Page 32 of My Cruel Salvation

“I know,” he said, because that’s what he was supposed to say. What he was supposed to feel. He said it, but that didn’t mean he believed it.

She pulled back, her forehead lined with pain, her eyes rimmed in red. “It’s not your fault,” she repeated, and he couldn’t hold back the tiny hint of a smile at how well she knew him.

“Our perp wasn’t punishing Lamar,” Devlin said. “Not intentionally. This was aimed at me. This fallout is on me.”

“If it’s on anybody other than Blackstone, it’s on Anna. You killed her because she was about to kill me.”

He nodded, noting that neither one of them were even considering the possibility that anyone other than Joseph Blackstone had been behind the murder. Of course, he was. He’d been a former lieutenant of The Wolf. And despite their public front of being estranged, Devlin had recently confirmed that Blackstone had also been Anna’s friend and sometimes lover. All of which added up to one hell of a motive for going after Devlin.

Most likely, Blackstone hadn’t committed the murder personally. For that matter, Devlin would lay odds that he was still at his home base in Chicago—probably doing something very public—for the sole purpose of ensuring he had a solid alibi when the police came calling. But the interest on the debt…

Well, that was a different story.

Devlin knew perfectly well that this murder was payback for Devlin killing Anna. And, in the process, saving Ellie.

That was the key. Tracy had died for no reason other than to get Devlin’s attention, and that loss weighed heavy on his shoulders.

As far as Blackstone was concerned, the real blow was yet to come. Ellie’s death would be the ultimate payback. The interest owed.

Devlin didn’t intend to pay that price. Not now. Not ever.

Ellie’s hand on his sleeve pulled him from his thoughts. “It’s Brandy,” she said, indicating her phone, the screen lit up with a text. “She wants an update. On us and Lamar. And an ETA.”

“Right.” He pressed his fingertips to his temples, trying to push back the threatening ache. They’d come straight from the airport to Tracy’s condo, and poor Brandy, Ellie’s best friend and roommate, had been left to wait at home without a clue what was going on in this room. “Shit, she must be out of her mind. Tell her we’ll be there soon. All of us.”

Ellie’s brow furrowed as she glanced toward Lamar.

“All of us,” Devlin confirmed. “Whether he wants to or not. He shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

“Good.” She kissed his cheek, and for that one fleeting moment, he felt like a hero. Then it faded, and he just felt impotent.

“I’m going to go talk to the Chief,” she continued. “Then we should get out of here and let the team do its job.”

He nodded, glancing over to where Chief Randall stood talking with a tall, lanky man who Devlin recognized as the District Attorney. Good. Maybe Ellie would get some useful information. As her former guardian, Randall would speak freely around her. And Devlin was happy to take information any way he could get it.

As he watched Ellie, Lamar rose and came to stand by his side.

“You know that his real target is Ellie.” Lamar’s voice was rough, the emotion he was holding back acting like sandpaper against his words.

“I know.” Devlin closed his eyes and took a breath before continuing. “He killed Tracy to get both our attention. But Ellie is the prize.”

“He wants to hurt you,” Lamar said. “I’m just collateral damage.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“She’s worked that out, too, of course.”

“She hasn’t said so. But you’re right.” Ellie was no fool. She’d grown up around cops, worn the uniform herself, and had a degree in criminology. A good percentage of her articles now that she was a reporter dealt with crime and law enforcement. She knew the score as well as either Devlin or Lamar.

“She also knows that he may not go straight for her. Why end the game before you’ve mined all the pain?”

“Detective…” Devlin let his voice trail off. He knew all this, of course. And Lamar had to know that Devlin understood the score. Talking about it now, in the same hallway that still had the chalk mark from Tracy’s body—

“It helps,” Lamar said dully, as if he’d heard every one of Devlin’s thoughts. “Thinking out loud. Working the case. Weighing how things might go next.”

Devlin hesitated, then said slowly, “You may be right. He might not go for Ellie right away. And damn him for going after anyone but me. I’m the one he wants to hurt.”

“It’s just a theory. The other side of it is that he doesn’t want to get caught. And he has to know that the more he rattles your cage, the more he exposes himself. More likely he wishes he could lay a line of dead women at your feet. But in practice, he’ll just focus on cutting you deep.”