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Diana shook her head at the thought. Now that she was gaining his trust, she didn’t want to do anything overt that would cause her to lose it. He would eventually give away a clue; it was inevitable. She just had to be patient.
Giving up on the bedroom, she walked down the hall to the office. She’d never been in that room before, only seen inside when he’d left the door open. It was decorated in typical male fashion with dark paint on the walls and lots of leather. She sat in the desk chair, inhaling the scent of Rafe.
Focus.
She traced under the surface of the desk, feeling for any grooves or cracks where something could be hidden. Nothing. She shook the mouse, but when the computer screen flared to life, it showed only the passcode screen. Well, it was worth a try. She could always hope that maybe he was an assassin with lax security standards at home.
There was another painting in here too. She didn’t recognize the artist this time. She quickly checked the shelves and the walls, then lastly looked for any levers or buttons in the frame of the painting. Nothing.
Sighing, she left the office and went back to her room.
She was just about to walk back out into the hallway when she heard Rafe’s voice. He must have come home. She had been listening for him, but the man moved like a cat. Maybe she should tie a bell around his dick. That way she’d know every time he was around.
Who was he talking to? Rafe didn’t seem to have many friends outside of his work and family.
Taking a chance, she crept closer to the door just in time to see Rafe appear at the entrance to the hallway.
He glanced around, eyes narrowed. Then took a step back to look in the kitchen.
He was looking for her, she realized.
She ducked back into her room and heard his murmurs as he walked by her room. He was making sure she didn’t overhear him. Which meant he was discussing something he didn’t want her to know about.
This was her chance. Now or never. It was either follow him or be stuck in this limbo.
She tiptoed after him.
Rafe’s phone started ringing while he was on the way home.
“What’s up, Noah?” He figured the other man had probably heard about his annoyance from Matthias by now.
“I meant to grab you before you left. We need your help investigating a potential new hire.”
That was news. Rafe had no question about his place in the company. He was like a precision blade, used when needed. But he hadn’t been invited to participate in many other ways. Despite how things seemed, he was still getting back on even ground with Noah. They were still moving around each other, trying to figure out where the pieces fit in their new relationship. It was odd for Rafe to be so uncertain around the man he’d taken under his wing a decade ago and trained from the ground up. But in the time he’d been gone, Noah had matured into the kind of strong leader Rafe had always known he would be.
Which was why being asked for help meant more to him than Noah would ever know.
“Not sure what I can do, but whatever you need, you know I’m there,” he finally answered, hoping his rough voice didn’t betray the depth of feeling.
“This guy is former ORUS. Call sign Lynx. Did you know him?”
Rafe’s brow furrowed as he thought back. He’d definitely never worked directly with the guy. Before taking any tandem assignment, he’d always memorized the file on the other agent, looking for vulnerabilities or weaknesses. He’d definitely remember if they’d worked together.
“I never worked with him. Although, that doesn’t mean I don’t have anything on him.”
Noah laughed. “Of course. Your file of secrets. I’d almost forgotten that you kept information on everyone. You always were a paranoid bastard.”
“It’s served me well. Let me take a look at what I have in my files. If he’s mentioned, even in a peripheral way, I’ll let you know.”
Rafe pulled into the garage for his building and parked. He cradled his phone between his neck and his ear while grabbing the gym bag on the passenger seat.
“While you’re doing that, I wanted to ask about earlier. Matthias mentioned that you seemed less than happy to see Alan.”
Here we go, Rafe thought. He should have known he hadn’t escaped Noah’s attention.
The guy had been a top ORUS operative for a reason.
“Yeah. The FBI has a different definition of retired than I do, apparently.” Rafe opened the door to his apartment and dropped his bag by the door.
