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All she could do was run, use cash, and try to stay off the radar. Maybe color her hair, go back to dark. Go out West. Lay low, live an anonymous life. That was the safest option. But that meant her brothers and Uncle Boris would get away with everything. The things she’d seen in that file… she couldn’t live with herself knowing they were involved in human trafficking. They had to be stopped.
Then there was Rafe.
She closed her eyes, caught off guard by the tsunami of emotion that just thinking about him wrought. All this time, she’d been torn by the conflicting feelings she’d had for him. In a way it was vindicating to know that she hadn’t been wrong. Rafael DeMarco was, if not a good guy exactly, at least someone who was working to make the world a better place. An FBI agent. She hadn’t seen that one coming.
The text she’d been waiting for came in after a few moments.
Charisse: Of course. You know the address.
With a sigh of relief, Diana called a taxi and then walked to the address she’d given them. She could just download the Uber app or something onto her new phone, but she wasn’t taking any risks with her accounts or her emails. Rafe was good. Too good. As it was, he was going to find her soon.
She just needed to have a plan of attack before he did. And maybe, just maybe, she’d get lucky, and he wouldn’t find her. She just had to stay ahead of the game.
When her cab showed up, she gave the driver the address and slouched down. She couldn’t help but look up at the front of the department store, and then she saw him. Long, lithe movements. Focused drive, and determination in his stride. Rafe.
He was already on her tail. Dammit. No doubt, it would take him five minutes to find the phone. Another ten to get security cameras pulled up. Enough to see that she’d walked out maybe five minutes ago, so she had about a fifteen-minute lead before he started calling taxi companies. Fantastic.
She let the taxi drop her off at the library at U Penn. Then she called another taxi, which took her to the residential neighborhoods and dropped her off about five blocks from her friend’s house.
She took a back path through a neighbor’s yard and then through another. All she could hope for was that none of these houses had motion sensor lights.
When she reached Charisse’s house, she walked up to the back door and knocked. Her friend opened the door with wide, surprised eyes. “Hey! What are you doing back here? I expected you to come to the front door.”
“Hey. Sorry. It’s a long story. Thank you for doing this.”
“It’s no worry. Richard’s on a business trip, and the kids are asleep. They’re going to be thrilled to have Auntie Diana here for a bit.”
Diana nodded her thanks. “You know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t need to.”
Charisse frowned. “What are you talking about? You’re always welcome. Now, you want to tell me why you’re calling me in the middle of the night from a new phone number?”
It was only then that Diana let herself sag, and the first tears rolled down her face. “Charisse. I’m in so much trouble. And I have no clue what to do.”
And then her friend reminded her of why they were so close in the first place. She didn’t get angry or say I told you so. Charisse led her to the couch in the living room, put a comforting arm around her shoulders, and said, “Tell me what happened.”
Chapter Two
Run. Run. Run.
Diana jerked awake with a shot of adrenaline in her blood. Immediately she checked her surroundings, looking for the exit. It took her several moments to realize where she was. Charisse’s place. She was in the same guest room she’d occupied while she’d formulated her plan for Rafe.
The sheets were soft, and the room smelled like lavender. And the sunlight filtered in through the blinds, casting the room into a warm morning glow.
Diana scrubbed her hands over her face as the events of last night slammed into her like a tidal wave. Forty-eight hours ago, she’d been in Rafe’s arms, si
multaneously loving being there and hating herself for wanting to be there. That connection she’d felt with him, the one that she’d loathed over the past month, was real. She’d fought it. She’d undermined it. And last night, she’d blown it up for what?
For absolutely nothing, that’s what. There was no family to protect. No honor or justice for them. Her family. Her father, her brothers, they were the ones the world needed protecting from. She’d lied, stolen, stalked, and cheated to avenge a man who had essentially sold her off. The bile threatened to rise in her throat again. She dragged in deep breaths to push it down.
Rafe DeMarco, he was one of the good guys, relatively speaking anyway. And to make matters worse, she’d fallen for him. Fallen for his laugh, his smile, fallen for the man that loved his family more than anything in the world. And in the end, she’d hurt him. She’d drugged him, fucked him, and then she’d hurt him. There was something so seriously wrong with her.
She dragged the covers off and after a quick shower, dressed quickly. She found Charisse in the kitchen, making breakfast.
“Morning, sunshine.”
Diana gave her a bright smile. “I see you’re still a morning person.”
“Are you kidding? It’s the only time I truly get to myself anymore. I’ve got two babies under two. I mean, dear Lord. I just finished feeding Jessica, and Braden will be up in an hour demanding something sugary like jam for breakfast, and I’ll have to do the mommy song and dance and at least negotiate some toast with that jam as well as fruit. My life is oh-so-fascinating.” Her friend cocked her head and studied her. “How are you feeling? A bit better after a good night’s sleep?”
