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It warmed him that she trusted him enough that she could relax in his presence instantly without a second thought. But then he told himself not to take it as too much of a compliment. No doubt she was exhausted from her brush with death.
The bruising around her neck stood out against her pale skin, every mottled discoloration an insult. That motherfucker has to die, Rafe thought. Diana was a tiny thing, and even though she had this crazy idea that she was a badass, she was an angel, through and through. He rubbed his chest, right over his breastbone, no longer able to hold back the nightmarish images that had plagued him on the whole drive while he’d been tracking Diana this afternoon. A million scenarios had played in his mind as he’d hoped that she wouldn’t get into any trouble before he could reach her.
It was a dirty trick that she’d pulled, kicking him in the family jewels, but he couldn’t even be too angry.
It was exactly what he used to tell Lucia to do.
The thought of his sister made him think of the man she was married to, his former protégé. Exactly the kind of man with the resources to help him right now. He’d worked so hard to push down the part of him he was ashamed of. The part of him that didn’t even flinch at killing. He never enjoyed it. He wasn’t like some of the others in ORUS, but for the most part, he slept just fine when he took a piece off the board.
He went out to the living room, leaving the door to the bedroom cracked slightly so Diana would have some light from the hallway if she woke up frightened. He pulled out his cell phone and called Noah. His brother-in-law answered on the first ring.
“The tracker came in handy. I was almost too late, in fact,” he said before Noah even said anything.
After a brief pause, Noah cursed. “Shit. How bad is it?”
“Bad. The guys who had her had some training. Not ORUS level but definitely not your run-of-the-mill thugs.”
Noah’s sigh over the line reflected how Rafe was feeling. From the moment they’d met when he’d been assigned to mentor the younger man, there had been an immediate kinship. Noah had been his brother long before he’d married Lucia. He knew that he would always have his back and do whatever he could to help Rafe out, even when it meant the possibility of trouble being brought to his doorstep.
“I need Matthias.” He didn’t need to say anything else.
“You got it. Whatever you need, man.”
Rafe sighed. The problem was he didn’t actually know what he needed. This was unfamiliar territory for him. He always knew what he was doing, always had a plan. Then a tiny, blond slip of a woman had come into his life and thrown him off-balance.
And he loved it.
“Not sure what I need yet. Matthias already ran her, and I know the ID is fairly fresh. So that’s a red flag, but there’s something I’m missing. She tried to tell me something earlier, but she passed out before I could get it out of her. I don’t feel safe with her here.”
“Bring her here,” Noah said. No hesitation.
Rafe couldn’t even respond for a moment. This was the meaning of family. People who were there for you without question, even when it might be difficult. He knew without a doubt that Noah would fight beside him to the death to protect Diana just because Rafe cared about her.
“I’ll do that. Thank you.”
“Any time. I’ll have Mat
thias on the watch for you. He’ll let you in.”
After hanging up with Noah, Rafe packed a bag for himself and another for Diana. He could stay at home, but for how long? The truth was he didn’t know exactly how compromised his security was from what Diana had done. And even if it was okay, why tempt fate? And he was pretty sure Ian knew where to find him if he was the threat. It was better if he had backup. When he was a younger man, and a dumber man, he’d have stayed put hoping for a fight. But now that he was older and wiser, he actually had something to live for. Something he wanted to protect.
Rafe took their bags down first and secured them in the back of his SUV. Then he came back for Diana. She was so tired that she barely moved as he dressed her in a lightweight sweater and a pair of leggings.
Diana opened her eyes several times as he carried her down in the elevator and then out the garage entrance. Once he had her belted in, he tucked a small pillow under her chin. She smiled softly and closed her eyes again.
Rafe got in the driver’s seat, and as he pulled out, he kept his gaze trained on his surroundings and the rearview mirror, looking for any unfamiliar vehicles that might be following them. It was a short drive, but he took a roundabout route, just in case he was being followed. He glanced over at Diana, happy to see that she was still sleeping soundly.
When she woke, she might not be too happy with him, but for now she was safe and content. He could relax once they were at the penthouse. Nobody was getting in there. Except you that one time.
The information that Diana had on him could have only come from two sources: ORUS or the FBI. They were the only ones who would have known about his presence on the Vandergraff job that put him in close proximity to that damn diamond.
Plus with Alan’s little visit, hell, that couldn’t be a coincidence. Rafe wasn’t sure whom he could trust right now. And until he was sure, he was only going to trust family. Even if that family included a few trained killers.
So that was where he was heading. To family. To home.
It took them an hour to get there because of the traffic and all the evasive maneuvers he took to make sure they weren’t followed. By the time he pulled into the underground garage at Noah’s building, Rafe was a nervous wreck. Inching along in traffic had made him feel like a sitting duck, and he’d been looking over his shoulder the whole time, hoping he hadn’t missed anything. Now that they were on familiar territory, he finally took a deep breath.
When he parked, he saw Jonas waiting by the elevators. Jonas might not be happy about it, ever since almost-murder-gate last year. They’d had a rocky beginning. But he knew all Noah’s guys were loyal. Even if the help was begrudging, he would take any help he could get at this point. They’re your guys now too.
