Page 41 of Bound in the Dark

Highdive considered what Diana had said. She had summed up his thoughts rather neatly. The comment about being kept in the dark was a little dramatic, but he guessed he couldn't blame her for that. He could even understand her frustration. Maybe that was one point he could give to her.

Relationships were about compromise, right?

“I promise I won’t keep you in the dark anymore. But yes to the rest of what you said.”

Nadya groaned, then burst out laughing. What the hell did she find so funny? Everyone at her table was looking at him like he was insane. He didn't like it.

Hawk grimaced and shook his head. What was he missing? He looked over at Cami and even she seemed to be in on whatever it was the others knew.

The curvy hacker winced. "Did you t-take some time to read over the files I sent?"

"No." With everything else that had been going on that day he'd figured reading a background check on Diana was pretty low priority. Now he was wishing he'd had.

"So uhm... Diana's had like s-super spy training Russian style." Cami perked up. "D-do you know B-Black W-Widow? Like that without the mind control drugs… Wait, there weren't m-mind control drugs, were there?"

Diana snorted. "No."

"Darn. That would have been s-super awesome."

Highdive knew who they were talking about but not why. "Her training with a sniper rifle is impressive and I’m sure she’s good with other weapons, but what does that have to do with my demanding she take military trained backup?"

Hawk answered, "What Cami is trying to say in her special way is Diana is more qualified than any of us to determine if or what she needs as backup. Hell, I’ve only met a few people who have even half the training she does. She’s been learning this shit since she could walk. I’m pretty sure that instead of learning history and science in school she learned tactics and weapons."

Diana's laugh was bitter. "And instead of bad grades we got beatings and the only way to drop out involved a coffin. Highdive," her voice softened, "I don't specialize in easy kills that any trained sniper could perform. People seek me out for jobs that others consider impossible or too dangerous because I have the training and skills to survive and succeed."

The strength it must have taken to survive a childhood like that blew him away. How had he so underestimated her? Highdive wasn't sure he wanted to read her file. Not because he couldn't accept the fact that she might have more training than he, but because of the nightmares the information would cause.

It didn’t change that he wanted to keep her safe. She might know when things were dangerous, but would she prioritize her life over making more money? He had no idea what her financial situation was, but in his mind, nothing was more important than she.

Tomasso chuckled. The mocking sound grated on his nerves. “You live more dangerously than I thought if you took her as a wife and didn’t know all of this. Most of the families won't hire her because no one survives crossing her.”

“Then why the hell did you try to have her punished for fighting with Tony?” Highdive asked confused.

Tomasso shrugged. “I would never have laid a hand on her and she knew it. There were a lot of witnesses, so I counted on her to play along. As soon as we were away from prying eyes I would have made Tony apologize and let her go her own way. Tishina knows how the game is played.”

It felt as if someone had pulled back the curtain and he wasn’t sure what was real anymore. How many things had he misread? Diana looked at him with pity as if she understood how much this was fucking with him.

“You knew?”

“I knew he was either going to do that or I was going to have to explain to his father why I had killed Tony and his son.”

“Then why did you accept my claim?” It didn’t make any sense. He had thought he had been saving her from them. Why would she have been willing to tie her life to his if she wasn’t in danger? His heart felt like it skipped a beat and pain lanced through his chest.

Did she intend to leave him?

Chapter14

Love is being obsessed with someone, but in a non-creepy way.

Anyone who says that love conquers all has been reading too many modern fairy tales. The reality is that relationships are complicated and take work. Love is a nebulous yet overwhelming emotion that is a prize for continuing to care even when things get hard. It is the reward for resolving your problems, finding compromises and finally connecting on a soul deep level with another human being.

Diana remembered the moment when Highdive laid his claim on her. She’d known that his declaration had been driven by fear for her safety. It had been unnecessary but sweet in a way she'd never experienced. For the first time in her life there was someone at her back who wasn't there because of family obligations or money but because they truly cared for her.

His chivalry alone wouldn’t have been enough for her to say yes. What had driven her to accept his claim had been the feelings developed through the months spent with him at Dark Secrets. Diana had thought she was going to lose him when her deception was revealed. So she'd grasped onto his claim like a drowning swimmer for just the possibility of something more.

Diana stepped closer to Highdive and placed her hands on his chest. She lifted her chin and looked into his eyes. He needed to understand what she was about to say. “I accepted your claim because I wanted to. Because you saw me as more than an assassin. You wanted me for who I am not what I am. Because with you I don'thaveto be Tishina. Sometimes I can be Diana or even Luna.”

"Since I didn't even know you were an assassin, seeing you as something else wasn’t that difficult.” Diana could tell Highdive was trying for humor but the pain in his voice was hard to ignore.

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