Page 49 of The Devil You Know
The chain-link fence had been cut in so many places it was unlikely anyone would bother to patch them. Evan selected the best hidden spot and led the way. He would have preferred to wait for darkness, but they didn’t have the luxury of time.
They kept low, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. Evan used his unlock spell to open the back door and passed a flashlight to Parker, grabbing one for himself as well.
“Take this,” he said, handing the shotgun to Parker. “It’s filled with rock salt rounds. I know that you can handle it after all the times Grandad took us shooting.”
“Who am I supposed to shoot?”
“Ghosts, if they bother us. People, if they try to stop me. As long as you’re not firing point blank, that should hurt like hell but not kill someone. Once I start the spell to open the medallion, I can’t stop. I’ll be vulnerable. You need to protect me.”
Parker met his gaze. “You trust me.”
Evan nodded. “I’m trusting you with my life—and Seth’s.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“I know you won’t.”
When they reached the medallion in the floor, Evan wasted no time setting out the ritual elements. He had repeated the steps in his mind until he had them memorized. The spell itself was fairly simple, but obscure. Teag and Travis had assured him that his minor ability was more than sufficient.
Evan hoped with all his heart that they were right.
Parker turned his back on Evan to watch the doorway, looking over his shoulder with an expression that mingled fascination and fear.
I know that this is minor magic. A real witch can do so much more. But in Parker’s eyes, this is damning. I know what we were taught about witches and anything supernatural. He may change his mind about me once he’s seen what I can do.
Evan couldn’t dwell on that now. He couldn’t be sure that they would remain uninterrupted, and he doubted that if they were caught, he would get another chance in time to save Seth.
He set down a warded circle and lit candles at the four quarters. In the center, over the medallion, Evan combined plant powders and dried leaves in a silver bowl to amplify the spell. He spoke the incantation and tossed a match into the mixture.
A streak of green flame shot upward. Beneath the bowl, the medallion rotated. Evan waited until its motion stopped before releasing the magic and reaching forward to lift the sigil-marked disk from its place.
He shined his flashlight into the compartment and withdrew a cloth-wrapped bundle, which he shoved into his backpack to examine later. Evan debated for a few seconds and then replaced the medallion, hiding the theft. Then he gathered the ritual materials and stood.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said to Parker, who was watching the door with the shotgun trained on the entrance.
They hurried back the way they came, checking at every turn to see if they had been followed. Just before they reached the end of the last corridor before the entrance, Evan held up a hand for Parker to stop. Whether it was instinct or magic, Evan felt certain they were walking into a trap.
“Take this,” Evan said, shrugging out of the backpack and handing it to Parker. He pulled out his truck and RV keys, as well as his phone, and shoved them into Parker’s hands.
“Go to the RV and stay there. My phone has the same code as always. Call Joe Mack, and tell him there’s trouble. He’s in my contacts,” Evan whispered. “He’ll know what to do.”
Parker looked like he was going to argue when a noise from near the exit put them both on high alert. He gave a curt nod, then went back the way they had come, extinguishing his flashlight and slinking in the shadows.
“I know you’re in there,” Officer Nelson called out. “I got a tip someone broke in, and you’re my top suspect. Come out, and we can do this easy.”
Once Evan knew Parker was out of sight, he figured keeping Nelson busy would buy his brother time to get away.
“I’m coming out. Don’t shoot,” Evan called, hoping that Nelson hadn’t been completely controlled by Osborn and didn’t intend to concoct a story to justify shooting him dead.
“Keep your hands where I can see them,” Nelson warned.
Evan moved slowly, hands in the air. Nelson stood between him and the entrance, gun drawn.
“You’re under arrest. We’re going down to the station.”
“On what charges?” Evan hoped he could buy Parker time.
“Breaking and entering, trespassing—that’s for starters,” Nelson replied and started into the Miranda warning.
