He filed, they paid, and he said that was the end of it.”
“Do you believe him?” I do, but I want Lamar’s take on it, too, especially since my judgment is impaired right now.
“I do,” Lamar says. “He’s an asshole, yes, but he’s not a stupid asshole.”
“Agree. He realized that he’d stepped in it, and told you everything he knew.”
“Right,” Lamar says. “We would have found that eventually, but him bringing it up on his own is a mark in his favor.”
As much as I despise the man, I can’t disagree.
I start to pace, my mind churning. “They’re still watching him,” I say. “I mean, maybe not this second, but they have been. This isn’t about getting Walt to sue Devlin, it’s about manipulation. I bet they even suggested that Walt ask for this meeting. He did, didn’t he?”
Lamar frowns. “Yeah. It was his idea.”
“They needed a way to grab Devlin when he was alone and feeling safe. Like on the way to the police station.”
“They couldn’t have foreseen that Brandy would go public. But they weren’t going to pass up their chance just because Brandy was in the car.”
“Oh, God,” I say, hating that she’d been pulled into all of this, and knowing she must be terrified.
Assuming she’s still alive.
I choke a bit at the thought, then try desperately to pull myself back together.
“We got video!” A cop I don’t know waves to Lamar from across the parking lot, his words helping me get centered. Lamar and I race that direction, but as soon as I see the image, I want to throw up—Devlin and Brandy, hands bound and faces covered, being shoved into the back of a white panel van.
But they’re alive. At least at that moment, they were both very much alive.
“Start checking traffic footage,” Lamar orders. “Let’s trace these fuckers.”
“Lamar,” I begin, then stop when my phone chimes. I’d programmed a specific tone for Ronan after I left the messages and now I stiffen with anticipation. “I—let me take this. It’s Ronan. I should tell him what’s happened.”
Lamar knows that Ronan and Devlin are close. That, however, is all he knows.
He nods, signaling to another officer, then hurries away as I check my phone.
It’s not a call, it’s a text.
I’ll be there in five. Make your excuses. You’re coming with me.
My breath catches, and I look at Lamar. Ronan must have some intel—although how he even knows about the abduction is a mystery. But I can’t tell Lamar about Saint’s Angels.
Instead, I decide I’ll tell Lamar that Ronan came at my request, and now we’re leaving together so that I’m not alone while Lamar works.
It’s a story he doesn’t even question, as he’s too intent on his conversation with the tech guy pulling the video feed.
“Shouldn’t we wait?” I ask Ronan when he pulls up. He never asked where I was, and I realize that Devlin must have put a tracker on Brandy’s car. Or my phone. I’ll ask about that later. At the moment, I’m just glad he did.
“No. They dumped the van at Fashion Island. The cops will realize soon enough. After that, it’s a dead end.”
“Fashion Island?” That’s an outdoor mall in Newport Beach. “How did you even know that Devlin’s in trouble?”
“His watch,” Ronan says. “It has a tracker. He triggered the SOS.”
I exhale, relief mixing with hope. “You found him? Ronan how—”
“Ellie, no.” I hear the regret in his voice. “We found the watch.” His voice is hard. “Charlie and Grace are still there working the evidence. Apparently their abductors had them change into jump suits. We found their clothes and the watch in the Dumpster. Nice watch, too. Tempting for a criminal, but they dumped it. Our perps are being careful.”
“And Brandy’s clothes? She’s really with them?” I hate that she is, but at least that means she’s alive. For now.
He sucks in air, and his hands tighten on the steering wheel. “That woman does not deserve this. She’s been through too damn much.”
“She’ll be okay,” I say, but I hear the shake in my voice.
“She’s stronger than she looks,” Ronan says, glancing sideways at me. “I heard her interview. She’ll get through this.”
I nod, appreciating that he’s trying to console and soothe, but I know the score. I might be one variety of victim in this scenario, but I’ve been on the other side, too. And I know that strength doesn’t always matter, and that the real truth is that I might never see either Brandy or Devlin again.
I