by M. Malone
Rafe roared in satisfaction as the knot of tension at the base of his spine snapped. He thrust once, twice, and then held himself firmly inside her as he drowned in pleasure.
“I love you, Diana.”
Her eyes stayed on his as he continued to circle his hips, drawing out the connection between them. Her eyelids fluttered, and she moaned softly when he finally dropped down next to her, too weak to hold himself up anymore. This was what she did to him, made him feel weak but also safe enough to let his guard down.
“Tell me you love me. I know you do.”
Without lifting his head, Rafe waited. He probably should have played it close to the vest and not pushed her for more than she was ready for, but he couldn’t handle not knowing if she felt the same way. She was quiet for so long, but he knew she’d heard him because her hands had flexed on his back in shock.
Finally she let out a little sigh. “I do love you, Rafe. It’s not a good idea, but I just can’t help it.”
“Good. I don’t want you to.”
He kissed her gently before disengaging. He went to the bathroom to take care of the condom. By the time he got back, Diana was wearing her sweater again and facing the other way.
He climbed on the bed behind her and pulled her into his arms. “I know you’re worried about how things will play out, but there’s nothing you can do about it right now. Sleep. No one can touch you here. All the rest… we’ll work it out, okay?”
She stiffened at first, but after a brief pause, she relaxed in his arms. “Okay.”
Diana stretched and rolled over, her hand connecting with Rafe’s arm. The sight of it reminded her of the prior day’s events. That, along with the intense soreness in her throat. Suddenly alert, she glanced around the unfamiliar room. They were in the guest room at Rafe’s brother-in-law’s place, hiding out from her deranged brothers. His place was compromised because he was helping her. She couldn’t afford to forget that or how much he’d sacrificed on her behalf.
He loves me.
It was unbelievable and something that she didn’t think she’d ever get her mind around. Rafe had been a lot of places and done a lot of things. If the things she’d seen in that file were just a sampling of the kinds of missions he’d done, by all accounts he should be hard and deadened inside. But nothing could be further from the truth. He’d held her so gently and touched her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
She didn’t fool herself that he was some kind of monk due to his background either. Just because he’d been all over the world doing those top-secret missions didn’t mean he’d lacked female company. A man who looked like Rafe, a man with a body like that, would never be starved for female attention. But she doubted that he’d ever let any of those women into his heart.
Instead, he’d saved that for her.
Diana smiled to herself, but her smile faded as she thought of all the things Rafe still didn’t know. It was humbling and scary as hell at the same time. Rafe had her on this pedestal where he’d convinced himself that she was perfect. All the amazing feelings he had for her, what would happen to all of that when he discovered she was part of one of the most heinous crime syndicates in the world? The fact that she hadn’t known about it until recently wouldn’t matter in the end because it would still have the same result. Rafe would lose out on the normalcy he’d craved for so long. He said he was retired from the FBI, but what would happen if his old colleagues found out he was harboring a criminal? If he got in trouble for helping her, it would ruin his chances for having a new life and career outside his former line of work.
It was a choice she didn’t want him to have to make.
Moving carefully so as not to wake him, Diana slid to the end of the bed. It was a struggle to get the covers untangled from around her legs so she could stand without bringing the entire sheet with her. Then there was the ache in her throat that had somehow transferred to the rest of her body. Ow. Diana slowed her movements, trying not to anger the muscles that already felt like they’d been run over by an eighteen-wheeler. When she was finally untangled, she stood up and turned around. Rafe watched her silently from the bed. Shit.
“I was trying not to wake you,” she admitted.
He only smiled. “I know. You didn’t do too badly. It probably would have worked on anyone else. Well, anyone who hadn’t been waiting for you to try sneaking out since four a.m.”
Diana shouldn’t have been surprised. It was nearly impossible to sneak anything past Rafe. He was too well trained for the usual tactics to be effective. Now that he was on alert, Diana figured her nut jab was the last time she’d take him off guard.
“No more running,” Rafe said as he sat up. The sheets slid down slightly as he moved, showing off his ripped chest.
Diana sighed as she took in the full view of a morning-after Rafe. The sight was quickly becoming one of her favorite looks on him. With his hair wild and his dark eyes sleepy and shuttered, he was her every erotic dream personified. He was the embodiment of everything she’d wished for as a young girl when she imagined the kind of man she’d marry when she grew up. Diana smiled.
Okay not exactly.
She definitely hadn’t thought she’d marry some black-ops type, but she’d imagined someone intense and protective. Someone who’d do anything for her and considered her love as a gift. Rafe was her dream lover in all the ways that mattered.
Except for the part where she could potentially ruin his career and put him and his family in danger.
She shook her head, emotion clogging her throat. The worst part of all this was Rafe thought he was doing the right thing. He wanted to show her that she could trust him and that he would be there for her no matter what. What he didn’t understand was that those traits were exactly why she needed to leave.
