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“You’re right. Rafe isn’t going to like this. And neither do I.” Noah’s face was like stone as he watched her.
Diana looked away from his penetrating gaze. He saw too much, just like his wife. But she had to convince him this was the best way to end this nightmare because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could live like this. She put a hand gently over her abdomen. Knowing that she had a little life growing in there only strengthened her resolve.
Her child deserved to be safe and have both parents around. If anything ever happened to Rafe because he was trying to protect her, she didn’t know what she’d do. She could see it as clear as Noah sitting in front of her. If they didn’t end this soon, Rafe would get hurt.
“I know you don’t like it, but I think you’ll help me anyway.”
“Why is that? You’re perfect for him, by the way. Only Rafe would find a woman who was just as relentless as he is.”
Diana smiled at the comparison. “Relentless is how things get done. This is the only way that we can control things. I’d rather take a risk when we’ve planned for it, than to have my brothers come for me. If we’re surprised, things won’t end so well for us. What if Rafe gets hurt?” She closed her eyes and then used her trump card. “What if Lucia gets hurt? Or, God forbid, the baby. I can’t live with myself if this goes badly and someone else pays the price. Can you?”
Noah’s fingers tightened around the pen in his hand. “What exactly do you propose we do? Because as much as I want to end this, throwing an innocent woman to the wolves isn’t something I’m willing to do.”
She gave him a fierce smile. “First you should know I’m not that innocent. And they might be wolves, but I am meaner and will fight dirty. I have a family to protect now. If I pose as bait, they’ll come for me. I’m sure of it. I can lead my brothers back to the loft. If we’re ready for it, we can make sure no one gets caught in the crossfire.”
Noah’s eyes were intense as he listened, but she was happy to see that he did seem to be listening. He nodded along as she made her points and then thrust his hands through his hair.
“I don’t like this at all, but I can’t disagree with you. This is probably our best chance of keeping things contained. It’s still a risk though. Your brothers are unpredictable at this point. What if they don’t want to come back here and instead try to take you somewhere else? What if they want to fly you out of the country?”
Those were the same concerns that Diana had, but she couldn’t show any weakness or Noah would call off the whole thing.
“I acknowledge the risks, but we can plan for all those scenarios. Which is infinitely better than sitting here and waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
He watched her for a long time and then nodded once. Diana felt like she’d just gotten a royal seal of approval. They still had a lot of work to do, but this was a start.
“When should we do it?” she asked.
“The sooner the better. I’ll get the guys to come up with a plan, and then we’ll hopefully be ready to go within a day or two.”
“Good. The sooner we get this over with the better.” Not just because she wanted it to be over but because it was going to be really difficult to keep Rafe from finding out.
As if he’d read her mind, Noah sent her a frustrated look. “I only hope he doesn’t take me out once and for all after this is done.”
Rafe grinned at his niece as she crammed one of his fingers into her mouth. The grin quickly faded when the little scamp bit him. “No, Izzy. No biting Uncle Rafe.”
Isabella scrunched up her face but seemed to calm down when she realized he wasn’t taking his finger away,
“I can’t believe how strong she is,” he muttered when she clung possessively to his finger.
“Apparently, that’s what’s supposed to happen. Hope she didn’t get you too bad.”
“Nah, I’m tough. She’s my niece, so I’m going to give her whatever she wants. Besides it was only my finger.”
“Yeah well, in my world it’s a nipple. Now that hurts.”
Rafe would rather not think about his sister’s nipples. He suppressed a shudder and turned his gaze back to the chubby baby in his lap with the big gray eyes and dark curls. Jesus, she was cute. He still couldn’t believe Lucia was a mother.
From the moment Lucia had come into the world, he’d been her protector and her biggest fan. Being ten years older than her had been strange. He’d never felt the usual competitiveness or annoyance that his friends felt with their siblings. She’d always seemed like she was so vulnerable, and he’d taken his role as big brother seriously. His father had drilled it into his head that it was his responsibility to watch over his sister, and he’d only renewed that vow after the death of their parents.
“I am so proud of you, Lulu. You’re an amazing mom.”
Lucia looked stunned at his words. Her lips trembled slightly. “You’re going to make me cry. Not that it takes much these days. Everything causes the waterworks since I had Isabella.”
“I figured that when I caught you crying over that cupcake the other day.”
She laughed softly. “Well, it was a really good cupcake.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m serious though. For so long I didn’t think this kind of happiness was in the cards for either of us. I didn’t care so much about me, but it seemed so unfair for you to be punished for my sins.”
