Page 37 of The Devil You Know
“Life partner. Boyfriend isn’t serious enough.”
Parker nodded. “So…where’s Seth? Do I get to meet him?”
Evan looked away. “He’s not around today. But I’d like to introduce you to him when I can.” He was trying not to lie to Parker, and he didn’t want to drag his brother into his mess. Evan felt acutely aware of how little he knew his brother after all this time. He decided he’d keep his secrets until he had a better idea of the stranger who sat next to him.
“How about you?” Evan asked, eager to change the subject. “Got a girl in Columbus?”
Parker shook his head. “No one special. I dated, but haven’t found that certain someone yet.”
Evan couldn’t resist a fond smile. “I didn’t think I’d find the right person, but Seth found me. We’re good together. We haven’t set a date but…I think he’s it for me.”
The reality of the situation hit him, making Evan catch his breath.Please be okay. Hang on. I’m going to rescue you.
“Marriage?” Parker sounded surprised.
“You do know we can do that now, right?” Evan didn’t know whether to be amused or offended.
“Yeah. Just surprised,” Parker said. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I’ve realized that most of what people told me wasn’t right. Now that I’ve left, I’ve got a lot to learn.”
Evan nodded, still not trusting himself to speak. He knew what the church and community—and their parents—believed. Of course, that colored Parker’s views.Hell, it screwed up my head about myself until I worked through it.
“Thank you for being willing to re-think what you were taught,” Evan said.
“Thanks for giving me the chance,” Parker replied.
Evan wove through traffic, checking the mirror often to assure himself they weren’t being followed.
“Do they do a lot of speed traps around here? You seem to be watching your rear view a lot,” Parker asked.
“That’s what I’ve heard. Don’t want to get a ticket.”
When they got to the historical association, Evan turned to Parker. “I need to look for some old floor plans and blueprints for a project I’m working on. Not the most exciting stuff, but important.”It’s the most important thing—saving Seth.
“I learned a lot about research with some of my classes. Just let me know what to do, and I’ll help,” Parker said.
To Evan’s relief, the archivist didn’t object to his request and accepted his cover story about working on illustrations for a presentation. After giving them a quick tour to know where to look for materials, she left them on their own.
Evan threw himself into his work, and Parker proved to be a willing and clever helper. They didn’t speak much except to retrieve one resource after another, and with his brother’s assistance, Evan got through much more than he could have alone. By the time they left, he not only had the blueprints for the rehab hospital, but he had detailed maps of the old subway, plus schematics and engineering specs.
“You’re going to have a very thorough presentation,” Parker said as they cleaned up after themselves.
“It’s a high-stakes kind of thing. Once in a lifetime chance,” Evan replied, knowing that he was skating on the edge of the truth.
Evan stopped at the archivist’s desk on the way out. “Thank you for helping us.”
“Did you find everything you needed?” She leaned forward and waved them toward her with a conspiratorial expression. “You might want to go out the staff door. There were two rough-looking men hanging around the front when I came back from my break. They didn’t bother me, but maybe they didn’t think I was worth the effort. It could be different for you.”
“Thank you,” Evan said, sure they didn’t want to tangle with the strangers. “You’ve been very kind.”
Evan bustled Parker toward the side door. “What’s going on? Why are you worried?” Parker pressed.
“I ran into some trouble with a couple of locals,” Evan said. “I guess they recognized the truck and decided to make problems for me.”
“Do you owe them money?”
Evan stared at him. “What? No! But they aren’t much for talking, and I don’t want either of us to get hurt. Just move quickly and be quiet—it’s not far to the truck.”
He eased the side door open and looked both ways. Going left was the shorter route, but they might be seen by the goons at the front. Turning right meant walking around the block, but he figured that the slight bit of extra time was worth the safety.
