Page 59 of My Cruel Salvation

“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 it on the coffee table in front of her. “I mean, I can’t wrap my head around it. It’s all so surreal. Christopher. My Christopher, and he actually tried to kill you?”

I sit on the edge of the coffee table, leaning forward with my elbows on my knees so that I can see her face as we talk. Her eyes are swollen from tears, and we’re both still in the dresses that we had worn to the press conference and cocktails. Her nose is running, and she uses the back of her hand to wipe under it.

She sniffs, then looks at me, her smile rueful as she reaches for a napkin. “I’m a mess. Reggie must think I’m totally lame.”

“She does not,” I tell her. “You’ve been through hell.” She’s not there to say so herself, as she’s in my room so that she can make some calls. I think it’s also so that Brandy and I feel free to talk. I appreciate it. I like Reggie fine, but neither Brandy nor I know her well.

“Maybe he was only trying to scare me,” I say, bringing my Pollyanna side back around to the original conversation. “It worked, but that may have been all it was.”

“Well, since he’s disappeared, I guess we’ll never know.” I hear the vitriol in her voice. She trusted this man. He was the first guy she’d ever gotten truly serious about.

She’d believed that they had a future. That he was the patient, caring guy she’d been looking for all this time. A man who understood her issues. Not like her father, who shunned her after she’d been raped. And not like the only other man she’d ever gone to bed with, a jerk who hadn’t listened to her fears and hesitations, but who’d just used her for a fuck.

And God knows he wasn’t like Walt. The man who’d drugged and raped her, and set the stage for Brandy’s issues with men. His ugly face had popped up recently at our favorite bar, and Devlin had beat the shit out of him, raising Devlin to the level of hero as far as Brandy was concerned.

“You have nothing to regret,” I tell her. “Nothing on you, anyway. The man you dated—the man you maybe were falling in love with—looked like a prince as far as you were concerned. Sometimes people get fucked up. And it sounds like Anna and Joseph fucked with Christopher’s head big time.”

“You’d think I would have seen that, though, wouldn’t you?” She shrugs. “How could I fall for a guy who was so easily manipulated by his brother and that bitch?”

“Do not put this on yourself,” I say firmly. “This isn’t any more your fault than it was when Walt did that to you.”

She nods and hugs herself. “I know. I really do know. I’m just having a pity party.”

I flash her a smile. “Well, you’re an amazing hostess, so I guess any party you throw will be a good one.”