the bell obnoxiously as if I can make Grant hurry to answer it faster.
But it’s not Grant who opens the door. It’s Caleb, and I instantly want to wipe the smug grin off his face.
My breath heaving, I demand, “Where is he?”
“Gone.”
“No, he can’t be. He wouldn’t.” I plead for him to tell me this is some sick joke.
Caleb takes a few steps back, spreading his arms wide in some mocking gesture of openness. “Come on in, Kitty. Oh, I mean, Emma. Feel free to look around. He’s gone.”
I unconsciously step inside, and though the house is huge, I can feel that it’s empty. He’s not here. Somehow, his presence, or lack thereof, has changed the very air in the place.
“Why?” I can feel tremors sneaking through my body, my mind refusing to accept the truth right in front of me.
Caleb is triumphant, mocking. “He left you. Got what he needed, I suppose. Nikolai called this morning with the final arrangements, and Nathan’s plane left about” —he looks at his watch— “an hour ago. Maybe less.”
I collapse to the floor, trying not to sob. “He knew. He came tonight. It was a kiss goodbye, wasn’t it?”
Subtly, I can see Caleb’s cruelty cracking. I don’t think he’s necessarily a bad guy. He’s just protecting his brother against what he perceives as a threat.
Me.
It’d be hysterical if I wasn’t breaking apart. The thought that I could hurt Nathan, be a danger to him . . . when the truth is, I was the one at risk all along.
Claire warned me. I just didn’t listen.
I should’ve listened.
The squeak of brakes behind me gives me a flash of hope, and I turn, my heart hoping it’s him and that this is all some awful misunderstanding.
But it’s not Nathan.
It’s Claire’s sedan, and she jumps out, rushing around the car and up the stairs.
“Emma!”
“He’s gone,” I say hollowly.
She drops to her knees at my side in the middle of the foyer floor, gathering me to her and cradling me like a child as the tears flow freely. “I know, I know.”
I pull away. “What do you mean, ‘you know’?” I search her face for answers and see the hesitation. “Claire, what do you mean?”
She bites her lip. “He told me tonight. You went backstage, and he said he was leaving, asked me to take care of you like I always have.”
“You knew? And you just let him go? Oh, my God, Claire. You should’ve stopped him or told me!” I’m ranting, my voice getting stronger.
“I thought it was for the best. This is all my fault. You should’ve never been caught up with all this in the first place.” She looks at Caleb with disgust, and Caleb looks back, the feeling mutual. “This was a way to get you out of it. So no, I didn’t stop him. If he had feelings for you, he wouldn’t have bailed on you like this. That’s not what a good guy does, Em. You’ve gotta see that, right? Nathan Stone is not a good man. He used you and then he left you.”
“You know what?” Caleb growls, unable to hold his tongue as my sister runs down his brother. “I don’t give a fuck who—”
“He left me.”
It shuts Caleb up.
My sadness grows hotter, slow degrees of anger adding to the hurt to make a bitter stew of confusion.
“Come on, honey. Let me get you home.”
Claire helps me stand, ushering me out the door, and as we pull out of the drive, I glance back one last time.
Caleb is in the doorway. He’s wearing his cocky bastard persona again, but I can see the concern in his eyes.
He gives me a little two-finger wave and shuts the door as Claire turns out of their driveway.
Chapter 27
Nathan
I squirm in the plush leather seat of the plane I’ve chartered to take me to Brazil, but my discomfort has nothing to do with the luxurious cushioned seating in the G280 but something else.
“Mr. Stone?” the flight attendant, a pretty raven-haired woman who I’ve been told is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, says. “Is everything okay, sir? Would you like some refreshments before take-off?”
“No, thank you,” I reply, adjusting myself one more time.
Reaching quickly for some kind of polite excuse, I point toward my combat boots. “Been awhile since I’ve worn these.”
“Ah. Well, sir, if you don’t mind the advice, I’d shuck ‘em,” the attendant says with a smile. “We’ve got a few hours until we stop in Vieques to refuel. No reason to