Page 50 of My Beautiful Sin

“Sorry. Not a clue,” Mr. Ortega says with a regretful shake of his head.

Both Lamar and I ask him a few more questions, trying to jog his memory about any identifying detail, but he can’t remember a thing.

Which means that as we climb back into Shelby and start toward Panorama City and Mr. Longfeld, I have one more question about Peter, and not a single answer.

Chapter Seventeen

“I meant to tell you on the drive up,” Lamar says as we wipe down the outdoor table where we’d each enjoyed a giant burrito from a local dive that Mr. Ortega recommended. Not exactly the fancy lunch that Lamar had wanted The Spall to pay for, but we were both starving. And depending on when we finish, maybe The Spall can buy us drinks at a nice hotel while we wait for the traffic to clear out. “I did some poking around about Ronan.”

I toss a balled up napkin in the trash and turn back to him. “Did you find out anything?”

“Does Devlin know you’re looking?”

I cock my head and shoot him a look, then head to Shelby. I wait until I’m behind the wheel and he’s in the passenger seat before answering. “Devlin knows I have concerns,” I say diplomatically. I start the car, then maneuver my way onto the street before glancing at Lamar. “He doesn’t share them.”

“Great. The guy and I have a shaky detente, and you have me sniffing around looking for dirt about his buddy.”

I shrug, feeling a bit guilty. But not so much that I don’t want the information. “I won’t ask you for more, but you already did the poking. You might as well tell me what you learned. And where are we going? Can you map the way to Longfeld’s job?”

He grabs my phone from where it’s mounted to the dash, and I give him the code to unlock it. “The address is in the notes app.”

He taps my phone, then navigates us back to the 101, where we’ll stay for at least half an hour before changing to the 405. “He was in sniper school with Alejandro Lopez,” Lamar tells me, once I’m in the far left lane. “So I’m assuming that’s where they met.”

I nod. “Devlin told me as much. The military.”

“It gets interesting because Alejandro was discharged ‘at the convenience of the government’ after only two years of service.” He makes air quotes as he talks. “Did you know that?”

“No,” I admit. “But I don’t think he’s keeping it a secret. We just haven’t really talked about his time in the service. What does that even mean?”

“I had to spend some time figuring that out. Apparently it can mean anything the government wants it to. Sometimes it’s used when a soldier needs an out because of family issues. Sometimes it’s used when someone’s been recruited into intelligence services. Considering the timing, I think Alex—Alejandro—just wanted to disappear.”

“The timing,” I repeat. “What do you mean?”

“That was right about the time Daniel Lopez was killed. Devlin told me he made it a point of abandoning Alex and becoming Devlin then. As the heir apparent, Alex would have been in the crosshairs.”

I glance sideways at him. “I thought you were poking around about Ronan.”

“I’m getting there. They’re tied together, right?”

“Fine, fine. What have you got?”

“So about the time that Alejandro was magically dismissed, Devlin Saint shows up. Records show he signed up at seventeen, moved through the ranks, and ended up in special forces. Now we know some of that has to have been manufactured, but about the same time, Ronan Thorne transfers into the same unit. And after that, suddenly I can’t find shit on either one of them.”

“They must have ended up doing intelligence work.” It’s a guess, but I figure it’s a good one. Devlin, of course, can tell me if I’m right.

“So that’s what I know,” Lamar says. “What I can assume is that if Ronan was special forces, he has bad ass skills. And that makes him dangerous. Which is great if he’s fighting the enemy. Not so great if he thinks the enemy is you.”

“Devlin’s convinced that Ronan’s about as much of a threat to me as you are.”

Lamar makes a snorting noise. “Wish I could say I agree, but for me, the jury’s still out.”

I drive in silence for a while, letting it settle around me. “I trust Devlin,” I finally say, my voice low. “I don’t like being crossways with him.” I glance sideways at Lamar. “We’ve come so far, and we’re back on track. Thinking that Ronan may be the one harassing me—I don’t know. It’s starting to feel disloyal.”

Beside me, Lamar shifts in his seat. “You’re going soft, Sherlock.”

I stiffen, because that is not how I want to be thought of. But then I relax, because it’s not true. Not about everything, anyway. But where Devlin is concerned?

“Yeah,” I whisper, with just the hint of a smile. “I think maybe I am.”