by M. Malone
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.”
Chapter Sixteen
Diana was starting to reconsider the sanity of what she was doing. There she was in the middle of Central Park like a sitting duck. She knew she was being watched.
You’ve got this. You’re armed. You’ve been trained. Maybe, but she knew just how far her brothers were willing to go. What if she miscalculated?
The plan was simple. Let them catch her. Not even try to run away. They would inevitably take her back to the penthouse where everyone was waiting. Matthias had installed a tracking chip in one of her sneakers. So if Hans and Jakob tried to take her anywhere else, the team would know.
The other good news was that Dylan was somewhere around here undercover. Whether he was the guy jogging in the baseball cap around the park or the other guy playing soccer with a bunch of kids over to her left, he was around here. If her brothers lost their damn minds and tried to kill her in public, he’d hopefully get to them first. She just prayed he was a hell of a shot.
As it turned out, she didn’t have to wait too long. Within thirty minutes of when she sat on a park bench and tried to read a book and look somehow inconspicuous, Jakob sat right next to her. “We’ve missed you, little sister.”
It was hard not to recoil at the sound of his voice. “Oh yeah? Is that why you were trying to kill me?”
Her brother sighed. “If I had it my way, we wouldn’t have tried to kill you. But you know Hans. He has a temper. He just wanted you to give him what you found. Instead, you gave him a blank flash drive. That was very naughty.”
“Well, I didn’t know it was blank at the time.” Diana turned to face her brother and studied his handsome features carefully. They were a more masculine version of her own. He had thicker brows, a stronger nose, and the same light eyes. How could they look so similar but be so different? How could he be a criminal? How could he be someone who hurt people for a living? For money?
“So, where’s Hans? I know he’s lurking around here somewhere.”
He inclined his head toward the exit. “He’s waiting for us. We’re going on a little trip.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Yes. You are.”
It was then she noticed that his hand was in his jacket pocket. He had a weapon on her. What exactly, she couldn’t be sure.
“What makes you think it’s a good idea for me to go with you? Either way you’re going to kill me. So why would I go peacefully?”
“We’re not trying to kill you. We just want what’s ours. That diamond. Uncle Boris is willing to buy it from us. That way we’ll get out of debt with him and still have plenty to invest and grow the businesses Papa started.”
“You call those businesses?” she spat. “You’re trafficking young girls.”
He shrugged. “Whores. They’re a lucrative business. What else are we supposed to do?”
“If you just took those brains and applied them to something legitimate, imagine what you could do. Imagine how you could help people.”
“You always were so naïve. You were always willing to accept those princess dresses and your fancy boarding schools. How do you think those things got paid for?”
Diana stiffened her back. “You do know that mother was rich before she met Papa, right? You recognize that diamond was hers. The disdain you show for women is disdain you are showing for her.”
“Mother, like all women”—Jakob scooted a little closer to her—“wasn’t bright enough to see the big picture. That’s why Papa couldn’t trust her with what he was doing.”
Diana just shook her head. “What happened to you? I remember you being bookish and loving to learn.”
“Like you, I was naïve. Now get up. Otherwise, I will use this on one of the children.”
He knew how to get her to go, and she stood easily. “I will not get in a car with you.”
Her brother smirked. “Who said we’re going in a car? I believe your penthouse apartment is somewhere near here, isn’t it? You are staying with Rafael DeMarco, right? How does it feel to know that he’s the one who killed Papa? And you let him put his hands on you.”
Diana itched to slap him… or worse. She could probably get a good kidney shot in before Hans killed her from wherever he was hiding. But she kept her feelings under control.
At the entrance to the park, Hans sat on a stone slab eating a hot dog. He grinned when he saw her. “Diana. You have given Jakob and I quite the fright. We are thrilled to see you again.”
Diana struggled in Jakob’s grip. She wanted to at least give the appearance of fighting them. If she made it too easy, they would know they were walking into a trap. “Whatever you two have planned, it’s not going to work.”
Hans leaned forward, and she smelled the sauerkraut and onions on his breath. “Oh we’re going to get into that apartment. Because you’re going to walk us right in.”
Jakob shoved her forward, and she almost fell into Hans. With each of them flanking her, she walked along the path that would lead them to the main street, thinking of ways to delay the inevitable. Make it look good, Diana, make it seem real. Once along the path, she tried to run in the opposite direction. She hoped that didn’t trigger Dylan to spring into action. But nothing happened.
She made it about half a block before Jakob grabbed her around the waist. She kicked a little bit, but the idea was to eventually be caught.
