Diamonds (Den of Thieves Book 1) by A.M. Cosgrove Page B

certain. But I do know that I cant live my entire life in fear of what might happen to me if I step outside of my door."
     
    "This is true but there is such a thing as taking a calculated risk and jumping in without a parachute."
     
    "Is that what you think I am doing? Jumping in without a parachute?"
     
    "Daria, you hardly know anything about this man."
    "I hardly know anything about any of the men that I’ve dated. That’s what dating is all about Father. Learning about the other person and seeing if there is the kind of chemistry there that would make a good strong marriage." She pulled her hand from him and patted him on the arm.
     
    "I know darling. I want that for you more than anything else in this world. I want you to know the love that your mother and I had when you were born."  He looked off into the distance again.
     
    The gardener had moved on to another clump of bushes a few meters further down. They once again fell into silence.
     
    "Do you love him Daria?"
     
    She laughed.
 
    "Don’t laugh Daria, this is not a laughing matter."
     
    "I know Father but I mean I only just met the man two days ago. How could I possibly know if I love him or not?"
     
    "I knew with your mother the moment I met her that she was the woman that I wanted to marry more than anyone else in the world. She was to be the woman that I spent the rest of my life with."
 
    "But that’s different thought."
    "How so?"
    "People don’t just fall in love like that anymore." The words sounded hollow as they rolled off her tongue.
 
    "They don’t? Well then that is a very boring way to go through life. Never knowing if you are in love or not."
 
    She laughed again, a nervous laugh, her father’s words were echoing in her ears.
     
    Silence fell over them again as she pondered the answer to her father question. Was it possible? Was she falling in love with Peter?
     
    "You will tell me right?"
     
    "Hmm?"  She pulled herself back out of her thoughts.
     
    "If you fall in love with this man. You will let me know right?"
     
    "Of course! Why would I ever keep that from you?" She laughed. Her father could be so strange sometimes.
     
    "You never know with you young folks now a days," he said finishing his coffee and standing up, "After all you lot cant even tell when you’re in love, right?"
     
    She watched him walk away and she wondered if he had been able to see what she was too afraid to admit.
 
    She was falling in love with Peter.
 

     
    No one moved or said anything until they had heard the car tires screech as the Blakemans pulled out of the parking lot.
    "Well that was certainly something else. You weren't kidding Jake, when you said the woman was a complete nut job," Paul said shaking his head in disbelief at what he had just witnessed.
 
    "I know; I almost can’t believe it myself. She is certainly a piece of work."
 
    "Did you see how she treated her man? Seriously what the fuck? Who dammed well does that to the man they are supposed to love and cherish?" Cat piped up walking back to her desk and flopping down tired.
 
    They all looked like they had gone three rounds in a ring.
 
    "Now do you understand what we are up against here Sebastian? She’s a huge client and we can’t afford not to take her case. We haven’t had one from the FBI in a month and last time I checked we all have bills to pay."
    "I get it, really I do. But you also have to understand that I think there is something hinky about the whole situation. The more I learn about this completely dysfunctional family the more I know there is something we haven’t uncovered yet."
     
    "Sebastian, I know that you are emotionally invested in this situation and that for whatever reason you have decided that you are right and that there is something hidden that we aren’t seeing you also have to understand that the rest of us are not blinded by love or whatever has gotten a hold of you." Paul shook his head. "And even if there is something that we