Page 52 of The Devil You Know
Parker grinned, making it clear that jerking Evan’s chain was at least part of the appeal.
I forgot how much I missed having Parker around. It’s going to make it that much worse when Seth and I have to leave.
* * *
“How canthis work when we don’t know where Seth is?” Evan asked Johnny Laveccia as they sat around a small table in a back room at the Hathaway Theater speakeasy. Joe Mack leaned against the door, making sure they weren’t disturbed. Parker sat in a chair by the wall, eyes wide.
Johnny had his best manager covering for him. Evan could barely hear the rumble of voices beyond the thick door. He wondered if this room had served as a private gambling suite during Prohibition.
A thick pillar candle sat in the center of the table, which had been chalked with sigils and runes. Incense burned in a brazier, making Evan lightheaded.
An antique silver chalice held the potion Johnny assured Evan would enable him to find Seth and communicate with him regardless of distance. Evan didn’t know what kind of magic the tracking spell used, but it required stronger power than he possessed, and he was grateful for Johnny’s help.
He’d provided a few hairs from Seth’s brush. Evan didn’t care how the spell worked—as long as it assured him Seth was still alive and provided clues to help find him.
“Are you ready?” Johnny asked.
Evan nodded, even though his heart pounded in his throat and his palms sweated. “More than ready.”
He’d seen séances in movies and wondered if this would be similar—only seeking a living person, not a ghost.Please, let Seth be alive. I need to bring him back.
Johnny lifted the chalice and drank. Evan accepted the cup from him, holding it with both hands.
“Drink the rest. We’ll be connected as soon as it hits your system,” Johnny told him.
Evan gulped it down, finding the mixture thick and bitter.
Johnny placed his hands flat on the table, fingers splayed. Evan did the same, positioning his so that the tips of their fingers touched. He felt a frisson like an electric spark at the contact.
“Whatever happens, don’t break contact with me,” Johnny warned. “I hope Seth is okay, but we don’t know what you’ll see. Whoever took him didn’t have his best interests at heart.”
Evan nodded. “I realize that. But I have to know. I’m going to bring him back, no matter what it takes.”
Something glinted in Johnny’s eyes, and Evan wondered if the witch had lost people of his own.
“My magic will connect you to his energy. I don’t know how long we can hold the connection,” Johnny warned.
Evan nodded, resolved to see this through. He closed his eyes and tried to relax, letting the strange sensations fill him that were awakened by the potion. He pictured Seth in his mind and made the image as real as possible, remembering every detail of his lover.
If I want to find him, maybe I should think of when we were truly joined together.Memories of making love flooded through him, leaving Evan sad and achingly hard. Seth was a thoughtful and generous lover, so different from the boyfriends Evan had before.
Evan focused on the details, remembering the most recent sex, then flashing back to their first night together, and from there, memories of so many special times.
“Open your eyes,” Johnny told him. “Tell me what you see.”
“I’m getting images; they jump from place to place,” Evan reported. “A diner. Walking down the sidewalk. Except, wait—he’s with someone. A man I don’t recognize.”
For a moment, Evan’s heart thudded.Was this a memory of an old lover? Someone who made Seth wish, deep inside, that they could have another chance?
Then Evan noted the similarities between the two men and gasped when he connected the stranger’s face with a photo in the trailer. “He’s with his brother, Jesse. Hisdeadbrother.”
“What?” Johnny sounded startled.
“Seth is home with his family. They all died because of one of the disciples, and he misses them terribly. He was very close to Jesse.” Evan swallowed hard. “If they’re all dead, do you think—”
“My magic is strong, but not powerful enough to see into the afterlife,” Johnny assured him. “What you’re probably seeing is an illusion where Seth is trapped—in his mind. What else do you see?”
“Time moves quickly in these images. He might think he’s been there for weeks instead of days.” Evan paused. “Can he see me?”
