Page 27 of Bound in the Dark

“Not the point.” Jade cleared her throat as if trying to get Cami back on track.

What exactly were these women trying to tell her? Was this some sort of you don’t belong here speech?

“Well, I can’t go back in time and change things to suit your script." She gave them a cold expression. "I’m not the type of person who needs saving. More the type that people need to be saved from.”

“Yeah your k-kill list is pretty impressive,” Cami mumbled.

Diana sat back in her chair and glared at the two women. “Is that the problem? Most of your men’s kill count is almost as high as mine. Do you have a problem because I did it for money or because I’m a woman?”

“No, not at all. Shit. We’re messing this up.” Jade made a frantic beckoning gesture towards someone.

Diana saw they were summoning Val, a vibrant red head who was the Old Lady of Dozer the Club's Treasurer. The woman smiled and handed her baby off to Tari, a tall beautiful African American woman before she headed their way.

Diana leaned forward. “What exactly are you messing up? If you don’t want me in your little Club, have the backbone to say it straight.”

Both of them looked at her with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.

“What these lovely ladies were supposed to be doing was welcoming you to the fold. But by the hang-dog looks on their faces I’m guessing they might have fumbled that a bit.” Val’s southern twang was soothing though she looked at the two women like they were kids in need of a spanking. She was about the same age as Diana but where life had etched it’s harsh marks onto the assassin it had softened and gentled Val.

Taking a deep breath Diana forced herself to relax. Keeping her temper under control shouldn't be this hard. Something about the idea of these women not accepting her had struck a deep chord within her. That on top of the stress caused by Highdive's dismissal had her off balance.

Why did it even matter to her? Alone most of her life she could easily continue down that path. Her dreams of settling down might be appealing, but they weren't set in stone. Even if her sister planned on trying to stay here with Hawk once the bloodshed was over, she didn't have to.

Diana had spent too much of her life surrounded by hostility. She wouldn't do that to herself again.

“Let’s try this from the beginning.” Val stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Val, Dozer’s Old Lady. We’d love to get to know the woman who finally pinned down the grumpy, yet lovable Highdive.”

Grumpy. She snorted. That was one word for the man.

“Diana.”

“Now, Cami here has told us a lot about you and that has made some of the women too nervous to approach you. But I told them not to fuss so much. Highdive wouldn’t choose someone who was dangerous to us to be his Old Lady.”

Diana liked the friendly woman's blunt words. Depending on what information the nosey hacker had found out might not have painted the best picture. She forced a small smile onto her lips.

“Unless one of you has a contract out on you. You're safe from me.”

Cami gave a nervous chuckle. “I usually have a f-few out on me but none that are in your p-price range.”

Diana lowered her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sorry, it was supposed to be a joke.”

“How about we save all jokes involving killing till we know each other better?” Val patted her arm. “I’m not going to treat you like a country cousin and assume you don’t know how things work in a Club. But much like our assumptions about you, I’m sure you have some about us. The most important thing you need to understand is that you're one of us now and those aren’t just empty words. You and Nadya are part of our family and there isn’t anything we wouldn’t do for you. But that is only if you want to be here." She cocked her head. "Do you?”

Val’s words hit a hollow spot in Diana's chest and made it ache. Her family for the most part was a disaster, her sister and niece being the sole exceptions. As a child she had dreamed about having a loving family. One that would care for her instead of use her like a disposable weapon.

Could she really risk believing in what this woman was offering?

She looked over at Nadya who was busy laughing with Pixie. This place was going to be her home. Nothing in life worth having was easy. Diana had conquered much harder challenges than making friends and making a pig-headed man see her worth. If she wanted even a chance at finding her place within this world it would have to start here.

“I think I do.”

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It surprised her because very few people had her direct number and she wasn't expecting her sister to call for several hours. Diana pulled it out and immediately recognized the number. She wished she could ignore the call and spend time getting to know these women. But that wasn't her reality.

"I'm sorry, ladies, I have to take this."

Diana strode away to try and find some privacy for her call.

Chapter9

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