but that was all the more reason to get out of here alone. They’d be saying goodbye soon enough, and then she’d only see him maybe a few times a year on holidays and Gracie’s birthday, if his schedule allowed. It was exactly what she’d said she didn’t want—but she knew she wouldn’t give up the chance to still have him in their lives, even just a little. Still, it would be smart to get accustomed to him not being around. The sooner she got used to being on her own again, the better. “I won’t be long. You stay here with Gracie.”

After tugging on her jacket, she headed out onto the porch. The day was overcast and a bit chilly with the breeze and all. She zipped up and headed down the stoop to the sidewalk. It was a nice, quiet neighborhood, filled with quaint two-story, mid-century homes and well-kept lawns. About half a block from the house, she crossed the street and headed to the small park nearby. There weren’t many people out today yet, so she basically had the place to herself. Serena took a deep breath of fresh, clean air and headed across a grassy area toward some vacant picnic tables. Maybe she’d just sit here for a while, until she was ready to call her Uber. That would keep her out of the house and away from the temptation of throwing herself into Noah’s arms and begging him to try working it out between them one last time. His work was important, but so was hers. The charities she supported depended on her to—

Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand on her arm. She turned fast, expecting to see Noah behind her. “It’s just like you to ignore my request, but…” The rest of her words clogged in her constricted throat. “Nate? What are you doing here?”

“Serena,” he said, a wildness in his blue eyes that she’d never seen there before.

Pulse tripping and blood racing through her ears, her mind whirled, trying to think of some way to get out of this situation and back to the house. Okay. Okay. Maybe her brother didn’t know that she knew about what he’d done. Maybe he hadn’t done anything, and this had all been a huge mistake. Maybe he just came to check up on her. Maybe…

He moved aside his jacket to reveal the handgun holstered at his waist, his voice oddly hollow. “Mom and Dad always said that if you wanted something done right, to do it yourself. Guess I should’ve listened.”

She took a step back and held up her hands as he drew the gun and pointed it at her. “Nate, please. Come on. You don’t have to do this.”

In all the cop shows she’d watched growing up, they always tried to keep the suspect talking, keep him distracted until help arrived. Except now, there wasn’t any help arriving. Not unless she could reach her phone in her pocket and hit the emergency call button. She started to drop one hand toward it now but stopped almost immediately as he cocked the gun.

“Don’t,” was all Nate said, his pale cheeks flushed and his hand shaking slightly. “Why couldn’t you just die in South America like I’d planned?”

Even knowing he’d had her kidnapped and had planned to take her out, hearing the words still hurt. “Because of the money. The inheritance means more to you than your own flesh and blood.”

“That’s the thing though, Serena. You aren’t my flesh and blood. Not really.” He stepped closer to her, sneering. “Growing up, I had to watch Mom and Dad spoil you and coddle you and treat you just the same as me, even though you weren’t like me at all. I was their child. You were just some poor kid they picked up from the orphanage. The CEO position should’ve been mine.”

“Take it,” she said, darting a glance around her to see if anyone had noticed their exchange, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. She backed up another step, only to have Nate follow, that damned gun still aimed at her heart. “Seriously. You can have it. I’ve got my phone in my pocket. We can call the attorneys now and tell them I’m resigning and turning it all over to you. Just let me keep working for the charities, that’s all I ask. They were what I really cared about anyway.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Nate yelled, waving the gun at her, his hand shaking slightly. “Always the little do-gooder, weren’t you? Trying to show me up to Mom. Always making me look selfish and bad.”

“That wasn’t the reason I helped out around the world, Nate.” Oh God. How long had he felt this way about her? Apparently from the start, and she’d had no clue. Serena had been dumb and naïve enough to think she’d been adopted into the perfect, loving family. She’d never considered that Nate might resent her presence there. Betrayal and pain burned deep into her core. She’d loved him. Trusted him. Hell, he’d even been the first person she’d called from the casino once Noah had freed her from the villa. And the whole time, he’d been lying to her. He’d been behind it all.

A new emotion flared white-hot alongside everything else scorching through her veins. Anger.

Trying to get on his good side hadn’t worked well at all, so what the hell. She tried a different angle. Maybe she could piss him off enough that he’d make a mistake. There was a row of bushes nearby. If she could throw him off his game enough, she might be able to reach them before he pulled the trigger. She inched toward them now.

“You know what, Nate? You’re pathetic.” She was grateful for the edge of steel in her voice even though her knees were shaking so badly that she feared they might not hold her up. How the hell did Noah deal with this stuff every day? A newfound respect for what

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