When Jakob brought her back to Hans, her oldest brother tsked. “It is so disappointing that you tried to run, Larissa. If you act like that, I’m going to think you don’t want to sp
end time with us.”
“Wherever would you get that idea?” she muttered under her breath.
Hans chuckled. “Jakob, I think she’s cross with us. You’re the one who decided to become father’s killer’s whore.” He patted her down and relieved her of her weapons, tsking softly.
Fuck, she was going to need those. “I am not a whore,” she spat.
Hans shrugged. “You’re sleeping with him. You’re a whore. It’s a shame you won’t live through the night. We could easily bring you in on the family business. On the working side, of course.”
Diana purposely struggled against his hold. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did they hate her so much? “Why are you so horrible? What have I ever done to you?”
Jakob scoffed. “For starters, Father was going to honor the deal with Boris. He planned to hand you over with the diamond when you were twenty-five.”
Hans rolled his eyes. “The original plan was for us to kill Boris and keep the diamond. Whatever happened to you after was of no consequence to us. But then we found out that you and the diamond were payment. That Boris had bought into the family business. After that revelation, we came up with the plan to kill him. He had squandered our future.”
Diana froze with a gasp in her throat. “You had Papa killed?”
Hans chuckled. “Considering you’re our sister, you are pretty stupid. Yes. We ordered the hit. We called a member of a black-ops team. He presented father as a threat to be taken out to his superiors. Given father’s business practices, the US government sanctioned a hit on him. Best hit we ever called.”
Diana couldn’t believe it was her own brothers who wanted him out of the way so they could take over. To rob her of her birthright. Three more blocks to the penthouse. “You killed him?”
Hans laughed. “Plausible deniability, of course. But yes. Except Orion backstabbed us and stole the diamond for himself the night before the murder.”
So Orion had absolutely taken it. And that had all been her brothers’ doing. “I hate you.”
Hans laughed, a belly laugh that made his whole body shake. “The feeling is mutual, little sister. I promise.”
When they arrived at the penthouse, Diana struggled against Jakob’s hold as he forced her hand on the pad for the handprint scan. And then they forced her face up to the retinal scan. Once they were inside the building, they shoved Diana toward the service elevator that led to the penthouse. She stumbled deliberately, praying that everyone was out of danger. Praying that they were all paying attention to where she was.
When the doors to the elevator opened, Diana took a deep breath and did exactly as she’d been instructed. She ducked while simultaneously delivering two groin strikes to her brothers.
Just as she scrambled out of the elevator, the lights went out. It was time to get to work.
Diana’s heartbeat was too loud in her head.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
She knew the plan. Crawl through the foyer. Make it into the kitchen. One of the guys would be in there, lying in wait. There was also someone in the living room and stationed in the hallway. There was also supposed to be someone posted in front of the panic room as a last line of defense. But there was a problem with that plan.
Her brothers were faster than she thought. Even though it was dark in the penthouse thanks to the blackout shutters, one of them had the wherewithal to reach out and snap a hand around her ankle. Diana screamed and thrashed and kicked. “Fuck you,” she panted, the cries ripping out of her throat. Focus. Calm down, you know how to get out of this. Think about your training.
She forced her body over so that she lay on her back, then kicked her leg up and hooked it over the one her brother held. With the quick, sharp movement, he had to let go.
But then she heard gunshots whizzing over her head. All she could do was keep her head down. She knew Rafe and company had night vision. She knew JJ and Lucia were supposed to be safe in the panic room. She knew all those things, but it didn’t help to quell her panic.
Crawl forward. One hand in front of the other. It didn’t matter if her brother was trying to drag her back into the elevator to hold her hostage. She was going to make sure her new family was safe.
Where was Dylan? He should have come up the back stairs by now. All she had to do was stay down, stay safe, and not catch a bullet. But then from behind her, she heard a gunshot. Not like the guns Noah and Rafe had with their silencers.
There was no way she was going to make it crawling. She had to stand and run. And risk getting hit. It was worth the risk. Because she was not going to let her brother catch her.
Diana pushed herself to standing even though her bones protested. She knew the fate that awaited her if she didn’t make it to safety. And she was so not down for that. She shoved herself up and ran, heading straight for the kitchen.
She heard the heavy footfalls behind her but just kept running. And then out of nowhere, someone came out of the side of the kitchen and shoved her out of the way. She tripped and sprawled forward. Fuck, she was done for. But nothing came. No one landed on her. No one was dragging her back by her hair.
