Page 106 of When He Defends
Nathaniel kept his hands in his pockets.
“I knew you were watching me, Agent Stone. Always believing you were two steps ahead. Screw that. Nathaniel here, he didn’t have the balls to take you out. Oh, he wanted to. I caught him stalking you and Emerson. Realized he was the prick who was in this very alley the first night you were making out with Emerson.” Anger roughened his voice. “I wanted to fuck her, but you swept in. And the Man of Stone always gets what he wants.”
“Not always,” Gray returned as he shifted his gun to point at Rylan. “Drop your weapon.Now.”
Rylan didn’t drop his weapon. “I told Nathaniel we could work together. He wanted to see what it was like to kill. He wanted it so badly I could practically see him drooling. But the guy has performance anxiety. So I told him, said…‘I’ll help you out.’ And here I am, helping. Threw out just enough of a trail for you to find me. But you came alone, didn’t you? Big, bad agent. I don’t see Emerson. I don’t see other agents. I damn well don’t see yourSemper Fi buddies.You’re on your own. You’re gonna die right here, on your?—”
Gray fired. So did Rylan. Gray’s bullet slammed into his target, ripping into Rylan’s shoulder and sending the other man staggering back. As for Rylan’s bullet, it found its mark, too.
It hit Gray in the chest. In his bulletproof vest. A good two inches to the side of his heart. It was like being pounded with a hammer, but it was a pain that Gray could easily handle.I didn’t aim for your heart, jerk, because you don’t get to die and escape punishment. Your ass is getting locked away.He shiftedhis weapon. Fired twice more. One shot to the hand that still clutched Rylan’s weapon. Rylan screamed as blood flew, and the gun fell from his nerveless fingers. The next bullet Gray fired went into Rylan’s knee. It took him down. No way would Rylan be getting away.
Then Gray shifted his weapon once more and locked its aim on Nathaniel.
Nathaniel’s hands were still in his pockets. He looked over at Rylan. “I think,” Nathaniel spoke softly, “that he’s useless now.” His head turned. He stared at Gray. “I wanted to kill you.”
“Fair. Iwantto kill you, too.” It took all of his will power not to pull that trigger.
Rylan was crying and moaning and being a general pain in the ass.
Nathaniel backed up. “I was going to stab you right here. I was so close that first night, and then I heard the roar of motorcycles.”
And right then, as if on cue, the growl of motorcycles vibrated in the night. A growl that grew stronger and stronger, and Nathaniel flinched.
Gray didn’t move. “Did the roar sound just like that?”
Headlights flashed.
“Rylan was right,” Gray allowed. A Rylan who still was moaning and bleeding all over the place. Gray marched toward him and shoved his foot over Rylan’s left hand. The right hand was totally out of commission, but Gray wanted to make sure the prick didn’t try to grab for the weapon Rylan had lost with his non-dominant hand. “MySemper Fi buddiesaren’t here tonight.”
Motorcycles swept into that narrow street, right on the side of O’Sullivan’s. Even more motorcycles than had been there the first time. The motorcycles circled them.
Nathaniel spun around, but there was nowhere for him to go. He was trapped.
“But who needs friends, when you have a whole army at your beck and call?” Gray could see Cass. And behind Cass, Emerson.
She had not been down with the plan to ride with Cass. Not at first. She’d wanted to be in that alley with Gray.
But he’d been afraid of the way Nathaniel might react to her.
Even now…
Nathaniel scuttled toward her like a rat.
“She’s not for you,” Gray roared at him.
Nathaniel froze.
“You terrorized her. You tricked her. And you’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”
Nathaniel’s fingers finally jerked out of his coat pocket. In his right hand, he gripped a knife. “I did what I was supposed to do! I followed orders! I did what I was told!” He weaved a bit. “Emerson, I-I did it at first so I could understand. Get in a predator’s mindset. See what it was like to hunt…to stalk…”
She climbed off the motorcycle. So did Cass.
“You were afraid.” Nathaniel raised the knife and pointed at her. “When we were together, your fear made you turn to me all the more. You needed me. And I didn’t know how much I needed your fear. Not until you were gone.”
So the sick fuck had kept terrorizing her. The headlights illuminated the scene perfectly. “Whotold you to break her mirrors? To threaten her? Who gave you the orders?” Each question was snarled out. Gray wanted to attack, but Emerson needed her answers. Her proof.
Nathaniel looked down at the knife. “I wanted to see what it would feel like to kill.”
