Into the Fury (BOSS, Inc. #1)(103)

Ethan’s fingers tightened on the front of Stern’s shirt. He dragged Stern up, then slammed him down on the top of the desk, sending papers into the air and an antique inkwell flying. He let go of the shirt and wrapped a hand around Stern’s throat. “It was Gallagher, right? Did you hire him or was it Peter Latham?”

When Stern didn’t answer, Ethan squeezed until Jason started wheezing, gasping for breath. “Was it Gallagher?”

“Let . . . go of . . . me!” He clawed at the hand choking off his air, and Ethan eased his hold. “You don’t scare me, Brodie. You’re a cop. You aren’t going to hurt me.”

Ethan let him go but didn’t back out of his space. “You’re right. I’m an ex-cop. I don’t torture suspects. My brother, Luke—now that’s a different story. You see, Luke was Special Forces. He doesn’t see things quite the same way I do.”

Luke nudged him aside, got right in Stern’s face. “All right, now we’re going to do this my way. My brother is going to ask again. This time I expect you to answer.” The KA-BAR appeared in his hand. He laid the blade across Stern’s throat, and there was no doubt of the threat he posed.

“Was it Gallagher who killed Delilah Larsen?” Ethan asked.

Stern swallowed. Luke nicked his Adam’s apple and a thin trickle of blood ran down his neck. “Answer my brother’s question.”

“It was . . . it was Gallagher.”

“What about Valentine? He the one who shot at her?”

A noise in the room drew Ethan’s attention. He turned at the sound of a husky female voice.

“Bick wasn’t shooting at Valentine, Mr. Brodie. He was shooting at you.”

Ethan had never met Myra Stern, but he’d seen her picture. Brunette, nice figure, fifties, looked to be in her late thirties. She was still a beautiful woman. He didn’t know Myra, but he knew the blond man standing next to her pointing a big black semiauto at the middle of his chest.

Bick Gallagher, aka Ray Bickford.

“Step away from Jason,” Gallagher said to Luke. “Do it now before I shoot your brother.”

Instead, Luke hauled Stern up off the desk and locked an arm around his neck. The big knife rested at the base of his throat. “Looks like we’re at a standoff,” Luke drawled. “You shoot Ethan, I slice Stern’s throat.”

The woman’s dark eyebrows went up. “Are you certain I care?”

Stern trembled. “What are you doing, Myra? I realize we have an unusual relationship, but I always thought you loved me.”

“I do, darling. Of course I do.” She ran a hand tenderly down Bick Gallagher’s arm. Bick was years younger. Clearly they were involved, or at least had been.

“You’re a good husband,” Myra said. “I wouldn’t want to lose you.” She turned to Ethan. “Perhaps we could make a deal. How much would it take for the two of you to forget whatever it is you think you know about our diamonds?”

“So it was you, not your twin brother,” Ethan said. “You’re the one calling the shots.”

“That’s right. Peter’s a good boy. He’s always done what I told him and look how well it’s paid off for him.”

“He lives like a king,” Ethan said. “No doubt about it. Too bad it’s all about to end.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. The cops know everything. It’s only a matter of time. The best you can do is use whatever connections you’ve got to get out of the country.”

“Let me kill them,” Gallagher said, his hand steady on the trigger of the pistol. “We’ll be gone before the police figure out what happened.”

“You fool. You can probably kill Ethan. But I know people.” She pointed at Luke. “You kill his brother, that one won’t let you live.”

“I’ll take my chances,” Gallagher said.

“You’ll do what I tell you.”

“Why’d you have Delilah killed?” Ethan asked her, stalling for time. And frankly, curious after all the trouble he’d had because of Myra Stern.

“Little bitch found out about the smuggling—thanks to Jason’s carelessness. She tried to blackmail us. No one blackmails Myra Stern.”

Ethan flicked a glance at Luke. Both of them were ready to make a move. “You send the notes?”

She smiled coldly. “Brilliant, wasn’t it? Bick came up with the design, but the idea belonged to me.”

“It was fairly ingenious, I’ll admit. Even had me fooled for a while.”

Myra turned from Ethan back to Gallagher. “You really think you can kill both of them, darling?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Myra, wait!” Jason pleaded, struggling against Luke’s hold. It was the moment they needed. Luke shoved Stern between Gallagher and Ethan. Gallagher fired, Ethan sidestepped, and the shot slammed into Stern. Jason moaned as he hit the floor. Ethan ignored the burning pain in his side that told him the bullet had gone through Stern into him and launched himself at Gallagher.

The men crashed onto the Persian carpet, Ethan on top, Gallagher on the bottom. He was a tough man, a professional soldier, his blond hair and good looks disguising the hard man underneath. Ethan thought of Val and how close Gallagher had come to killing her, and slammed a fist into his pretty-boy face. Ethan thought of Pete and Dirk and the fire, and punched him hard again.