Clear shot or not, Nathan could have hit her and done some damage if he'd tried. He really didn't want to shoot her, though. If he'd known it was her from the beginning, he might not have pulled his gun. Or maybe he would have. Just to give himself the chance to speak, before being taken into custody.
Which, as he thought it through, was really all he wanted. The more he tried to think his way out of this, the more he realized it was going to take far more than he was willing to do, especially for Gold. It was more than he was willing to do even for himself, though. Maybe, if someone else had caught him, it would have been different.
But here he was, caught. There was a strange kind of relief in acknowledging that. He hadn't been afraid of getting caught, at least not because of the potential consequences. What he didn't want was for anyone - especially people who knew him - to think he'd been in this for his own gain, for money or power or whatever else drove people to corruption.
"I'll answer all your questions," he said. "But only if we can put the guns down, and you stop shining that light in my eyes."