Page 5 of My Beautiful Sin

I’d adored her back then and still do now that she works as the Devlin Saint Foundation’s publicity director. Both Devlin and I trust her completely. In fact, she’s the one who held my hand the most in the days after I found out that it was Devlin who really killed Peter, and I’m forever grateful to her for helping me find my way back to him.

Anna Lindstrom, the third of the trio closest to him, now works as his assistant. Just a couple of years older than Devlin, she grew up on the Wolf’s Nevada complex with him. She’s also the first girl Alex slept with, and she’s curvy and gorgeous. The first time I saw her in a slinky silver dress, I wanted to claw her eyes out. We’re friendly now, but I have to confess that some jealousy still lingers.

That, however, is on me. She’s loyal to a fault, and I can’t imagine she would ever hurt Devlin.

Still, there must be others. “You told me that even though you weren’t in Witness Protection, you had government help setting yourself up as Devlin Saint after your father was killed.”

He nods. “In exchange for information about the spider web of his operation, yeah.”

“Well, those people know the truth. And there must be people who surrounded them who do, too. A clerk. A transcriptionist. Someone who didn’t think you deserved to start fresh, not with a father like that.”

His face hardens, and I wish I could call back the words. Because I know that part of Devlin really does feel that way—that he doesn’t deserve this new life, because he’s been tainted by his dad. And by his own actions, too.

I take his hand and hold it firmly. “It isn’t true. It isn’t what I believe. But someone might. And if they’ve been watching you, waiting for an opportunity…”

I trail off, and he nods. “It’s a possibility,” he concedes. “I’ll look into it.”

I frown, still thinking. “Maybe someone from those days thinks that you’re running an illegal enterprise through the foundation—the sins of the father,” I say, my voice as harsh as his expression. The possibility doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t believe it, but I can’t deny that someone might. The Devlin Saint Foundation is a highly renowned philanthropic organization that has risen to a place of prominence in the five years of its existence. Which means it’s attracted a lot of attention.

“The DSF grew quickly, and you funded it with your father’s money,” I continue, thinking out loud. He’d inherited a significant chunk of his father’s fortune simply because there’d never been enough proof for the government to legally attach those funds.

“Because I wanted to clear the taint on those dollars. Do good rather than ill.”

“I know that,” I say. “But people see what they want.”

Again, I think about Ronan. They’ve been friends since Devlin’s time in the military, and now Ronan is loyal to the DSF, working with Devlin on many worthy causes. But I can’t help but wonder who he was before. Was he jealous of Devlin’s sudden fortune?

In the service, they were surely equals. But now Devlin is the name and face behind a world-renowned organization. Does Ronan applaud Devlin’s efforts because he believes in them? Or because he’s biding his time to render Devlin’s comeuppance?

I force myself to shake off the suspicions. I like Ronan—I do. But there’s no denying that he rubbed me the wrong way early on, suggesting it might be better for me to walk away rather than be a “distraction” to Devlin.

Yeah, well, fuck him. I’m happy to distract.

But probably best if I don’t let my irritation morph into a completely unsupported accusation.

“You thought of something?”

I look up to see Devlin watching me, so I shake my head. “No. Not really.” I manage a thin smile. “I was hoping for inspiration, but nada. You’re going to talk to your old contacts? Maybe see if there’s someone from your past who’s been paying too much attention to you?”

“Believe me, I’m going to pursue this. I don’t like threats, and I like them even less when they’re aimed at you.”

“Can’t argue with that,” I say. “I’m going to see what I can find out as well.”

“Just leave it be,” Devlin says. “I’ll see if there’s any relevant chatter. But I don’t want you poking around. Someone sent you a warning. That means there may be danger.”

“Oh, please.” Danger doesn’t scare me, but losing him does. And if he thinks I’m going to just sit around…

I square my shoulders and meet his eyes. “Someone seems to think that you’ve resurrected your father’s empire. And I have an interest in helping you prove that’s not true.”

“That’s not your—”

“More than that,” I continue, cutting him off as my temper rises. “The text came to me, remember? Hell, you’re not even named. Maybe it has nothing to do with you. But if someone is sending me threats, I’m damn well taking steps to protect myself. So don’t tell me what I can and can’t investigate. In case you’ve forgotten, investigating is my job. Reporter. Remember? With bonus points for the police background.”

I see the irritation wash over him, and steel myself for an argument.

“Reporter?” he snaps. “Are you actually telling me that this is something you’re going to report?”

I wince. “Of course not. My point is that I have skills. And I intend to use them.”