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Noah’s jaw unhinged. Ryan and Dylan exchanged glances. He couldn’t read Matthias’s expression, but that was par for the course.
Oskar, ever dry, just said, “Well, congrats. So how long before you teach the kid to kill someone in their sleep?”
Noah growled at Oskar. “Can it, Viking.” He shoved Rafe back. “Rafe, we get it. No one is going to use anyone as bait.” He nailed Oskar with a hard look that clearly stated he’d better not be suggesting that.
Matthias was actually surprisingly strong, and he was taking the brunt of holding back Rafe from annihilating the German’s face. “If she were your woman, would you be so eager to put her in the line of fire?”
Oskar shrugged. “If it would get the job done, I’d do what I needed to do. I wouldn’t make it personal.”
“We don’t put family in the line of fire,” Noah reminded him.
“He’s not my damn family,” Oskar muttered but not so quietly that Rafe didn’t hear him.
“She’s my family, dumbass!” Rafe raged.
Noah looked like he was ready to let him go and take Oskar out for that comment.
Oskar held up his hands. “Sorry. I’m just saying, we would all be there protecting her. We’d set a trap. We have to do something. Right now we’re sitting ducks.”
Rafe shoved everybody off him, grappling for a moment with Matthias before the kid finally let him go and shoved him toward the door.
Noah glared at him. “Go cool off. No one’s using anyone as bait. We’re going to find another solution.” He turned his attention back to Oskar. “You come up with another brilliant idea. One that doesn’t involve getting one of the family killed.”
Rafe wrenched open the office door. He had to find Diana. He wasn’t letting her get hurt. He wasn’t letting his child get hurt.
Over his dead body.
Chapter Fourteen
Diana heard the door slam from the living room. She left Lucia with JJ and went to see what was wrong. She immediately knew something was up when she saw Noah and a few of the other guys watching her from the hallway with blank expressions. She eventually found Rafe in their bedroom, pacing.
She watched him for a long moment before speaking. “You want to talk about what’s going on?”
“No.”
Diana folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. “Hey, I’m just trying to help you. Obviously something is going on.” She swallowed. “Is it my brothers? Have you found them?”
He turned and met her gaze, shaking his head slowly. “No, we haven’t. I’m just frustrated with the whole thing, that’s all.”
She nodded as she rocked back and forth on her heels. “I just wish I could help in some way. I wish that none of you were in danger because of me.”
Rafe stalked toward her, then wrapped his arms around her, enveloping her in his warmth. “None of this is your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She wasn’t willing to dismiss what she was feeling that easily. “But this is my family. In so many ways my ignorance makes me complicit. I saw what I wanted. So maybe I need to help stop it. I need to do something.”
He searched her face. “Did Oskar say something to you?”
Diana frowned. “Why would Oskar say something to me?”
Rafe shook his head. “Never mind.”
“Rafe, we can’t keep doing this. This is no way to live, looking over our shoulders and keeping us under lock and key. It’s time to go on the offensive, or it’s time to put some distance between me and the rest of you. I’m the one they want. The smart choice is to have me leave.”
He scowled at her. “There’s nothing smart about it. This penthouse is a fortress. You’re safest here. Even clients are only ever shown the conference room. There is no way I’m letting you out of my sight, so you’re just going to have to deal with it.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Do I have to remind you that I researched you for over a year and none of you were any the wiser? I am a fighter. I know how to take care of myself. You can take your damsel-in-distress-protection shit and shove it. I am your partner. Stop trying to protect me.”
His chuckle was harsh. “Things are different now, Diana. You’re pregnant. They can hurt you.”
