Diane (The Town of Pearl 6)

* * * *

“What the fuck is going on now, Mark? What’s happening?” Drake asked as he and Lucas pulled the federal agent jackets up over the bulletproof vests Commander Weathers gave them. They were in the hotel. Agents blocked all the exits.

“Look, they’re bringing her down in the private elevator. We can get them when they exit so there’s more room outside in the alleyway than in that cramped hallway,” Agent Ned Turk told Mark.

“Okay, let’s move. You two need to stay back. You’re not armed and I don’

t need something happening to you as well,” Mark told them.

“She’s our woman, too,” Drake stated.

Lucas grabbed his brother’s shoulder. “This is Mark’s thing. He’s in charge. We’ll stay far behind.” Mark nodded his head and then took off with the group of agents and his commander.

As they exited the building and came around the sides, another group of agents disarmed the driver of the limo and took out three other men working for Marzban. Mark’s adrenaline was pumping as he tried to not let all the details of this operation get to him. His focus was securing Diane, while the other agents took out Marzban and whoever was with him.

The door opened and Marzban walked out with Diane and another guy. They headed toward the car when an agent took out the guy and Marzban placed the gun to Diane’s head.

“I’ll kill her. I’ll fucking kill her. I don’t care.”

“Don’t do it, Marzban. We’ve got you. There’s nowhere for you to go,” Mark yelled to him.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Santos. She’s my ticket out of here.” Diane was crying. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she looked scared. But then she locked gazes with him.

“Just do what he says, Diane.”

“That’s right, Diane, You’re going to do what I say, especially in bed.” Marzban chuckled loudly. It happened so fast, Mark didn’t even know how. Diane struck Marzban with her elbow, causing him to fire the gun. She fell to the ground, and multiple shots rang out, one from the doorway where Brenda stood, bleeding from her stomach.

Marzban fell to the ground and they all moved in quickly with Mark running to Diane and falling to his knees. He pulled her up into his arms and hugged her tight.

“Are you okay, baby? I’m so sorry this happened. So sorry,” he told her, and she cried as she squeezed him tight.

Lucas and Drake came running over next as they heard agents yell “Agent down. We need an ambulance pronto.”

Lucas and Drake kissed Diane next, and Mark looked toward Brenda.

“She wasn’t one of the bad ones, Mark. Brenda tried to save me and got shot,” Diane told him. Mark cupped her cheeks and stared into her eyes.

“I don’t care. All I care about is you. I love you.”

“Then take me home. I just want to go home.”

Sage came running over. She hugged Diane and Diane hugged her tight.

“I thought they took you,” Sage cried.

“We’re okay. My men saved me,” Diane said and Mark shook his head.

“You and I are going to have a long talk about listening to orders. Didn’t I tell you to just do as he said?”

“I figured that move would give someone the opportunity to take him out, and help me. I wasn’t go to let him take me away from you guys. I would die without the three of you in my life.”

Lucas leaned forward and kissed her. “Let’s go home.”

Epilogue

Diane sat on the deck in the front of the house while the party and barbecue took place out back. She pulled the yellow envelope from her bag and stared at the label. Her heart was pounding, her hands shaking as she wondered about the contents that could possibly change her life. She loved Drake, Mark, and Lucas, and after they made love and spent almost the entire week in bed together, she knew that they would support her in any decision she made for her future.

In fact, now that Mark was completely done with the government secret agent stuff, he was compelled to dedicate all his time to her needs, wants, and of course desires. Brenda retired too, after surviving the hours of dangerous surgery she needed to heal, and pulling off the greatest undercover operation of her career.