Page 107 of When He Defends
“Who gave you the orders?”
“I’ll be okay in prison,” Nathaniel mused. “So many criminals. I can talk to them for hours and hours. Just think of all the books I can write.”
Emerson surged forward. Cass grabbed her. Pulled her back.
“Who gave you orders?”Emerson yelled at him. “Who told you to screw with my life?”
His head lifted. He stared straight at her. Then his shoulders sagged. “I really wanted to see what it was like to kill.” Nathaniel sighed as he looked away from Emerson. Focused on Gray. “And I wanted to kill you.” Then he smiled and he—he ran at Gray. With the knife up. With a yell bursting from his lips.
Gray waited. He waited. And then…
He fired at the bastard’s right kneecap. Just as he’d done with Rylan. And, just as with Rylan, Nathaniel went down with a howl. With his left hand, Gray ripped the knife from Nathaniel’s grip, and, in a blink, he spun the knife around to shove it against the SOB’s throat. “We don’t always get what we want.”
Nathaniel screamed.
Gray let the knife cut deeper. That stopped the screams.
Emerson had noticed the giant pool of blood spreading beneath Rylan. He heard her heaving gasp. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Gray reassured her. “I didn’t hit anything too vital. He’s bleeding and moaning like a sonofabitch, but he’ll survive.” Not like he wanted her shoving her fingers in Rylan’s wounds the way she’d done with Justin.
I’m damn good at taking out my targets.And Emerson was also good when it came to saving people. A talent she had.
Even as he was aware of the gang members spreading out near him, Gray’s main focus remained on the piece of shit who’d tormented his Emerson.
“Who gave the order?” Gray asked him.
When he confessed, Nathaniel didn’t scream. He whispered…
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Monsters can be everywhere. Sometimes, they can even be right in front of you. And you don’t even see them because they’re wearing the masks of loved ones. I think those might just be the worst monsters of all.”
– Emerson Marlowe
“Hello, Mother.”
“Emerson, darling!” Her mother came across the luxury suite on a quick glide. Effortless. Graceful. After all, she’d once been a prima ballerina. She air-kissed Emerson’s right cheek. Then her left. “How wonderful to see you! I was planning to leave town tomorrow, heading up to D.C., and your timing is perfect.” She beamed at Emerson even as she pulled her forward into the hotel suite. “You’ve come to your senses? Decided to leave this awful experiment behind?”
“Not exactly.” She’d been standing in the open doorway of the presidential suite. Her mother’s eager pull had taken her over the threshold and allowed Gray to move in behind her. “I didn’t come alone.”
Her mother immediately dropped her hold on Emerson. Her head jerked toward Gray. “Agent Stone.”An arctic greeting.
“Hello, Senator Marlowe. Mind if we have a moment of your time?” he drawled.
“I’m never too busy for my daughter.” She sniffed. Turned away from the door. Motioned for them to follow her.
She was on the top floor of the ritzy hotel. A high-rise in downtown Atlanta. Gray had needed to flash his FBI credentials in order to get access to her secure floor. Emerson had gone to the door first once they actually arrived at the suite because she’d known her mother would look through the peephole before allowing anyone inside.
Emerson had understood that her mother would open the door for her. No hesitation.
“Where’s Owen?” Emerson asked as they entered the glamorous sitting room. She’d expected him to be there, waiting.
“Oh, he’s out taking care of some business. Running a few errands.” A wave of her hand. Casual. Her fingers skimmed over her pearl necklace before Maxine sat on the plush, white couch. “What is this meeting about?” She patted the cushion next to her. “Emerson, sit.”
She did not. Emerson remained standing. Her gaze swept the room. To the right, a white door was closed. The bedroom door? Slowly, her stare returned to her mother. “Nathaniel Hadaway was arrested tonight.”
Surprise flashed on Maxine’s face. Surprise and a hint of worry. “For what?”
“Breaking into my condo. Destroying property. Turns out, he’s been stalking me for quite some time.”
