“Why? Jesus, Gabby.” He stands up, rounding the corners to get to me. “So I can help you out of the shitstorm you’re in. Despite your occupation, sweetheart, you’re going to get yourself killed without me. An unknown group busted up and stole the diamonds. Mortoni is out of pocket. Do you want me to continue?”
“You here to rescue me, Nate?” I joke, not able to grasp the seriousness of all he’s divulged.
If I hope for a future now, what do I see? More crime? More deals? More looking over my shoulder? That’s not what I want. I want Nate and Bora, without the complications. I stare away from him through the large window, looking up to the mansion in front of his place.
“You need to realise how dangerous this is,” he says, coming up behind me. “What did you think? That you’d hand back half the diamonds and everything would be fine? That Marco wouldn’t be worried about finding the other half of his package? Hell, Quinn would have killed your brother by now for that kind of disloyalty.” I frown at the words, hating every single time he reiterates the sound of death, and continue staring anywhere but at him.
“Well, aren’t I glad that he didn’t get mixed up with you or your brother,” I scoff.
“Gabby, I need to know more about this other group—the ones who disrupted the operation and stole the other half of Marco’s diamonds.” Why? Why does he need all this? It’s not his business. It’s mine. I’ve got this. I don’t need him or anyone else to make this work out. All this is just another rung in a ladder I haven’t quite climbed yet.
“Enough, Nate.” I plead, swinging back to him. The kitchen I’ve found myself in is pristine. Marble work surfaces gleam at me, with stainless steel appliances all lined up ready to use. It’s nothing like the Nate I know. It’s cold and unfeeling, devoid of care or warmth. “Can’t you see I can’t do this now? It’s too much.”
His face hardens, and I search to find the softer features that always promised so much to me. “Not my choice, Gabby. It’s here, so we’re dealing with it whether you like it or not.”
“You were shocked when I told you I’m a thief, right? What about me and everything you’ve just revealed. A gun? You’ve killed someone? Lots of people for all I know. How am I supposed to deal with that?”
He waves a hand through the air, slicing my conversation in two before it’s started. “We don’t have time for this. I’ve seen you operate. You can be just as ruthless and calculating. Life ain’t sweet all the time. Grow a pair and start acting like you wanna sort this shit out.”
“That’s not me, though.” My fists slam down on the cold surface. “I play a role. I choose who I can be. But I thought with you, it would be different, that I could learn exactly who I am. But you’ve taken that away.”
“I’ve done fuck all, Gabby. This is on you. And you’ll have to trust I know what I’m doing. Talk. All of it. From the beginning. Again.”
“Trust you? You just told me you’re a murderer,” I scream at him. All the disbelief, all the pain and worry from the last few weeks begins pouring out of me. How can this be happening? Where did it go wrong? All I see is more anguish and loss, not the family or security I crave.
My fingers run through my hair, clawing at my head as I come to terms with what I need to do. “I need to leave. I’m going home.” I race back towards the bedroom to get dressed. All of this was a mistake. Nate was a mistake.
He snatches my arm and swings me back against his chest. “I’m not letting you out of my fucking sight.”
“You can’t keep me prisoner, Nate. Let me go.” My lips press into a firm line, determined to make him see it my way. An amused look crosses his face, but it’s gone after a second, replaced with a no-nonsense gaze that is nothing but cold and stern again.
“Where the hell is home anyway? You know you can’t go back to your brother.”
I pull from his grip, moving away. “Antwerp,” I snap, turning for the stairs again. I’m going. Have to. This is all a mess and I won’t be told what to do, even by him.
“As in Belgium? Why there?”
“I have a place. It’s as close to home as anywhere.” And it’s my favourite place, somewhere I feel safe. Or as safe as I’m accustomed to. Apart from Bora. Although those memories are tainted now, spoilt with this shadow. I glance back at the gun, sadness tampering with my anger as I keep trying to walk away.
“And I’m guessing diamonds?” I can hear the disdain in his tone. Screw him. He tells me all this and still thinks I’m the one in the wrong here? My foot hits the stairs, head shaking.
“Sixteen billion dollars of polished diamonds pass through the exchanges each year. And that’s just the legitimate worth.” I look back down at him, smiling with that thought. “You’ll read that Antwerp is the safest centre in the world for diamonds, every stone accounted for on and off the docks.” The glint in my eye is back, smile broadening, now I’m talking about what I love rather than death. “It’s not quite that way. What did you say, fingers in pies?”
“Like I give a fuck, Gabby. Get back down here.”
“No. Enough, Nate. This is done if you can’t treat me with some bloody respect. I’m not a fool.”
I stand firm in the middle of the staircase, arms crossed as I watch him try to work me out. He can try all he wants. I’m done if he doesn’t calm down a little and stop acting like he’s my brother. I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime. I’m not having it from him. “You can give me some of the Nate I knew in Bora or this ends.”
Silence ensues for a time, neither of us moving from our positions. I wish I knew what was going on in his mind, but I don’t. He’s like a closed door all of a sudden, hard and unyielding. I glance around, noting all the furniture set in this pristine space. It’s so lifeless. So, ordered. Nothing like the man I know. I feel like screaming at him, asking him to back down and let me be. To trust me.
He sighs eventually and puts his hands in his pockets, turning away to walk towards the lounge area. “Get your ass down here and tell me more about Antwerp.” His tone’s softer this time, quieter. He grabs his coffee and sits on the black leather couch, loosening the tie around his neck. “If that’s where we’re going then I need the details of that, too.”
“What?” My feet inch down a step in surprise. He looks up, sipping his drink.
“You think I’m letting you out of my sight until this is finished? Not a fucking chance. We stay together until I can work this shit out.” He sips again, little care for whether I agree. “Like it or not, when we fucked I became involved, Gabby, which means my family is involved now, too.”
“Together?”
“Hmm,” he says, looking at me over his coffee. “Antwerp sounds safest all round.”
“For whom?”
“Everyone.”
I frown a little and walk closer, unsure if what he’s suggesting makes sense or not. Antwerp might be the place I consider home but taking Nate with me isn’t something I’d considered. I just need to get there to see Christophe and find out where the rest of the diamonds are—dig myself and my stupid brother out of this mess.
“You’re sure?” I ask, looking at him as he takes another drink. “I don’t want to get you or your family involved in this, and—” He raises a brow at me, telling me what I already know. Heisinvolved, and so they are, too. My heart sinks, annoyed with my brother that any of this is causing problems. I walk closer still, willing him to at least smile and make this easier in some way. He doesn’t. Business Nate is firmly in place. “I need to make some calls then.” He nods, giving no other reaction. “So I can find out where the diamonds are.” Another nod, one laced with the longest sigh I’ve ever heard. I know how he feels.
