Page 70 of Sinner’s Game

“No,” he said. “It’s not. I never expected it. I was afraid he’d talk with her parents. Try to pressure her to put the baby up for adoption.”

He felt Brandy squeeze his hand, and he remembered that was exactly what had happened to her child. Not one born of love, but still a baby that was taken from her.

“Brandy—”

“No. I’m fine. Go on.”

He studied her face, then drew in a breath as he nodded. “I didn’t know what my dad would do, but my best guess was that he’d to drive a wedge between us so that we’d break up. I didn’t care. I knew we wouldn’t. We were young, but what was between us was real.”

“But that wasn’t what he did.”

He drew a breath, then closed his eyes. “No. It wasn’t. Instead, he killed her. Or rather he hid behind his money and hired someone else to do what he didn’t have the balls to do himself.”

“Oh, God.” Her hand tightened around his, and when he looked at her, he saw his own pain reflected on her face.

“I saw my real father that day. And I hated him.” He drew a breath. “I learned a lesson, too. A lesson in trust. And a lesson about the fragility of what you believe. What you can have. What is real. I loved my father, and he betrayed me. I loved Michelle, and she was gone in a heartbeat.”

“And so you don’t get close anymore.”

He lifted his shoulders, acknowledging her words.

“You’re close to Devlin.”

“We work together. He understands the risk. All my friends understand the risks. And as for women—” He cut himself off, shaking his head. “Well, I already told you I don’t do relationships. This is why.”

“Ronan—”

He lifted a hand, cutting her off. “I’m telling you this so you understand. You deserve that. Sheldon Cartwright’s bullet killed me, too. Or at least it killed the naïve boy I’d once been. He changed the way I look at the world. Him, and my father. My life, my relationships, everything.”

“Sheldon Cartwright?”

“The man my father hired. He’s a fixer. Still alive, still working.”

“A fixer? Like an assassin?”

“Sometimes. Someone who will do whatever it takes to get a job done.” At Brandy’s nod, he continued. “That was how my dad saw the situation. He had a problem. He needed someone to fix it. And Sheldon did. He blew out the tires on Michelle’s car when she was on Mulholland Drive. The car flipped. She went over. She and the baby were killed instantly. If they hadn’t been, I’m sure Sheldon would’ve arranged for the car to blow up. Sent a flare into the gas tank or something. The man is thorough. I’ve researched him since then. I’ve spent a lot of time researching him since then.”

“Cartwright,” Brandy said. “Isn’t that the name that Jacey—”

“Yes.”

Brandy leaned back, her eyes wide. “You know where he is.”

He nodded. But he didn’t elaborate. Instead, he said, “I joined the military after that. My father kept trying to pull me back, but I wouldn’t come. It took all my strength not to kill that fucker. But I wanted him to know that he’d lost. He played the wrong hand, and he lost me forever. I let him live not because of love or the thought that I didn’t have the right. I did it to punish him. He’s dead now. A heart attack. As far as I’m concerned, the bastard got off easy.”

He hesitated before continuing, his hand tight around hers, drawing comfort from her steady presence beside him.

“He never changed his will. That son-of-a-bitch left me almost $1 billion in securities, cash, and properties.”

He saw her eyes widen, but she didn’t interrupt.

“A lot of that goes to charities now, including the Devlin Saint Foundation and Saint’s Angels. Anonymous, of course. Even Devlin doesn’t know how much I contribute. Tamra has an idea—she’s helped me get it into the organization without it being known. Although, considering this is Devlin we’re talking about, he may know. That man seems to know everything. But at least he’s respecting my anonymity.”

He turned on the sofa, looking into her face then reaching out to stroke her hair, twisting that tiny bit of pink between two fingers. She was so beautiful. So trusting. She’d put her life in his hands today, and he’d almost lost it.

He swallowed, and his voice sounded ragged when he said, “I failed Michelle, and I should have known that I couldn’t swear to keep you safe.”

“I am safe, Ronan. You did protect me.”