Page 103 of Broken Promise
And because I wanted Diana.
“Sorry to break down like that. It just hits me out of the blue sometimes. How much I miss my mom, I mean.” Diana wiped the edge of her eyes with her sleeve. “How did you find out all this anyway?” she asked, looking at Matthias in awe.
I growled under my breath. I didn’t like the way she was watching the kid, like he was some kind of wizard or something. Hell, I could have found the information on my own. Okay, no, I couldn’t have; I’d definitely needed Matthias’s skills on this, but it still made me want to flex for her. I didn’t like her looking at another man that way.
All of a sudden, my internal thoughts caught up to me and I grimaced. I sounded like a kid myself, worried another guy would ask my girl to the prom before I got a chance.
“Yes, how did you find out all this,” I echoed, hoping we could move this along and Matthias would leave us alone again.
“Ian has access to all of ORUS’s financial records now.” Matthias stated it as if that alone was enough explanation.
From what I remembered of my old associate, he wasn’t the giving type. I’d initially wondered if Noah had made the right decision in installing Ian as the new head of the organization. Now I wondered if that had been the plan all along. Having someone you knew in the position was arguably better than a stranger. Even if Ian wasn’t interested in helping us, just by being a known player he was easier for us to manipulate. Which was incredibly useful.
Not for the first time, I was thankful for the day I’d been told I would be mentoring a new kid. Noah had turned out to be the brother I’d always wished for. Now he was my brother in truth.
“So Ian just gave you the access, huh?” I teased.
Matthias smirked. The kid reminded me a lot of Noah. He had that cocky bravado that could get you out of a lot of shit or into a lot of shit, depending on how the wind blew.
“I think we both know he didn’tgiveme anything,” Matthias replied.
I chuckled under my breath. Diana looked between us both curiously. I didn’t bother explaining. She’d probably already figured out that very little of what we did was legal, but it was in her best interest not to ask too many questions. The less you knew, the less you were held accountable for.
“So what are we going to do now?” Diana asked finally.
I stood, holding her in my arms. She squealed slightly at the sudden movement.
“What are you doing?”
“Taking my lady back to our room so we can rest. While you’re sleeping, I’m going to come up with a plan to track the stone. That’s what I do best. Finding things that have disappeared.”
Diana looked like she wanted to fight it, but her eyelids were already drooping. “Okay, but only because I’m so sleepy. After my nap, I want to help.”
“You’re already helping,” I replied. But when I looked down again, she was already asleep, her head lolling against my shoulder.
I looked up to see Matthias watching us with a curious look on his face.
“What? You got something to say, kid?”
Matthias shrugged. “Nothing.”
“She’s mine. Remember that.”
If I’d said that to anyone else, they probably would have peed their pants. I knew I could be scary as fuck at times; it was an occupational hazard. But Matthias just smiled.
“She’s beautiful, but I’m not after your girl. I don’t do… connections. Not anymore.” But in spite of his words, Matthias gave the sleeping Diana another wistful look before he left.
I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I would be watching the kid. This life, it took its toll. No one knew that better than I did. Sometimes I’d felt like I was aching inside for someone to see me, to recognize me as another human being instead of the weapon ORUS had fashioned me into. If I hadn’t had the memories of Lucia and Nonna to keep me borderline human, I wasn’t sure where I’d be. Matthias needed that even if he couldn’t acknowledge it. So I’d be watching.
A weapon, even one that was on your side, needed to be maintained properly, or it became a risk.
* * *
Diana
I woke slowly, and it was like surfacing from underwater. But unlike most days, I came out of the fog leisurely, somehow knowing that I was perfectly safe. When I opened my eyes, I immediately saw Rafe standing next to the window. He turned, and a smile tugged at his lips. A smile I could feel from all the way across the room.
“Hey,” he whispered, and there was a wealth of emotion in that one word.
