He was just coming to the end of the ordeal when the phone by the sinks rang, and wasn’t that just loads of fun. With a tiny pair of nail scissors locked in his leftie, a strip of gauze in his teeth, and his right hand all but a paw, it took every bit of coordination he had to answer the call.

“Let him up,” he told the lobby guard.

After putting the receiver back, he did a half-assed taping job and left the mess on the counter as is, heading for the stairs and going down to the front hall door. When the elevator binged and opened, he was in the corridor, waiting.

Jim Heron stepped out and didn’t hang around for a hello or an invitation to speak. Which you had to respect.

“Thursday night,” the guy said. “I didn’t know you. I didn’t know her. I should have told you, but to be honest, when I saw the pair of you together, I didn’t want to fuck things up. It was a mistake and I’m goddamn sorry—mostly that you found out from someone other than me.”

The whole time he was talking, Heron’s arms hung loosely by his sides, like he was ready for a fight if things went that way, and his voice was as steady and even as his eyes were. No prevaricating. No artifice. No bullshit.

And as Vin faced off at him, instead of rage, which was what he’d have expected himself to have toward the guy, he just felt exhaustion. Exhaustion and the thumping pain of his hand.

Abruptly, he realized he was getting tired of channeling his fucking father when it came to women. Thanks to that legacy, over the past twenty years, Vin’s suspicious nature had found so many shadows where none had existed—and yet essentially missed the actual time when someone he was sleeping with cheated on him.

So much energy wasted, all in the wrong place.

God, he just didn’t care about Devina. At this moment, he really didn’t care what she’d done while they were together.

“She lied about what happened here last night,” Vin said roughly. “Devina lied.”

There was absolutely no hesitation in the reply: “I know.”

“Oh, really.”

“I don’t believe a word she’s said about anything.”

“And why’s that.”

“I went to the hospital to see her because I was having a hard time believing any of this shit. And she gave me this hearts-and-flowers routine about telling you what had happened Thursday night, how that was the reason you went after her. But you didn’t know, did you. She never said a thing to you, did she.”

“Not a peep.” Vin turned away and headed into the duplex. When Jim didn’t follow, he said over his shoulder, “You just going to stand there like a statue or do you want lunch.”