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“Not exactly. I’m following my boyfriend. I think he’s cheating on me.” It was the only thing she could think of, but apparently it wasn’t interesting enough for the cabbie to care because he just shrugged and stepped on the gas.
She was able to direct him to the corner where the GPS showed Rafe.
Her cabbie signaled and stopped at the corner up ahead. Diana gave him a twenty-dollar bill and hustled out of the car.
“Thanks!” She glanced around but couldn’t see him. What the hell? According to GPS, he should be right— Oh, there he was, ducking down an alley.
She scrambled after him, nearly getting run over in the process. She inched closer to the alley entrance. Then she heard clanging trash bins.
“Fuck off me, man!”
The shout rang down the alley, and Diana instinctively shrank back against the wall. What was that?
There was a stick on the ground near her feet, and she hurriedly picked it up. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Belatedly, she realized just how dumb this plan was. She should have at least brought a weapon.
Why yes, let’s follow Rafe into an unfamiliar part of the city and then down an alley. Smart girl.
But then there was another shout, one that sounded kind of familiar. Was that Rafe? Diana clutched the wooden stick harder. That sounded like him. By now the low timbre of his voice was something she was getting used to. Her instincts told her to run, but instead she held her ground.
Inching forward toward the sounds of scuffling, she paused right before the corner. She peered around the edge, keeping low to the ground, hoping she wouldn’t be seen.
Rafe was on the ground, grappling with some guy. She couldn’t even see what he looked like because every time she thought she’d catch a glimpse of his face, he’d move or throw another punch. Diana held a hand over her mouth, not wanting to make a sound and possibly distract him.
Although it didn’t look like he needed any help.
Holy hell, the man could move. Diana winced and shrank back again as Rafe and the other man grappled and rolled until they were finally both on their feet. It was like watching a fiercely choreographed dance with kicks and punches flying. The only difference being that someone could end up dead.
The thought was sobering. Because not only could Rafe end up dead, but she could too. How did she know the other man didn’t have some friends around who might come along and find her? This was truly not one of her best ideas. She was backing up, thinking she could run back to the main road, when her foot hit a bottle. It went skittering into the alley, the sound ricocheting off the concrete and brick.
Both men glanced over at her. The other guy smirked before turning back around, obviously not judging her as much of a threat.
Rafe, on the other hand, looked gobsmacked. His mouth fell open. “Diana? What the hell are you doing?”
While he was distracted, the other man drew a knife. In that moment, Diana could have sworn her heart stopped. In slow motion, she watched the gleam of sunlight on silver as the long blade was exposed. And she reacted without even thinking.
“No!” She sprang forward and raised the wooden stick in her hands over her head.
The guy heard her, but it was too late for him to react. She brought the stick down with all the strength she had, clubbing him over the head. He swayed, and Rafe rushed forward and put him in a headlock of some sort. The seconds ticked by, and the guy slowly slumped, landing in a crumpled pile.
Rafe stepped over the body and grabbed her arm. “Come on. We have to get out of here.” He wasn’t giving her much choice, so even though Diana was still in shock, her feet had to move to keep up with him, otherwise she would have been dragged. Finally she managed to find her voice.
“Who was that?”
Rafe didn’t even look at her. “That doesn’t matter.”
“Doesn’t matter? I just killed a guy. Oh my God, I think I just killed somebody.”
“I promise all you did was stun him.” They’d gotten back to Grand Street, and Rafe held up his hand to hail a cab. One stopped immediately. He fixed her with an intense look. “Don’t say anything until we’re back at home. Got it?”
She nodded numbly as they climbed into the cab.
He had his phone out in a second and made a call. “You tracking him?”
She couldn’t hear the other end of the line, and it was killing her.
“There was a complication, but the muscle he hired is incapacitated.” More talking she couldn’t hear. He added, “Not what you think. I need to take Diana home, then I’ll come in for debrief.” Again silence, before he slid his gaze over her. “Not sure yet, but I’m going to find out.”
His dark gaze stripped her bare in the back of the cab. There was a part of her that wished he could see through her. Then he could unmask all the lies and just see her.
