backhand him with the butt of the gun. Sick pleasure fills my heart when I see blood fly, and he grunts in pain.
I knee him in the stomach, doubling him up as Carly and Emma cry out and then Emma is trying to pull me off Nathan. But I’m unleashing all my pent-up fury and anger and can’t be stopped.
“Kyle!” Carly yells.
I ignore her and instead throw more punches, knocking Nathan to a knee that I follow up with a kick that snaps his head back, sending him sprawling onto the carpet. Standing over his semi-conscious body, I scream into his face.
“You son of a bitch, you killed her! She was my life! And you killed her!”
Somewhere through the fog, I hear Carly and Emma both yelling at me, “No! No!”
But my rain of terror continues, connecting with him every opening I get as he starts to fight back, but I’m on top, still in control.
It’s Emma’s words that break through my tunnel vision when she yells, “I was sent here by the FBI to investigate him for killing her. He didn’t do it!”
I already know about the undercover part from Claire, but her vehemence that Nathan is innocent gives me a tiny bit of hesitation.
It shouldn’t, not at all after what I’ve learned about him.
But her certainty is compelling.
I hold Nathan down, my one hand tight on his throat, my gun hand cocking the hammer back and pressing it once again to his chest, right above his heart.
“Explain.”
Chapter 41
Emma
The words rush out as I try to explain fast enough to get this monster of a man off Nathan.
The monster that’s with . . . Carly?
What in the everloving fuck?
Is this the guy she’s been talking about, Kyle?
But I shake my head, focusing. Save Nathan first, exchange names later.
“My sister is an FBI agent, and she had me come in undercover because he was meeting with Nikolai Romanov.”
He growls, his eyes still fixed on Nathan, and his hand squeezes slightly. “That has nothing to do with Anna.”
I try again and keep spilling. “I know, but when she wanted me to find out about the meeting business, she also told me they believed Nathan had Anna Russo killed because she may have known too much or had something to do with Nathan’s dad’s murder.”
Kyle’s cold gaze flicks to me, angrily biting out, “She had nothing to do with it. She cared for Michael, would never have hurt the man.”
I think he’s looking for Nathan’s reaction to my words and to his statement, but Nathan already knows the full truth of what I’m saying at least and just nods, pressing his chin against the hand holding him down.
“Nathan knows about my sister, about why I was sent here. But he didn’t do it. He had nothing to do with Anna and has been trying to figure out who killed his dad. Maybe it’s the same person?” I hypothesize. “They killed his dad because of a gem. Did she have anything to do with that?”
Kyle’s eyes look back to Nathan, searching, and it feels as if he’s scanning him like a lie detector.
Nathan must get the same sense because he forces out, blood bubbling on his lips, “I swear on the only good thing in my life that I didn’t kill Anna.”
I can see Kyle’s grip loosen incrementally. “Speak quickly, Stone.”
Nathan takes a deep breath, fully aware that while Kyle’s hand on his throat’s loosened and he can speak easier, the gun hasn’t moved an inch. “I admit, I hated Anna somewhat. I was jealous because my Dad talked to her even when he wouldn’t give us the time of day. He had this thing in common with her, this treasure hunting. Still, I didn’t kill her or my dad . . . but someone did. I don’t know who yet. I’ve been investigating my dad’s murder, but I don’t know who yet.” The intensity of Nathan’s statement must resonate with Kyle on some level because I see his slow blink.
Then Kyle growls, the sound an expression of grief and pain tied up in anger.
But he pushes off Nathan, standing to pace, and Nathan staggers to his feet to block me protectively. I ignore him, pulling his arm over my shoulder and guiding him to a chair to sit down. Kyle turns, his eyes beseeching.
“Fuck. Fuck. I knew it was you. You’re a goddamn merc, like me. Killing’s too easy for us. If it’s not you, then fucking who?” His words are muttered,