Page 105 of My Beautiful Sin

“Tamra is a smart woman,” Devlin says. “She told you exactly what I’m going to tell you now.” He looks at her hard. “Don’t worry about it. And don’t worry about me.”

I watch as she swallows. “But I do worry,” she says, standing up straighter. “That’s why I came over. I’m going to go public. I’m going to press charges, and I’m going to tell the reporters what happened to me. I want them to understand why you went after him,” she tells Devlin. “You do such good work, and something like this—if it looks like you randomly beat up some guy—that kind of publicity could be really bad.”

I watch Devlin, who’s looking at Brandy, his expression unreadable.

“Brandy,” I say, my voice gentle. “Are you sure?”

“He can’t get away with it,” she says.

“Maybe he won’t,” I say. “Lamar has his name now. He can start an investigation. See if there are other women he drugged and raped.” I move closer and take her hands. “It doesn’t have to be you.”

“Yes, it does. Maybe not for a trial, but now. For the reporters. For Devlin. Because otherwise they’ll just publish that he’s—”

“They’ll publish that William Alexis Tarkington and I had a private dispute that’s going to remain private, which is exactly the statement I had Tamra release this morning.” He moves closer to Brandy. “Press charges if you want to, if it will help you sleep at night and give you peace. But you don’t have to decide now. You know his name. Lamar won’t lose track of him. And it may turn out that you won’t be standing alone against him.”

“But you’ll be all over social media for something you didn’t do. And with all your secrets…”

“I did do it, Brandy,” he points out. “And I’ve been protecting my secrets for a very long time. But,” he adds, “the choice is yours.” He looks between the two of us as the oven timer goes off. “I’m going to pull the scones out to cool, then get dressed. I have a few things to take care of at the office today.”

He brushes Brandy’s shoulder as he turns to me, then takes my hand. “Will you stay here?”

I shake my head. “I can work better at home, and I have writing to do. Come by when you’re done?”

“Like an arrow.” He brushes a kiss over my lips, then turns off the timer and pulls out the scones before heading for the bedroom.

In the kitchen, Brandy sighs.

“I know,” I say. “He’s a keeper.”

She laughs, and I pour myself a fresh cup of coffee, then lean against the counter, studying her. “Want a scone?”

“Always, but let them cool.”

“So what do you think?”

This time, she understands I’m not talking about breakfast food. She draws a breath and lets it out. “I think he’s right about waiting, but in the end, I’ll talk to Lamar about making an arrest.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She twirls a strand of hair around a finger, then hops up onto the counter opposite me. “I don’t want to testify. I mean, I really don’t. I don’t want to relive a moment of what happened.” Her mouth twists ironically. “Even if I don’t remember most of it.”

“Brandy…” I trail off, unable to find the words to make it better.

She shrugs and sighs. “I don’t want to,” she repeats. “But I don’t want Walt walking free. So I guess I’m hoping Lamar finds other victims with more backbone than me. But that’s a horrible thought because it means he did it to more than just me.”

“Bran…”

“I’m pretty screwed up, huh?”

“The situation, yes. You, never. And now you have time.”

“It’s not fair that Devlin’s—”

“His choice,” I remind her. “He didn’t have to pummel the guy. Give him credit for making his own decision.”

She nods. “Yeah. You’re right.” She draws in a breath, then lets it out slowly. “He really is a good man.”

I feel the tickle of the smile that dances on my lips, then glance back over my shoulder toward the closed door to the bedroom. “Yeah. He is.”