side door to enter the home.
The exterior of the estate mimicked a thirteenth-century castle, but on the inside, the interior was as modern as any other twenty-first-century home.
Inside the main foyer, Diana did a three-sixty spin. All that was missing from her twirl was a skirt to hold on to. Or our daughter’s little palm tucked inside hers to share the view.
What. The. Fuck. I rubbed my eyes, trying to will away the painful thought. And it was painful, because how in the world would I ever have a future with someone like her, knowing I could be the death of her and our future kids?
I couldn’t be a world away on a mission and hear Diana on the phone while someone . . . I nearly dropped to my knees at the brutal vision searing right into my skull.
“You okay?” At her words, and the feel of her hand on my bicep, I jolted and pulled away from her.
“Tired,” I hissed, hating the gruff tone I’d taken with her. Opening my eyes, I motioned to Mya. “Can you find a room with two beds for now that you can share for a nap?”
Diana lifted her hands between us. “Wait, you’re not going to stay with me?”
Could I share a room with her? Yes.
Would we have sex? Also yes.
Would I then break her heart when I walked away to save her life? I knew mine would split in two, that was for damn sure.
“We’ll figure that out later,” was the best I could give her. “Dallas, go with Diana. Stay by her side,” I ordered, then waited for Mya to give me confirmation she’d heed my unspoken request to also keep any eye on Diana.
Mya nodded, then set a hand on Diana’s back. “Come on, let’s explore this palace together. Maybe it has a library with a rolling ladder.”
