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Ali grunts her disapproval but after a moment, she nods. “Fine, but I’ll be over to see her tomorrow and you’re not going to get in my way again.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answers and I can hear the grin in his voice but I’m too wrung out from everything that has happened today to do the same. God, it feels like a week ago that I took Diego to the park and spilled my guts about everything but it’s only been hours. How in the hell is that possible? Everything has changed in such a short amount of time and just thinking about it is making me feel a little sick.

“You’re free to go then.” She peeks around him and meets my eyes. “Love you, girl.”

I nod. “Love you guys, too.”

“You may go,” she quips, glancing back at Diego with fire in her eyes. He scoffs and tells her that he’ll see her tomorrow before turning me toward the front door. Diego pulls me into his side and wraps his arm around my body, shielding me from the rest of the world as we walk out of the clubhouse to the truck. When we get to the passenger side, instead of opening my door for me, he stops and pulls me into his arms. The embrace is desperate and full of fear but somehow it still comforts me and I cling to him as he buries his nose in my hair and lets out a heavy sigh.

“Just need to hold you for a second, baby.”

I nod, tears stinging my eyes. “Me, too.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, Izzy,” he swears, so much conviction in the sentence that I know, without a doubt, he’ll lay down his own life before he lets anything touch me. I wouldn’t be able to bear that though. In fact, I think dying would be preferable to losing him but I have no clue how to make him see that. Besides, all of this shit is my fault and I won’t let him sacrifice himself for me.

“You have to stay safe, too.”

He shakes his head. “I’ll do what I have to do to protect you.”

“God, Diego,” I seethe as soon as the words leave his mouth, ripping myself away from him. “You can’t do this to me.”

“Do what?”

“Get yourself killed.” I shake my head as I picture him lying on the ground the night Luca attacked us at the radio station, a tear falling down my cheek. Gritting my teeth, I swipe it away. “You can’t leave me.”

His eyes widen and he swallows the distance between us with one long stride, pulling me into his arms again as he searches my face. “Why, Izzy? Why can’t I leave you? Why can’t I get myself killed to rescue you and our baby?”

The thought of it, of having to walk through the rest of this life without him is too much to bear. I’ve spent years, broken and in pain, but none of it would compare to having to go on without this man. It would destroy me; he would destroy me just like I always knew he would. A sob bubbles out of me as I pound my fist into his chest.

“Because I fucking love you, you idiot.”

“Fuck,” he whispers and I look up at him. His brown eyes shine back at me as a smile creeps across his face. “Say that again, Mama.”

I shake my head. “No.”

“Isabelle. Say it again. I need to hear it.” His command slams into me, nudging me to do as I’m told and I cross my arms over my chest as I look across the lot.

“I fucking love you, okay? Are you happy now?”

Tapping under my chin with his knuckles, he directs my gaze back to his as he grins at me. “Almost. I have one more, really important question. Are you all in with me? Are you truly mine?”

“Of course, I’m yours, Diego.” I roll my eyes. “I never stood a fucking chance against you, did I?”

He laughs. “No, you didn’t.”

I’m swept clean off my feet, metaphorically speaking, when he leans in and kisses me with everything he’s been holding back this whole time. It’s the single greatest kiss I’ve ever had and it eases some of my uncertainty. Admitting the truth, telling him that I am willing to try with him still scares the hell out of me but in light of everything that happened tonight, I’m a lot less scared of committing to him than I am of Dominic King. Besides, if I’m going to die at the hands of a madman, I might as well be as happy as I can be before I go.

Chapter Thirty

Isabelle

I am so incredibly happy that I can’t even stand myself.

It’s a weird thing to think, considering everything that has happened, but Diego and I have spent the last three weeks lost in the glow of a new relationship and preparing for the arrival of our boy so without any contact from Luca or Dominic, it’s easy to push thoughts of them to the back of my mind. Especially when Diego wraps me up and loves me harder than anyone else ever has, healing parts of me that I was sure would be damaged forever. Not that it has been easy. I’m still the same stubborn, difficult woman I’ve always been and love alone isn’t able to fix years of pain and abuse but by not fighting against the pull of us and letting him in, I’ve made the first step. And deep down, I feel different. My entire mindset has shifted over the past few weeks so even with Dominic King lurking in the shadows, I’m happy.

I don’t let myself completely forget about the danger hovering over me though. Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of it when we’re on the compound like this, safe behind its walls but the threat is still there, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The morning after the news was dropped in my lap, everyone who had been in the war room the night before showed up at Ali and Logan’s house so we could come up with a plan to get me out of this mess. We went back and forth for hours, some in favor of reaching out to law enforcement agencies for help while others argued that doing so wouldn’t actually protect me. In fact, it might get me killed faster. Others whole-heartedly believe Diego and I should make a run for it but it wouldn’t solve anything since Dominic would probably just follow me. Then, Diego and I would be stuck in an unfamiliar city with no one to reach out to when the monster did finally track us down.

Eventually, we came to the conclusion that the best course of action was to have Tate and Maverick reach out to Dominic, see if they could appeal to his fatherly nature and save my bacon. But after spending so many nights sitting up in bed and googling the man as Diego slept next to me, I’m not sure he has a good side. If the countless headlines I’ve read over the last thirteen days are any indication, the man is as evil as they come.