Page 129 of My Beautiful Sin

“You did,” he said. “And you’re still very welcome.”

I smile, then look to Devlin as a new thought occurs to me. “What if Brandy calls to find out how I am? Or shows up at the door in ninety minutes, frantic about me?”

“Then we’ll know Christopher isn’t our guy.”

I hug myself. “No, I think you’re right. His connection to Blackstone. And I overheard him talking about ways to kill someone—supposedly in his book—and running them down in the street was one of them.”

Devlin drags his fingers through his hair. “I should have seen it.”

I shake my head. “None of us did. Hell, I like him.”

“He’s good,” Ronan says. “Good at what he does. But so are we.”

I swallow. “Should I keep trying him?”

“You don’t need to,” Devlin says. “I gave Anna the message. She knows it’s urgent. She’s never once let me down.”

He stands up, then reaches out a hand for me. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

I nod. I’ve got dirt on my clothes and dust in my hair, and I let Devlin lead me into the bathroom. He runs a bath, then helps me undress and get into the warm water. It feels delicious on my bruised skin. Miraculously, I don’t have many injuries, but I’m definitely sore and banged up, and the water feels like heaven.

On the counter, I hear my phone ping a text, but I ignore it. Devlin is with me, and right now, that’s all that counts. I close my eyes, sighing as he gently washes the lingering dirt off my face, then rinses my hair.

He’s seated on a stool next to the tub, and as I lean back to sack, I open my eyes and take his hand. “Thank you for rescuing me. And for taking care of me.”

“Always,” he says. “I love you, El. I will always protect you. Always take care of you. You know that, right?”

“Yes,” I assure him, my heart swelling from the love I see in his eyes. “Of course, I do.”

We’d reached Devlin’s house just after sunset and had called Anna with the message for Christopher about half an hour after that.

Now it’s almost nine o’clock. Zero hour since we’re assuming that Christopher will try to arrive about the time I’d be expecting Brandy.

I’m in the living room with the television on low and a 9mm Glock under the pillow beside me. Devlin is behind me, covering the entrance from the garage side door and the main front door. Ronan is on the opposite side in the utility room, giving him full coverage of anyone who gets past Devlin and the utility room, which has a side door that opens onto the yard.

These are the only entrances to the house, and they’re covered.

“The patio can be accessed, too,” Devlin had pointed out. “There’s a spiral staircase that comes up out of the canyon. But you have to cut through the yard, then shimmy down the rocks to even get to it. And no one unfamiliar with the house knows it’s there.”

I’m watching The Empire Strikes Back, though I’m not really paying attention. Instead, I’m listening for the electronic beep signaling that someone is using the keypad to disarm the system. Disarming is only silent when it’s done through the app, which, of course, Christopher doesn’t have.

After a few minutes, I can’t take it anymore, and I get up and pace, then sit and try again to watch the movie, but with no success. I move to the center of the room and turn my back to the TV and balcony so that I can speak roughly in their direction. “Guys, I don’t think this is—”

I gasp, then curse myself, because my gun is still on the sofa, and I’m staring at Ronan, who’s pointing his weapon straight at me.

I’m going to die.

The thought is so sure. So certain, and I hate myself for letting my guard down. I’d come to trust this man, and he’d not only fucked me over, he’d screwed Devlin, too.

“How could you,” I whisper, but my words are drowned out by the sharp report of his weapon and the howling cry of pain from behind me.

I whip around at the same time I see Devlin bolt into the room.

Anna.

She’s taken one panel of the sheer curtains down with her, and now the gauzy white is turning a chilling red from the wound in her shoulder. “Sorry,” Ronan says to me. “She was just about to nail you.”

I nod, mute, as Devlin rushes to embrace me.