He would be there for her. In fact, she had no doubt that he would endanger everything he held dear on her behalf, and she couldn’t allow him to do that. She loved him too much to watch him implode his life for a girl who wasn’t even who he thought she was. He wanted her to tell him everything, and she knew if she did, he’d keep her secrets. But doing so would put him in an impossible position, forcing him to lie to everyone and to the authorities. After years of being under the government’s thumb, she wouldn’t be the reason he lost his chance to break free.
She loved him too much for that too.
“You can’t keep me here against my will.” Her declaration probably would have been more effective if her voice hadn’t wobbled halfway through. But damn if the thought of walking away from Rafe didn’t make her want to bawl like a baby.
“Can’t I? You must have forgotten who you’re talking to.” Rafe chuckled and threw the sheet off, revealing that he was completely nude.
Diana gulped. “You don’t fight fair.”
“No, I don’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell you, sweetheart. No matter what I have to do, no matter how hard it is, I’m willing to do whatever it takes because I believe in us.”
She backed up slowly, Rafe stalking her until they ended up pressed against the bedroom door. Her eyes roamed over the ultra-ripped chest that always made her drool a little. Her breathing sped up as he lifted her and held her against the door. Diana cried out. In this position, she could feel everything, the hard bulge pressing against her core and the sheer strength it took for him to hold her up like that.
Can you say, sexy as hell?
“Don’t go, Diana. Let me fight for you.”
“There’s nothing you can do,” she whispered, wishing with all her heart that it wasn’t true. But nothing short of a time machine that could go back and undue all the damage her father and brothers had done would change anything.
“If you’re in trouble, my contacts in the FBI can keep you safe. Whatever is going on, you’re not alone with it anymore. We can figure it out together. I’ve trusted you, more than I probably should have”—he looked down at his crotch with a raised eyebrow—“and now I’m asking you to trust me.”
For a long moment Diana stared into his eyes. She wasn’t even sure exactly what she was looking for, but suddenly she knew this was the moment to stop running. To trust that someone else would actually stick when times were tough.
She ran her hands through his thick hair. “Okay. I’ll trust you.”
Rafe nuzzled her nose gently with his, the uncharacteristically tender gesture taking her off guard.
“Good. Until then, I guess I’d better deliver on my promise to keep you happy.”
Diana’s mouth fell open when he nipped her ear. His finger trailed gently over her neck. Then he snatched his hand back like he was afraid he’d hurt her.
“It’s okay. You didn’t hurt me.” She didn’t mention that her throat was sore as hell on the inside. It was like having strep throat on maximum power.
“Let’s get you some more meds, and then we can return to the regularly scheduled program.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?”
“Operation make Diana come as many times as possible.”
Chapter Eight
A few weeks later, Rafe brushed his hands over Diana’s hair to comfort her. Or maybe to comfort himself. This was so far outside his usual wheelhouse. He’d never brought someone in to the FBI who actually wanted to be there. Although looking at how she was reacting, he wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to do this. But she seemed determined to do the right thing.
He could relate. It was a bitch when the right thing seemed like it would tear you apart. But at least this way he could get her protection on all sides. If you still have any pull.
“Agent DeMarco. We’re ready for you.” An agent he’d never seen before hovered at his elbow uncertainly.
Except he wasn’t an agent anymore was he? “Okay, we’ll be just a minute.”
Rafe turned back to Diana. Her dark eyes were red and shiny. She’d been crying off and on since she’d made the decision to do this. He’d called ahead so there was an agent ready to take Diana’s statement and open a case for her. She’d be an official informant after this. It was a huge step, but it was likely the only way to get her out of this situation.
He kissed Diana gently on the forehead. “It’s all going to be okay. All you have to do is be honest and tell them what you know.”
Diana blew out a breath. “I know. It’s okay. I can do this.”
They stood together, but before they could move, Rafe’s phone went off with a text alert. Cursing, he grabbed it from his waistband. When he saw who it was from, he was prepared to blow it off. Then it started ringing.
“Damn it. Hello,” he bellowed, not even caring about rudeness at this point.
“Agent DeMarco, it’s Emilie Durand. Where are you right now?”
He sighed. “In the FBI field office in New York.”
Instead of being annoyed like he’d expected, she let out a huge sigh of relief. “Good. I called because there’s been a break in the Vandergraff case. We need you. Conference Room M.”
“Give me a few minutes.” He turned to Diana.
She must have guessed what was going on because she smiled gently. “Duty calls, huh?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately. If this wasn’t really important, you know I wouldn’t leave, right?”
She waved him off. “I know. Go. I’ll fill you in later. I just need to get this out before I lose my nerve.”
The agent who stood behind them was still waiting. Rafe pointed at him and growled, “Take good care of her until I can get back.”
The young man nodded frantically. “Yes, sir. Of course, sir.”
Diana squeezed his arm. “Easy, tiger.” Her whispered words washed over him, calming his agitated nerves. He wasn’t sure why, but all of a sudden the idea of leaving Diana on her own made him very nervous. She was clearly capable of doing this. But still, he watched until she went into one of the offices with the nervous young man and then turned to find his way to the conference room.
