My Cruel Salvation (Fallen Saint # 3) - J. Kenner Page 0,62

need to go mingle, but tell me the rest of it first. Blackstone didn’t send that email, did he?”

“Oh, he sent it,” Devlin says. “But only the one time. And only to Christopher as an order.”

“Lamar’s news wasn’t a surprise to you, was it? That was the text you got downstairs, wasn’t it?”

He nods. “Penn and Claire have a team in Chicago, remember? Ronan’s there, too, along with Charlie and Grace and several you haven’t met yet.”

“I figured. I was wondering why Reggie was here, actually, instead of with them.”

“She drew the short straw,” Devlin says, and I laugh.

“Fair enough. But I’m still confused. Was the mission a success? Is Joseph Blackstone dead?”

“Yes.”

It’s a short, to-the-point answer, and relief floods through me. “So tell me the rest of it. How did Lamar get that email?”

“While the team was on-site, they went through as much of his electronics and paperwork as they could.”

“They found those photos of Christopher.”

He nods. “It breaks my heart for Brandy, but there’s really no doubt that Christopher drove the SUV. There were more images and other email chains on the computer—a lot more—but Ronan only forwarded a few. The rest are being analyzed.”

“He might have been coerced,” I say.

“True. Possibly even likely. They weren’t Photoshopped or staged, but someone got in place ahead of time and took the photographs. You’ll note the use of the special lens so that Christopher is identifiable through the window despite the tinting.”

“Good God,” I say. “That probably means that Blackstone got his brother to do that, then had the balls to save the evidence so that he could use it against him later if he ever needed to.”

“Exactly.”

I drag my fingers through my hair, ruining my careful styling. “We know that Christopher testified against Joseph. The two didn’t like each other. My money’s on coercion.”

“Well, there’s more.”

I grimace, but nod for him to continue.

“There was some evidence that Christopher was trying to get back in good with his brother. There was even some suggestion that his testifying on the drug charges was planned. Part of a longer con so that Christopher could be working with Joseph, and yet anybody watching would have reason to believe that he would never do such a thing because the two were estranged.”

“That’s absolutely nefarious.” Again, Brandy fills my thoughts. “Was he working a long con on Brandy?”

Devlin’s expression is utterly sad. “I don’t know. I hate the thought of her getting hurt, but I don’t think there’s any other possible outcome. He either truly loved her, in which case it doesn’t matter, because he’s on the run now, or he was scamming her all along to get close to either you or me or possibly her business. We may never know. Either way, she gets hurt.”

“This is so fucked up. And what about reciprocity? You didn’t tell Lamar a thing.”

He frowns. “I know. But it’s one thing to tell him information. It’s another thing to tell him information that was obtained illegally. I’ll filter it down to him as I can, though.”

I nod, wishing Lamar could just know everything right now, but I understand why he can’t.

“You should go home with Reggie and Brandy. I just texted that you’re on your way down. They’re still in the lobby talking with Tamra.”

“Devlin—”

“I’ll be along soon. Brandy needs you, not Reggie.”

Since he’s right about that, I don’t argue. “You’ll really come soon? Or are you going back to your place?” Since Blackstone’s dead, he might want to be in his own place tonight.

“I’ll see you later,” he says firmly. “The good news is that Blackstone and several on his team are dead. The survivors aren’t going to come after us. I know those men, they’re useless without a leader. They’re paid soldiers going to the highest bidder. They’ll find a new boss and move on. But I don’t want you to be alone tonight, either. So I’ll come by later. We’ll make sure Brandy’s okay, and Lamar, too, if he stays another night. I hope he does. We could all use another night in front of the television, I think.”

I move into his arms and hold him tight. “I love you,” I say again.

And one of the reasons I love him is that he thinks about my friends, as well as about me.

“I just can’t believe it,” Brandy says as I hand her a cup of green tea. I brought a muffin too, one of the chocolate chip ones she had baked yesterday, and I set