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Diane always had the feeling she was on the outside looking in Even before her parents had died She’d been different She had been different and she’d always known it She had never felt accepted until the team had allowed her on that first mission Until every last man had voted her in, not because her uncle was their commander but because they had trusted her to watch their back They had trusted her to do her part and theirs if needed

She’d found her niche in a world of blood, violence, and to her, ultimate justice She’d been accepted, but there was still a part of her searching A part of her that had looked around and wondered if that was all th

ere was

Until the night she had opened her eyes to see Lawe standing over her To see hi the ropes from her, felt him pick her up and carry her out despite her protestations that she could still walk

She would have fallen flat on her face and he had known it She had known it And he had carried her to safety while ignoring her protests

Even then, barely conscious, dazed fros her captors had inflicted, Diane had recognized that “so” she had searched for She had realized it wasn’t a thing, but so, an eht Padric had died

It had been love That first look, the touch of his fingers against her cheek, the low croon of his voice as he promised her she was safe

She had been waiting for Lawe

The second time she saw hi hiht be

He wasn’t just powerful, he wasn’t just dangerous He was supre skills But he wasn’t willing to share his world with her She had seen it in his eyes, heard it in his voice Felt it in the tightening of her chest and the feeling of being restrained, held back and protected

He wanted her to forget her own needs, her training and her hunger to make a difference He wanted to hold her back, for her to always know there was more for her and yet to know that she couldn’t have it and have him as well

No, she would always have hio entirely What she couldn’t have was any peace in it and still be herself She couldn’t be complete

She would always be on the outside looking in, and she hated that feeling She would watch hi missions, of course, or perhaps the rumor she had heard that Jonas intended to promote him to assistant director wasn’t just a rumor Whatever his particular role, he would still be a part of thefor what he believed in And she would still be on the sidelines wishing she were there Wishing she had at least that en That she was helping

As the SUV pulled beneath the hotel’s wide canopy Diane knew this would be her last e it And there was no doubt in her e it

Waiting as Rule jumped from the front and opened Lawe’s door, she could feel the protectiveness suddenly closing around her, threatening to smother her