Page 63 of No More Lies

He surprised her when he caught her hands in his. As he squeezed them gently, his gaze met hers.

“Diane, you know there are parts of my job that I can’t discuss with you—”

She cut him off and snatched her hands back. “Oh, right, yes. We can’t forget that. This is our daughter...” She stood, her shoulders rounding. It was useless to argue. He would never put his job at risk, even though she wasn’t sure yet if she had broken her oath as a lawyer by telling him and his team everything she knew about her client. She had yet to even consider if there would be ramifications of that.

“She’s safe?”

“Yes, I promise. She’s taken a shine to Jessica and is happily eating dinner and watching TV. I just spoke with her.”

Diane relaxed a little. Megan was happy. “She must be confused? She would normally be with grandparents if we couldn't watch her.”

“I know. I told her you were sick and that I had to work, and your folks were out for the day. Mine are out of town, which is the truth. As far as Megan is concerned, my friend Jessica offered to help out and watch her. To be honest, I think she’s more excited that she gets to skip school and hang out with one of Daddy’s work people. Her words.”

“I want to talk to her.”

Without another word, Steve pulled his phone from his pocket and made the call. Diane listened as he spoke briefly to Agent Adams, but then he passed the phone to her, and Megan’s face filled the screen.

Diane sank onto the bed, battling to keep the tears from flowing with relief at seeing her baby was OK.

“Hi, Mommy. Are you feeling better? Daddy said you were sick.”

She forced a smile. “I’m feeling much better, now I’ve seen my beautiful girl,” she answered honestly.

Megan then proceeded to chat away about her day. She told her how her new friend Jessica had helped her with math today, how Daddy’s training mission had gone well, and how they had made pasta and were watching a movie.

“Daddy said I should stay here while you’re sick, so you can rest while he works. I don’t mind staying here, so make sure you rest, Mommy. It’s like we’re still on a mission, and I get to skip school.” Megan’s words made her smile widen.

“Thank you, Megan. Mommy does need to rest, but hopefully, I’ll feel better soon. I can’t wait to see you.”

“Me, too, Mommy!”

They talked a little longer then said their goodbyes. When Diane handed the phone back to Steve, he spoke with Megan for a few seconds before finally ending the call.

“Feel better?” he asked softly.

“Yes.” She picked up her phone and saw three missed calls. All from her office.

“I checked the voicemails because I didn’t want to wake you. Sydney Michaels called to check in, and Michelle called twice, worried about you.”

She nodded, not bothering to acknowledge it irritated her he accessed her voicemails so easily. He was Onyx. Of course, they could do that.

“Nothing from Volkov,” she said, not sure if she was relieved or disappointed. She just wanted this over.

“No. I had your phone with me all the time. Those were the only calls. If it had been any other number, I would have woken you. He never showed at your office either.”

Putting the phone down, she stood. “I’m going to dry my hair and put some clothes on. She went to walk past him, but he grabbed her wrist and stood up.

“Diane. We're going to get through this. I love you. I’m sorry about how I’ve been. The way I’ve handled this. It was wrong, and I wish I could take back some of the things I said.”

When she didn't say anything, he said, “Why don't you come downstairs? I’ll fix us something to eat and we can talk. Properly.”

She wanted that more than anything. To talk. Clear the air. Move on. Could they? She was beginning to doubt it. This whole thing had uncovered another problem in their marriage she hadn't realized had been there until now.

“What would we talk about, Steve?” she said quietly.

Steve looked confused. “Us? What’s happened.”

She reached up and cupped his cheek. “And how would that go when we can’t tell each other everything? I have an oath as a lawyer. Your job means you can't tell me where you are or what you’re doing half of the time. Secrets. I think we’ve both been guilty of that over the years. Not intentionally, but because of what we do. How can we have trust and honesty in our marriage knowing we hold back big parts of our lives? So many secrets.”