Deeper (The Deep Duet 2)

And she’d come apart. No foreplay, no tender words, no long lovemaking session, nope. Just a quickie against the wall. That had been angry sex. And goddamn it, she’d liked it. Jesus. Her legs were still shaking, her skin was still humming, and her blood still burned in her veins. The way his hand had slid into her hair as he had dragged orgasm after orgasm after orgasm out of her with his words, with his body.

What the hell was wrong with her? It was like she needed something real, something tangible to let her know that these few weeks were not a dream, or nightmare. And Rafe had certainly given her that. Judging by the tender feel of her skin, the cocky bastard had left hickeys on the back of her neck! She’d never had a hickey in her life. But the idea that Rafe had marked her, why the hell was that so hot?

Okay. Enough.

She had to stop thinking about that. Because even if that was the best sex of her entire life, not that she had that much to compare to, he was clearly angry with her. And he has good reason to be. Yes, yes, details. But she’d made it worse just now.

She’d run from him, and to boot, she kneed him in the balls. Her favorite toy and she’d attempted to smash it. “You need some serious psychological help,” she mumbled to herself as she unlocked the door to her motel room.

“I certainly have to agree with that.”

Diana whirled at the sound of the voice coming from the corner. “Hans?”

Her brother stepped out of the shadows. “Tsk tsk, Larissa. You’ve been a bad, bad girl. Imagine our surprise to find you were no longer with DeMarco.”

Diana tried to back out of the room, but Jakob was right behind her. “Where you going, little sister?”

She had no choice but to stumble forward into the room. “What are you two doing here?” But after the things she’d learned about them, she had a sinking feeling she knew exactly what they were doing.

Making sure they didn’t lose one of their investments.

Hans slid a glance at Jakob, who merely shook his head. When Hans spoke, his voice was low, angry. “Did you really think that we wouldn’t know what you were up to?”

Diana struggled to keep her expression even. They didn’t know that she knew about their shady business interests. They couldn’t.

“I don’t know what you mean. I’ve been hanging out with an old friend and sightseeing.”

Hans chuckled. “I have to admit, I didn’t actually think you’d make any headway. After all, we’ve been trying to track down the Jewel of the Sea for years with no luck. But you managed to lead us right to it.”

Her stomach dropped. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Hans made a face, like he was disappointed. “You’re trying to tell me that after weeks of fucking that FBI agent, you have nothing to show for it?”

Oh God. It was worse than she’d thought. They’d been watching her this whole time. And now they thought she had the diamond.

“Listen, I broke into the safe. There wasn’t anything in there. There was no diamond, no nothing. He doesn’t have it.”

She swallowed hard as she backed farther into the room. Maybe if she could get into the bathroom, she could lock herself in. Because every instinct in her body told her she wasn’t making it out of this room unscathed if she didn’t hide or run.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Her brother slid the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “My beautiful sister, Larissa. What are we going to do with you?”

“Hans, I—”

He interrupted her. “You know, you make Jakob sentimental? I suggested two years ago we give you to Boris early. The Russian has always had an unhealthy fascination with you. He would have paid extra to have you early.”

Diana recoiled. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

Hans shook his head. “Of course you don’t. And I’m the fool who listened to Jakob. ‘She’s our sister, Hans.’ Pathetic.”

Diana swung her gaze to Jakob. But he looked just as foreboding as he always did. And this time he was standing directly in her exit path. She flinched away from Hans when he tucked his fingers under her c

hin to make her meet his gaze.

“Larissa. Where is the diamond?”

“I told you, I don’t have it. Rafe doesn’t have it.”

Hans laughed. “Rafe, is it? Since you are unwilling to give us what we want, it looks like Jakob and I will have to pay him a visit. And we’re going to make it very, very painful. But in the meantime, you don’t mind if I go ahead and search your pockets, do you? Because I don’t believe you.” The last word came out with spittle as he spat in her face.