Page 37 of My Beautiful Sin

“Fuck,” Lamar said, his eyes narrowing as he frowned. “I don’t like seeing anyone harass our girl, but this may fizzle out to nothing.”

“How do you figure that?”

“I’m guessing they think Ellie doesn’t know who your father is. Their big reveal will go over like a lead balloon.”

Devlin scoffed. “Don’t be naive, Detective. They sent that text to Ellie because she and I are together. It’s not about what they know about me, it’s what they know about her. She’s my weakness. If someone wants to get to me, the way to do it is through Ellie.”

Lamar tilted his head, studying Devlin. “And that’s another reason you’re cool with me knowing the truth about who you are. Because now I know the kind of people who might have their eye on you two.”

“And I’ll take whatever help I can get making certain that Ellie stays safe.”

Chapter Thirteen

Devlin watched Lamar head to his car, a sleek Lexus hybrid that looked like it was regularly detailed. He didn’t wave, and Lamar didn’t look back, but the air between them felt clear, and the tension that he’d lived with from the first moment they’d met was gone.

He’d always be a bit jealous of Ellie and Lamar’s relationship, but he knew now it was only because Lamar had been her friend during those lost years when Devlin had been far away. The years when she grew into the woman she’d become—strong and smart and resilient—and he envied the time Lamar had shared with her.

He was about to go back inside when he saw the man standing there, leaning casually against a lamppost on the opposite side of the street, his blond hair gleaming in the light.

Ronan.

The moment Devlin saw him, he felt the pressure of a fury he’d been holding since Ellie had ranted at him on the sidewalk, and deservedly so. But his anger wasn’t directed at El. No, the storm had swirled up around Ronan—around the things he’d said to Ellie behind Devlin’s back.

Devlin had pushed the dark thoughts down, building a wall between himself and his emotions the way he’d learned to do when he was living with his father. When any sign of an unwelcome emotion could get him beaten. Or, worse, could get one of his friends beaten. Because hadn’t Daniel Lopez learned early on that the best way to control his boy Alejandro was to threaten the people he cared about?

Now, he relied on that instinct once more, intentionally clamping down on his emotions as he signaled for Ronan to come inside.

“What was the detective doing here?” Ronan asked as he crossed the threshold.

“He knows,” Devlin said simply.

Ronan’s eyes went wide. “About you? About The Wolf? Or—”

“He knows who my father is. Who I used to be.”

Ronan made a scoffing noise. “He’s a hell of a lot better detective than I imagined if he knows all that. You should recruit him to your team.”

“And he thinks he knows I killed Peter,” Devlin added without missing a beat. “I didn’t disabuse him of that notion.”

“I see.” Ronan nodded slowly. “You’re sharing that little gem with everybody.”

Snap. And there it was. The anger Devlin had been holding back bubbled over. “Do you want to tell me what you think you’re doing?”

Ronan’s brow furrowed, his head and shoulders moving back slightly as he studied Devlin, his posture tense even as his expression stayed casually neutral. Ready for anything, just like they’d been trained. Even through his irritation, Devlin had to admire his friend.

“Maybe you should tell me what you’re talking about.” Ronan’s tone matched Devlin’s. Flat. Hard. No nonsense.

“A distraction? You told Ellie to cut loose from me because she was a distraction?”

Ronan’s hands rose as if in a gesture of surrender. “I like her. I do. And in case she didn’t tell you, I said that before Vegas. Before you two were outed at the track. And before she’d learned who your father was and what happened with Peter. So back off and cut me a little slack.”

Devlin drew in a breath, felt some of the tension drain from him as he nodded. “She thinks you could be behind that text I tried to trace.”

“Oh, fuck no.” Ronan shook his head. “That’s not my style, and you know it. But I’ll be honest, man, I’ve got my worries.”

“You don’t need to.”

“Maybe you’re standing too close to see the big picture, but I’m not. Think about it. She’s a reporter. She was raised by cops. If she’s not a distraction, she’s a danger. Is she that good a lay that you’re willing to risk everything you’ve built?”