My Cruel Salvation (Fallen Saint # 3) - J. Kenner Page 0,53

and get a book deal. You can spin this, Ellie. And considering the press conference he’s holding tomorrow, I bet Devlin would agree that it’s a brilliant idea.”

“Is that what you’d do if you were in my position?”

“Hell, yes. And you know damn well I might be an asshole, but I’m a good reporter. My instincts on this are dead on. You love him, right?”

“I really do.”

“Well, if I was in love and had the chance to do something to help my girl out, I’d do everything in my power.”

“You are,” I say softly. “You’re at the hospital for her.”

“Oh. Yeah. I guess I am.”

I smile. The man I used to think was the biggest asshole in the world, actually has a sentimental side. “It’s a smart idea,” I tell him. “And to a certain extent it’s already in the works. I started the profile of the foundation for the magazine, and I have a lot of notes on Devlin. And I know where the bodies are buried,” I say, more as private joke to myself than for him to understand.

To my surprise, Corbin laughs. “I bet you do.”

“I’ll talk to Devlin about it. It’s a good idea, and thank you. Even if he doesn’t want to do it, I appreciate you mentioning it. You’re right that it could give him some good PR, and that could be exactly what he needs. Exactly what the foundation needs, too, because we don’t know what the fallout will be with regard to donations in the future in light of him and his newfound notoriety. And honestly, even if there’s not a smidge of fallout, it would still be worthwhile. He’s done amazing things, and it’s a story that deserves to be told.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“I get it. And Corbin?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re still an asshole, but I think you’re okay.”

Chapter Twenty

Before...

Alex stared at Anna, certain he’d heard her wrong. “Peter? He really wants me to take out Peter?”

Anna nodded, looking almost as shell shocked as he felt. “Are you really surprised? You must have known that Peter was skimming.”

“I didn’t. He must keep another set of books.” That was a lie. He hated himself for lying to Anna, one of his best friends, but if word got back to his father that Alex had been aware of Peter’s disloyalty, it wouldn’t go well for him. Better than it would go for Peter, true, but it still wouldn’t be good.

He winced at his own gallows humor, but the truth was he knew that he was stuck. He was the weapon, and Peter was the target, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do to change that.

Frustrated, he dragged his fingers through his hair, not believing that this was happening. Wishing that he could just run. Escape. But even if that was an option, where the hell could he go that his father wouldn’t find him? “Peter’s my friend,” he finally said, knowing he sounded petulant.

“Why the hell would the Wolf care about that?”

Alex said nothing. Anna cocked her head.

“Come on, Alex, you know the way it works. You’re his heir. Of course, you’re the one he ordered to do it. He doesn’t care that you’ve become close to Peter. Hell, that’s even more of a commitment. That’s the point.”

“I know. I know.” Of course he knew. He knew his bastard father better than anybody. “When?”

“As soon as you can make it happen.”

“I still can’t believe this. It doesn’t make sense. There’s no one else in this territory. He’s let other men slide when they’re running an area, at least until he gets someone new in place.” He grimaced. “Granted, not often, and those other men usually lost a few fingers, but he’s done it. And this is Peter, his friend.”

Which, of course, answered his own question. The betrayal of a friend or relative hit harder than anything.

In front of him, Anna shrugged. “He’s shifting things around right now. Bringing in new people, getting rid of old ones. Hell, he’s even gotten Manny working on tech for him now. There’s all sorts of things on the internet that Manny knows how to access. They call it the dark web or something, and I guess your father thinks that it’s a good place to hide. His money, at least, and details about his operation. I don’t know. I just know that he’s changing things up, and that he told me to bring the message to you. You have to do it, otherwise you and I will both