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I smiled. “You think I stole it, don’t you?”
I shook my head sadly. After all the years I’d put in, they still didn’t trust me. They always said there was no honor among thieves. It seemed there was no honor among the enforcers of the law either. Not that I’d ever drunk that particular Kool-Aid. The guys on the so-called “right” side of the law were often cut from the same cloth as the guys they were chasing.
“I didn’t take that diamond, Alan. You guys are wasting your time.”
“I know that,” Alan assured me hastily. “But they don’t know you like I do. I’m trying to help you, Rafe. But you have to help me too.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” I replied before turning to nail Alan with a direct look. “I don’t have to do shit. Now leave. And don’t show up at my place of business again.”
Alan shook his head. “You’re making a mistake.”
“Maybe. It wouldn’t be the first time.”
I watched him go and then cursed as soon as he’d left the room. Alan might be gone, but that didn’t mean this was the end of it.
I needed to do some digging of my own.
* * *
Diana
What the hell was happening to my life?
I finished wiping the counter in the kitchen and then sat down at the dining table.
It was a little pathetic, but I’d gotten so used to spending my days and nights with Rafe that it was kind of weird now that he wasn’t here. I should be jumping for joy. He’d left me alone in the apartment so he could go to the gym. This was what I’d been waiting for, a sign of trust.
An opportunity.
But despite the fact that I’d gotten what I’d been hoping for, I felt curiously empty.
That’s because I’m acting like a silly little girl with a crush instead of an intelligent, calculating woman with a plan.
Warmth spread through me at the thought of the prior night in Rafe’s arms. Shame and desire battled, but I couldn’t deny that things had changed between us. There was something about the way he looked at me, touched me, and held me. I’d never experienced anything like this before, and I couldn’t believe that something this right could happen if he really was a coldhearted killer.
I pressed my hands to my cheeks. I was supposed to be avenging my father’s death, and instead all I was doing was questioning everything I thought I knew. Rafe was the killer, there was no way I could have gotten that wrong. Being so young when my father was killed, there was always the risk that time had warped my memory of the event, but there was no mistaking those eyes. It had been Rafe in the office with my father. I’d never forget the sight of those eyes from behind his mask. Not to mention that I’d seen him in action since coming here.
My mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. Rafe DeMarco was lethal and absolutely capable of murder. But the man I’d come to know since arriving here operated under strict codes of honor. He was principled.
Which made no sense!
I groaned. The only way I could make things add up was to find the clues I was looking for and figure out the real story. Maybe there had been a reason that Rafe had been there. Could my father have been set up? Maybe someone else had framed him for something. Rafe didn’t hurt people indiscriminately, so he must have been led to believe my father was guilty of something.
I was just trying to rationalize it.
The thought that I was going soft when I should be avenging the only man who’d ever loved me brought on a wave of despair. I stood reluctantly and made my way into the living room. I started with the windows, inspecting all the sills before moving to the artwork again. Now that I knew he had motion sensors on the paintings, I didn’t dare take any of them down.
With a frustrated little sigh, I swept my eyes over the rest of the apartment. He didn’t spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and I’d already searched that room thoroughly anyway under the guise of “cooking.” The only places I hadn’t had time to search were his bedroom and the office.
Starting with the bedroom, I swept my hands under the mattress and peered under the bed frame. The ceilings and walls were smooth, with no indication that any areas had been punched out and patched, so I doubted he’d hidden anything in the walls. How would I retrieve it anyway?
Oh, don’t mind the mess, Rafe. I just wanted to check out the other side of your drywall!
I shook my head at the thought. Now that I was gaining his trust, I didn’t want to do anything overt that would cause me to lose it. He would eventually give away a clue; it was inevitable. I just had to be patient.
Giving up on the bedroom, I walked down the hall to the office. I’d never been in that room before, only seen inside when he’d left the door open. It was decorated in typical male fashion with dark paint on the walls and lots of leather. I sat in the desk chair, inhaling the scent of Rafe.
Focus.
