That was the trick, wasn’t it? Finding enough time without interruption to let the safe decoder work. Rafe left her in the apartment alone now, but it was never more than a few hours. What if that wasn’t enough time? With the kind of encryption he had on that safe, it could take longer.
“I’ll find a way,” Diana muttered. “This is the only option I really have.”
“Or you could stop this whole thing and get out before that dude finds out what you’re up to.” Charisse ignored the withering glance Diana gave her. “I’m serious. You’ve been lucky so far that nothing has gone wrong. Please, think this through before you get in too deep.”
Diana didn’t say anything. What could she say? No matter how she phrased things, there was no way to explain to her friend that she was already in too deep and there was no going back now. She needed to know the truth. Understanding the events of the worst day of her life was the only way she’d ever have any kind of closure. The confusing feelings she had for Rafe wouldn’t go away until she could answer the questions she had.
“Oh shit. It’s already too late, isn’t it?” Charisse shook her head and set her soda can down on the coffee table. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I have no idea,” Diana whispered.
Charisse sighed. “I knew this was a bad idea.”
They sat in silence for a while. Finally Diana leaned over and rested her head on Charisse’s shoulder. She closed her eyes, letting herself process for the first time what would happen once she was confronted with the evidence of what Rafe had done. It was one thing to suspect that Rafe had killed her father so he could steal the Jewel of the Sea, but another to see the evidence in front of her face.
What then?
“You certainly know how to keep things interesting, don’t you?” Charisse finally chuckled.
“That’s me. Never boring.” Her voice sounded as despondent as she felt.
Charisse pulled back, forcing Diana to sit up straight. “Tell me the truth. You have it bad for this guy, don’t you?”
With it stated so plainly, Diana couldn’t do anything but nod helplessly.
“And once you have the diamond back? Or at least find out who he sold it to?”
Diana shivered. “I don’t know, Char. These past few weeks with him have been intense. Nothing is what I thought it would be, least of all him. It’s surreal.”
Charisse grabbed her hands. “It’s not surreal. Unfortunately, this whole situation is very, very real. And he will really kill you if he finds out that you’ve been plotting against him this whole time. You’re sleeping with him now. It’s just terrifying to think of all the ways he can hurt you. I’m worried.”
Diana fought the urge to pull away. Her friend was just looking out for her and trying to be the voice of reason in an unreasonable situation. But that didn’t make what she was saying any easier to hear.
“I know. Believe me. This is real to me. My body wants him, I don’t deny that, but my brain knows the deal. The only important thing is getting revenge for my father and recovering my mother’s legacy. I haven’t lost sight of that.”
A loud sigh told her that her friend wasn’t completely convinced, but one of the valuable things about being friends with someone for so long was knowing they’d be there for you anyway.
“Okay. You know I’m here for you if you ever need to talk.” Charisse patted her hand. “Wait here while I get your stuff.”
Diana watched as she left the room. She looked around curiously. The furniture was sturdy, and everything was in a shade of beige. Despite that, Charisse had decorated with pops of color here and there that kept things cheerful. You could see her friend’s personality all over the room from the daisies in a vase in the center of the table to the piles of books on every surface mixed in with her kids’ toys. Eclectic but fun.
Would she ever have that? The opportunity to put her stamp somewhere and carve out a space that was purely her own? She’d spent so much time pursuing justice that now she wasn’t sure what she’d do if she got it. Who was she if she wasn’t avenging her father?
It had been a long time since she’d thought about that.
“Okay, here it is. Use with caution.” Charisse appeared at the end of the couch, holding a small box with a digital face, and the black bag Diana had left in her long-term hotel room weeks ago. “I hope I got the right bag.”
Diana held the bag in her lap and unzipped it. It contained her laptop, a charger, money, and her real identification. “This is exactly what I needed. Thank you for getting this for me. I didn’t want to take a chance in case Rafe has been watching me.”
Charisse held out the small box. “This is the decoder. Put it over the keypad and then let it run. It could take anywhere from one to five hours.”
“Got it.” Diana stood and accepted the device gratefully. “Thanks again, Char. It means a lot, especially since I know you don’t agree with any of this.”
“That’s what friends are for, right? Besides, it’s not that I don’t agree with it. I want you to get your revenge. I just want to make sure that you don’t end up getting played… or worse.”
Charisse’s words stayed with her the whole way home. Was that what was happening? Was she getting played?
Diana turned the phrase over and over in her mind as she looked out the windows of the taxi at the streets of New York. She was here,