She could still hear the sounds of footsteps, but there were too many of them. Had Noah called in more backup? Diana pushed herself to her hands and knees and twisted her head around. She needed to find some fucking weapons and quick. Thanks to the slivers of sunshine peeking in through the darkened shutters in the living room, her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
Someone had Hans. And it sounded like one hell of a fight. The grunting, the cracking, the breaking of bones.
The elevator dinged again, but this time when it opened, there were more men. Where the hell had they come from? Diana counted at least four even in her haste to scramble away.
But then she couldn’t move because Jakob was on her. He’d pounced on her, slamming her face into the marble. Pain exploded in her head. She tried desperately to remember what she’d learned in her krav maga classes as his hands locked around her neck. And then it came to her. She quickly brought her own hands up to her neck and sharply yanked his hands off her skin. And then she did the simplest thing in the world. She brought her knees to her elbows in one swift move. And her brother was off of her.
He fell forward but was on his feet in a moment. And coming for her. Diana attacked first, lunging right for him. She placed her thumbs over his eyelids and pushed. He screamed as his head went back, exposing his throat. She made a fist and delivered one swift jab to his Adam’s apple. Jakob doubled over, choking and gasping for air. She grabbed his ears and brought her knee up to connect to his face. His head snapped back again, and he flailed. She took that opportunity to run.
The living room wasn’t an option. She’d be trapped in there, so she headed to the left toward Noah’s office. He’d have weapons in there. With weapons she could fight better.
Even as she turned and prepared to fight whomever was coming, she saw that someone else had engaged with Jakob. The hand-to-hand was on. But her brother had a knife. “Be careful,” she called out to Ryan.
Hans had been fighting Dylan. He’d come up through the back stairs only to find the melee in progress. The other men who’d come off the elevator were now engaging the members of Blake Security. Everywhere she turned, punches were being thrown and kicks were being landed.
Suddenly Ryan went down in a heap. He was bleeding from his side, and he wasn’t moving. She didn’t know what to do, and Hans was coming right for her.
She needed to get to Ryan, but she’d have to go around her brother first. It was one thing for her brothers to come after her. To hurt her. But there was no way she was going to let them get away with hurting her new family. She had to get to Ryan. Was he okay?
Diana used the palm of her hand to strike her brother right in the nose. He howled, but his head did not snap back. Instead, he looked angry and like he wanted to kill her. Shit. She had no choice but to run.
As she darted back into the kitchen, she grabbed whatever she could fi
nd. The knives, yes. She grabbed one then tossed it at her brother. She’d never done much knife training, just how to defend against them, not throw. Even as she ran toward the bedrooms in the gym area, she heard Hans curse behind her.
Then someone else was in the kitchen. She couldn’t see who, but the shadows told her he was also big. That could be anyone, but when she looked closer, she realized it was Noah. And Jesus Christ, it was brutal. Hans was not playing around. He had the knife she’d thrown at him, and he’d already sliced through Noah’s shirt. There was blood.
She had to distract him. She had to find a way to help Noah. Something. And then she saw the copper pans hanging over the sink. As quickly as she could, Diana ran and grabbed one of them and slid her grip around the handle.
She tiptoed behind them. Noah gave her a firm shake of the head, but she paid no attention. And with a wide arch of her arms, she cracked the copper pan on the back of her brother’s skull. He went still. With his attention diverted for just one second, Noah delivered a blow to his kidney. Diana saw the knife too late. No, that wasn’t a knife. “Oh my God, Noah, he’s got a gun.”
The shot rang out, and Noah went down.
Oh God. No, not Noah. Oh God. Logic dictated that someone would be on guard at the panic room. Maybe Matthias? Where was Rafe?
But then things went really wrong. The lights came back up, and she saw that everyone was engaged. There were far too many of them, and she’d led the enemy straight here. It was one thing to set a trap for her brothers, but the team hadn’t been prepared for this.
Jonas was engaged in hand-to-hand combat as he fought someone in the kitchen, close to Noah’s body. Oskar now engaged Hans. Matthias was fighting someone in black. Where was Rafe? A quick scan of the rooms and she found him by the gym.
The look on his face was brutal, deadly. He meant business. As the guy he was fighting went down, Rafe spared her a glance and mouthed the word, “Run.”
And she was going to. She even turned around and headed straight for the panic room. But then she saw Jakob with his gun raised. A gunshot rang out, and Diana’s insides turned to ice. No. Not Rafe.
