Page 162 of Konstantin
It can’t be!
“What the fuck are you talking about, Nate?”
But I already know. I just need confirmation that he is part of whatever is going on.
“Don’t touch her, you motherfucker!” Konstantin growls, as if a surge of raw power has just coursed through him.
My body instinctively moves toward him, but the gun stays trained on me. My mind races, trying to understand how I missed it.
Am I really this blind, or are they just that good? How long has Nate been involved in whatever this is? And what exactly is he here to do?
His gaze doesn’t waver, but something in his eyes shifts. It’s almost as if he’s torn, like he’s making a decision he’s not even sure he wants to make.
“I don’t know what you’ve done, but you need to put that gun away before you do something you’ll regret.”
“I don’t have a choice anymore, Em. You did this to yourself.” He says it like he believes it, like he truly has no other option.
Then he fires.
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
EMILIA
Time seems to slow,everything around me blurring into a haze. The deafening crack of the gunshot slices through the air like a bolt of lightning.
Konstantin’s roar rips through the chaos as he attempts to push me backward.
Nate’s bullet whizzes by, so close I can almost feel the heat of it. My heart slams in my chest, adrenaline pumping as my instincts take over. My hand moves, drawing my gun up in one fluid motion and pointing it directly at my brother.
I still can’t make sense of it.
How can he do this to me after everything we’ve been through? How can he want me dead? And for what?
When he takes a step toward me, I aim the gun higher. “Stay back, Nate. I don’t want to do this, but I will if I have to.”
I’ll do anything to protect my baby.
He laughs, a sick, twisted sound that feels completely foreign coming from him. “I can’t believe you actually fell for him, Em.”
Nate’s words cut through the air, his eyes flicking briefly to Konstantin, who’s trying to stand, but struggling, the drugs still working against him.
“I thought you were thegoodone,” he continues with a sneer. “You always did the right thing. Arrested the bad ones. What happened? Fell to the dark side?”
Each word stings, each one sinking deeper than the last. My anger continues to build, but it’s overshadowed by something heavier, something like grief.
Konstantin growls low, his body trembling with the effort of pushing himself up. “I’m going to rip your tongue out.”
I catch his eye, silently pleading for him to hold back. There’s still time to fix this, still a way to stop things from going too far. Nate will pay for his actions, but I don’t want him dead.
He looks at Konstantin with a mocking grin. “You’re not in a position to do shit right now, Marinov. I almost blew your brains out after I shot your men, but the boss wanted it this way.”
The boss? Does he mean…Gerardo?
I shake my head, disbelief gripping me.
What the hell are you doing, Nate?
Confusion stirs with rage. “Are you working with Gerardo and the DeLucas?”
