Page 44 of The Devil You Know
“I was about to make good on my threat,” Adrian said under his breath. “I think it’s time to go. We’ve made our point—and we’re attracting too much attention. And by ‘we,’ I mean ‘you.’”
Evan didn’t object as Adrian guided him toward the door, although he winced when Adrian touched the small of his back. He understood the performative importance of demonstrating that he was under Adrian’s protection, but the gesture felt too intimate, tooclaiming.
He had a partner to rescue, a man he loved with his whole heart. So even the appearance of stepping out with Adrian as more than friends bothered Evan deeply.
“Relax. I just want to make sure no one decides to eat you for a midnight snack,” Adrian said, leaning down to murmur in Evan’s ear. “Just go along with me until we get to the car.”
The valet brought the Maserati, and Adrian held the door for Evan. Once they were both inside, Evan tried to relax.
“What did you make of it?” Adrian asked as they drove away.
“Osborn stopped me on the way back from the restroom. Everything he said had plausible deniability, but he warned me off Cleveland with a veiled threat and suggested I should leave.”
“Typical,” Adrian said, rolling his eyes. “Just another entrepreneur who believes his own PR.”
“What he said makes me sure Seth is still alive—for now. Did you get what you wanted out of dragging me there?” Evan asked.
Adrian nodded as he maneuvered through traffic. “Yes. Osborn clearly knew who you were. He went even further when he spoke to you at the end. It’s not something we can take to court, but that doesn’t take away the value. It confirms that Osborn’s the one who kidnapped Seth, which should narrow the search.”
Evan let his head fall back and closed his eyes. “That bit about me being eaten—you were kidding, right?”
“Mostly. We have agreements in place that are supposed to govern how vampires, werewolves, and the like behave toward humans. Most of the time, they’re followed. But there are always those who believe that rules are for other people, and many of them were present tonight.”
“Great.”
“I can’t take them all head-on,” Adrian said. “Even Joe and Jenna can’t. But trust the process, Evan. Joe and Jenna are building a case. I’m here to help. We’ll find Seth.”
“I hope so.”Because I will burn down every hell gate and Osborn along with them if something happens to him.
7
SETH
“For someone on vacation,you stay up late and get up early,” Jesse observed, bringing two cups of coffee with him as he sat across from Seth in the campground’s snack bar/gathering center.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Seth replied. It wasn’t a lie. His dreams had either been dark with portents of death or achingly erotic, with the dark-haired stranger fulfilling his fantasies. He figured he could deal with being groggy more than he could handle panic or blue balls.
Jesse pushed one of the cups toward him, no doubt noticing the three empty paper cups and a plate with a half-eaten breakfast burrito that littered the space next to Seth. “Find anything interesting while you’re surfing the Net?”
“Lots of stuff—just not sure what to do with it.”
Jesse leaned in. The community room dining hall was mostly empty except for a table of retirees playing cards at the far end. “Talk to me, Seth. I don’t know whether you’ve got PTSD, or if you’re just bored with the family vacation—”
“I’m not bored,” Seth replied and meant it. His time in the military had taught him how fragile life was, and he treasured every moment with his family. “But something weird is going on, and I don’t think it’s from what I saw overseas.”
“Tell me.”
“You’ll think I’m nuts.”
Jesse grinned, that annoying little brother smile that Seth secretly loved. “I’ll think you’re nuts anyhow. What have you got to lose?”
Seth sighed and then decided to be honest. “You know how déjà vu is a feeling that you’ve done something before when you haven’t? I feel like I’ve got two lives—the one I’m living here with you and Mom and Dad, plus another somewhere else, where things are different. And sometimes, the two lives intersect. That’s when I see something that looks completely real—and then it vanishes.”
“Like the gun you saw that wasn’t there.”
“It was solid and real before it vanished,” Seth said.
“But no one else saw it.” Jesse’s voice was neutral, not accusing. Seth still felt it like a jab to the heart.
