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Diana watched him as he took full control of the room. This was the man she loved. And after today, she was going to get to keep him.
Cleanup after a scene like that would normally take days. But the crew that Noah had on call for emergencies took care of things pretty fast. The FBI would likely have some additional questions. After all, the story they’d given about how they’d apprehended Hans and Jakob Vandergraff was a little too pat to be believed. But in the end, they didn’t have much of a choice.
Rafe had hand delivered them their targets on a silver platter. Even Interpol would rather have them than not. So he expected, once the bullshit final interviews were over, that they would be in the clear. The events of the past day would just become one more mission he locked away never to think or speak of again.
If only it would be that easy for Diana. Rafe’s stomach flipped just thinking of it. His perfect warrior, Diana. He wished she wasn’t made for this sort of thing, but he had to admit, she had been one hell of an asset.
Having to lie and keep secrets, all the while knowing that she was putting her own brothers away for life. With every hour, he’d watched as the light in her eyes dimmed a little bit more and wondered how much more she could take.
Rafe leaned forward and looked through the window of the boardroom as Diana gave her final statement to the FBI taskforce. He’d wanted to be in there to support her through it, but Granger wouldn’t have it. He gritted his teeth. His old buddy just had to give him one last fuck you on the way out the door. But that was fine because after today, they were done.
They were finally free.
Emilie Durand stepped into the hallway first. When she spotted him, she straightened her shoulders. “I didn’t think your little Diana would come through. I underestimated her.”
“You underestimated both of us.” Rafe had a hard time keeping the smile off his face at her disgruntled look. She sniffed and then walked away. Women like her weren’t used to being denied, which made it all the more satisfying that Rafe would be the one she remembered as untouchable.
Ten minutes later, Alan left the room. When he spotted Rafe standing outside waiting, a wry smile twisted his lips. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t be far away.”
“You know it. Is she free to go?”
Alan nodded. “You both are free to go.”
They turned as Diana joined them in the hallway. She immediately gravitated toward Rafe, wrapping an arm around his waist. After her brothers’ capture, there’d been a noticeable difference in the way she treated him. Not in the way Rafe had feared. He’d been worried that after seeing the terrible things he was willing to do that it would color her love for him. Not that he thought she’d leave him, he knew she was made of stronger stuff than that. But he worried that she’d always see violence when she looked at him. Or even worse, that underneath it all, s
he would fear him. He wasn’t sure he could have survived if he’d looked in her eyes and known that she was afraid of him.
But instead, Diana had only drawn closer to him in the days since.
“So no more worrying about my crazy brothers? No one trying to kill us? What about Uncle Boris?"
Alan looked behind him to where Emilie stood. "With all the information the two of you have provided, Interpol has already built a hell of a case against Boris Klinkov. He's going away for a long time after this. You're free."
"Free?" Diana repeated, looking a little dazed. "I’m not even sure what that’ll be like.”
“Quiet probably. I’ve heard crossword puzzles help to pass the time.” Alan looked between them with a calculating gleam in his eyes. “Although I have to say, you have a cool head under pressure, Ms. Vandergraff. If you ever want a career in the bureau, we could use someone with your attributes.”
“Not a chance,” Rafe growled.
“I didn’t think so, but it was worth a try.” Alan gave a mock salute before he left.
Diana shook her head as they watched him go. “Some nerve, huh? Besides, it’s not like I actually did anything heroic. I just sat there and waited to be rescued really.”
Incredulous, Rafe pulled back. “Nothing? Diana, you came to New York determined to infiltrate the lair of one of the most notorious assassins the world has ever seen and find lost treasure. That’s pretty badass.”
There were men all over the world who would shake in fear if he growled at them, but Diana only snorted in laughter.
“Notorious assassin, huh? Well, your ego is definitely still intact.”
Rafe grinned. “Always. But what I said is true. What you did was dangerous and ill-advised and also pretty much a suicide mission.”
“Hey, I thought you were supposed to be making me feel better,” she grumbled before elbowing him in the side.
“Like I was saying, it was all those things, but it was also ballsy as hell. I don’t care how you look at this, what you did was definitely not nothing.”
They’d been walking leisurely toward the front doors, but before they got there, Diana pulled him to the side.
“Do you really think so? After all the crazy and exciting things you’ve done, I’m sure what I did was no big deal compared to that. In fact…”
