Chapter Fifteen
Even after their explosive lovemaking, Diana had a hard time falling asleep. The idea of ending the standoff with her brothers kept rattling around her brain. She didn’t dare bring it up to Rafe because she knew he’d just freak out again. Not that she didn’t understand why. He loved her. And she loved him back, which was why she was more determined than ever to end this thing.
The next day, Diana waited until she could get Noah alone. It wasn’t easy to find an opportune moment when there were so many people coming and going in the penthouse all day.
Good thing she was patient. She’d learned those lessons after watching Rafe for so long. The penthouse was busy as they had a business to run. But she bided her time. Despite all that was happening in her sphere, Blake Security still had other clients to keep safe. So she waited until Rafe was busy in the living room with Oskar and she saw Noah walk into his office.
This was probably going to be her only chance, so she followed him and closed the door behind her quietly. The entire room was surrounded by glass. Damn it, why did everything have to be so open? If Rafe walked by and saw her in here, he’d want to know why. She dropped down into the chair in front of Noah’s desk and then slid down so the top of her head wasn’t visible. Noah looked up then, finally noticing her.
“Um, hi? You know you have feet like a cat? What are you doing?”
Diana chuckled. Despite his stern demeanor, he was actually not a bad guy. And Lord, he was funny with some of the things that would come out of his mouth. He’d been good to her, considering.
Anyone else would have thrown out the chick who’d brought nothing but destruction and mayhem to his home, but Noah had been very welcoming.
“Trying to make sure that Rafe doesn’t see me.”
Noah glanced around warily. “And why don’t you want Rafe to see you?”
“Because he’s not going to like that I’m here. Or that I’m about to ask you to do something that he’s against.”
Noah rubbed his chin. “If he’s against it, then I’m probably not going to like this either.”
Ever since she’d found out about Oskar’s plan, Diana knew that they had to make it happen. It was the only way to end things.
“I want to help draw my brothers out of hiding. They’re too smart to fall for just anything, and even though we can wait for them to get sloppy, I don’t want to wait that long. There’s way too much chaos they could cause in the meantime. The only thing they want as much as the Jewel of the Sea is me. They don’t like that I’m here because I have too much information that can be used against them. If they think they can recapture me, they’ll try it.”
“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.”
Lucia put her hand over his. “Those days are over. Things are different now. I had no idea this kind of happiness was even real, but Noah has shown me that a forever love is possible. I want that for you too, and I’m so glad you’ve found Diana.”
Rafe’s instincts were to deny it. History had made him wary of claiming good things for fear that they’d be taken away. But Lucia was right; things were different now. And he wanted to tell everyone that Diana was his.
“I’m glad I found Diana too. When I think about how easily I could have missed meeting her, it scares the hell out of me.”
“Fate had other plans for you, big brother. Just don’t screw it up.”
“Got it. Any other advice for me?”
“Nope. That’s it. But don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I think of anything else.”
Rafe chuckled. He had no doubt she would. Hopefully she’d have a long life of telling him and Noah what to do.
“That reminds me that I should go check on her. I don’t want her to feel like I’ve abandoned her to those crazies out there.”
Lucia smacked his arm playfully. “They’re our crazies, and we love them. They’re part of the family now.”
Rafe thought of the assorted group of men that had become like family over the past year and a half. He’d never admit it out loud, but she was right. He’d do anything for those guys out there because they’d already proven their loyalty. He stood up and kissed the top of Isabella’s head before handing her over reluctantly.
“You need anything?”
“No. Oh wait, ice cream. Yes. I need ice cream. And a glass of orange juice. I know it’s weird, but it’s something I started doing when I was pregnant.”
Rafe wrinkled his nose. “You want to drink orange juice while eating ice cream… You know what? Never mind.”
He walked toward the kitchen, shaking his head. After getting her items, he’d leave her to eat without an audience. It would turn his stomach to see milk products and orange juice being consumed at the same time. But then again, he’d better get used to the weird combinations now that Diana was pregnant.
The living room was empty, so before going to the kitchen, he stuck his head in his room. Empty.
Oskar was in the kitchen, drinking from a bottle of water. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing. Just getting some stuff for Lucia. Have you seen Diana? I haven’t seen her all afternoon.”
Oskar shook his head, looking confused. “I thought she was with you.”
Jonas walked by.
“Hey, Jonas. Have you seen Diana?”
The other man looked confused. “Noah said she was with you.”
For reasons he couldn’t begin to deconstruct, Rafe started sweating. It was illogical to assume that something bad had happened to Diana anytime they were apart. Going forward, they couldn’t be together all the time, something he would have to get used to. But he had great instincts, and listening to them had saved his ass more than a few times. So although logic told him to stay calm, his instincts told him something was wrong.
“Let her know I’m looking for her if you see her,” Rafe said out loud.
He made sure to keep his expression calm and even. There was no use alarming everyone if she was just taking a nap or getting something to eat. But instead of checking their room again, he headed straight for Noah’s office. As soon as he cleared the doorway and saw Noah’s face, he knew.
“You son of a bitch. What did you do?”
Noah didn’t bother denying it, not that it would have done any good. They’d known each other too long for bullshit. He could tell with just one look that Noah had done something the other man was now regretting.
“She wanted to end it. I couldn’t say no to that. It’s been too hard worrying and wondering when they’ll strike.”
Rafe could feel his rage rising so fast and strong that he wasn’t sure he’d survive it. For years he’d existed as simply a tool. A weapon. Weapons didn’t have families or loved ones or homes. He’d gotten used to not having anything to call his own anymore, Lucia and Nonna long ago banished to the part of his mind that he considered buried. But now that he actually had something of his own, something to protect, the thought of it being taken away was unfathomable.
Simply put, Rafe wasn’t sure he’d survive losing Diana. To lose her after having her love… he might as well lose his own life.
“I’m going to kill you, Noah. If she dies, you die.”
Noah didn’t look shocked by the threat, but then men like them understood vengeance. “She’s protected. I promise you. I would never let her truly be in harm’s way. She’s just drawing them out.”
Rafe could barely get his next words out. “And if things don’t go according to plan?”
Noah’s words were as grave as the expression on his face. “Then God help us all.”