When he walked in, Emilie turned around. “You aren’t going to believe what’s happened.”
Rafe took a seat at the table, nodding to those he knew around the room, which were quite a few people. He’d spent enough time in this office lately to have more than a passing familiarity with half the table.
“It must be good if you’re this excited.”
Emilie didn’t respond to the dig, another clue that whatever had happened must be big. She leaned over and hit a button on her laptop.
“Good is maybe the wrong word. More like it will be good. We got a hit on facial at JFK. We got a hit. Well, two hits.”
At that, Rafe squared his shoulders, even as the knot of unease settled between his shoulder blades. She sounded happy. Too happy. Like starting an evil empire kind of happy.
“What’s got you so happy?”
“We found them.” Emilie’s smile telegraphed her glee at the find. It was obvious that she was enjoying this.
He held his breath and prepared for her to drop a bomb on him. Some shit like maybe he’d been connected to the diamond after all. But that wasn’t what she was saying. He frowned. “Who?”
“Oh c’mon, wake up.” She pressed a button. “Look familiar?”
She hit another key on her laptop, and the screen behind her lit up. Then two familiar images appeared. Another keystroke and their names were highlighted. Rafe squinted when he saw the names on the images.
Fuck. Me.
“That’s Hans Vandergraff.”
Emilie smirked. “And his brother, Jakob Vandergraff.”
Rafe could feel the stares of the others, but his mind was too busy racing with this new information to care.
Those were the bastards who had tried to kill Diana.
What was the likelihood that his old case would reappear in his life randomly? He massaged his temple, trying to calm the storm inside. They looked different than when he’d last seen photos of them. Back then they’d been barely more than teenagers. But now they were men. Big, beefy bastards who had learned the tricks of the trade in their father’s businesses.
All this shit was coming back to him because of the sins of his past. He’d taken out their father, and now they were coming for revenge?
No, that didn’t make sense. Why attack Diana? Despite how strongly he felt about her, she was a recent development in his life. So that made no sense.
Unless this all came down to the fucking diamond.
There were two alternative theories. One, Diana worked for a rival organization, and they had planned to take the diamond from her and were pissed when she didn’t have it.
Two, the Vandergraffs were her employers… and well, they were pissed she didn’t have it. So what had been their plan? Send in a beautiful woman to distract him? His stomach flipped as he realized why Diana had been so scared to tell him the truth this whole time. No wonder she’d broken into his safe and then run away. She’d seen the evidence that her employers were into way more shady stuff than she’d probably known.
What the hell were they thinking sending someone as green as Diana in to get close to a man like him?
Focus, dipshit.
If the Vandergraffs were in New York and had sent Diana, then there needed to be a change of plan. It was likely the FBI might not be able to protect her.
They’ll want to use her.
And that was the problem. He understood how shit worked. And with her so close to their clutches, he was afraid for her.
Way to protect her, asshole. You fed her to the leopard instead of the lion. Either way she still gets mauled.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen those two. I’m not sure why they’re reappearing now, but you have all my old intel on that case. There must have been something we missed. Otherwise, why would they be coming for us now?”
Emilie nodded at someone across the table. The man stood, then made his way to the front of the room.
Alan nodded to Emilie, and she brought up another image. Rafe almost choked when he saw it. The next image was
of the Vandergraff girl. The photo was taken at her father’s funeral. She looked even skinnier than Rafe remembered her.
“This is Larissa Vandergraff.”
Rafe swallowed but kept his face impassive. He’d been well trained. Never show any emotion. In the field that shit could get you killed. But internally, he was fucked. If guilt were a monster, it had morphed into something way the hell scarier than even that clown from Stephen King.
“Is that the only picture of her?” His voice was cool and detached, right? He fucking hoped so. “She’d be early twenties now,” he murmured.
Emilie smiled. “This is where it gets exciting. The daughter looked like she wasn’t included in her father’s businesses. She is a typical pampered socialite. Attended all the best private schools. Went to college at the University of Pennsylvania. But after graduation, the girl became a ghost. The brothers must have kept her cloistered; all photos we have of her are grainy at best.”
“Is there a point to all this?” Rafe asked.
“Oh yes.” She clicked the button on the laptop again. Rafe glanced at the image of Larissa Vandergraff again, and ice settled into his veins. She’d had everything money could buy, but had she had a good life? Was she okay? Had he scarred her forever?
Her dark eyes stared back at him. The same dark eyes that had haunted him since.
Emilie practically danced with barely contained glee. “So obviously this picture is of Larissa Vandergraff at thirteen. You know that.” She clicked the key again. “We ran an aging program on this image. Look familiar?”
Oh shit. Hell yeah she looked familiar. Too familiar.
Somewhere in the distance he could hear Alan talking even as parts of Rafe’s cerebral cortex figuratively exploded.
“The Vandergraffs have done a hell of a job keeping this girl off our radar, but it’s likely they might bring her along for a trip to the States. Maybe even as a reward. It’s possible that she has no idea what kinds of things her brothers are into. If we can find her, we can use her,” Alan finished.