Page 54 of The Devil You Know
“Just—be careful,” Evan said, hoping that Nelson at least thought he was sincere in his madness. “Even if you don’t believe me, be extra cautious.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m always careful,” Nelson muttered. “Now get going before I find a reason to haul you downtown.”
Nelson walked off. Joe and Evan stood by the truck until the cop drove away.
“You tried,” Joe said. “I’m not sure either of us thought Nelson would listen, but at least you gave it a shot.”
Evan shook his head and sighed. “I think he’s aware of the pattern, but it doesn’t fit his cop training, and he doesn’t know what to make of it. Maybe we can shut Osborn down before Nelson ever has to find out he’s wrong.”
Joe promised to be in touch as soon as he or his friends had news. Evan drove back to the campground with his head still spinning from the séance with Johnny. He was so deep in thought that he jumped when Travis Dominick’s ring tone sounded on his phone through the truck’s sound system.
“Hey, Travis. What do you have for me?”
“You wanted to know what happened to the witch disciple in St. Louis. Not sure how much it’ll help, but from what we could find, Ronald Osborn was Willis’s younger brother, from a family with a lot of witchy history,” Travis told him.
“Osborn killed his own brother?” Evan knew he probably shouldn’t have been surprised.
“More accurate to say that Willis got Ronald killed,” Travis said. “Apparently, the brothers worked together on the supernatural drug trafficking business. Ronald was Willis’s channel to the lower Midwest. They worked with the shadier shifter packs and vampire nests for distribution, and somewhere along the line, one of the packs decided to skim the profits. The Osborns confronted them, and when the fight was over, the pack was wiped out, and Ronald was dead.”
“How long ago did that happen? And who replaced Ronald in the organization?” Evan asked, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Ronald died six months ago—right before the disappearances started,” Travis replied. “And as far as anyone can tell, no one replaced him. Willis seems to be running everything through his distributors from Cleveland. Ronald’s operation in St. Louis is completely gone.”
“You brought up the disappearances.” Evan frowned as he concentrated. “How is that related?”
“Just a theory, but it’s possible Ronald was helping to sustain Willis. Without him, Willis had to leech energy from somewhere, and the lesser descendants were the next best option.”
“That makes sense,” Evan agreed. “I just wish it meant Willis was going to be easier to stop.”
“I’ll let you know what else we turn up,” Travis promised. “And if you need us, Brent and I can be there in about two hours.”
“Thank you,” Evan told him, sure Travis could hear his worry and weariness. “Joe thinks he’s got us covered, but I’ll let you know if we need backup.”
He ended the call after promising to keep Travis in the loop. When he pulled in beside the RV, Evan took a few minutes to compose himself before he was ready to answer Parker’s questions.
Where are you, Seth? Hang in there. We’re coming to get you.
9
SETH
“There should be a thin,flexible plastic tube filled with salt that runs around every door, window, and vent,” Seth said. “Protective symbols in UV paint on the undersides of the storage bin doors and inside the door panels to the truck and RV as well as the bike’s saddlebags. Hidden compartments with weapons in several places. And lube in the cabinet and nightstand.”
Jesse snickered at the last comment but sobered quickly. “What kind of person are you in that other place? Some kind of Zombie hunter? A ghostbuster like those guys on TV with the cool car?”
“Witch hunter,” Seth answered before he had time to think about it. He felt as surprised as Jesse at the answer. “Not Zombies. Witches.”
Jesse just stared at him. “Why? Wiccans don’t hurt anyone.”
Seth shook his head. “Not Wiccans. Real warlocks. Voldemort types.”
“Dude, magic isn’t real.”
“Yet you suggested a psychic.” Seth ran a hand through his hair. “I know that magic isn’t real…but I also get these glimpses in my dreams where all kinds of things are real that shouldn’t be.”
That wasn’t all that he saw in his dreams. Seth caught images of fights that ended bloody, explosions, and fire. Not to mention very detailed memories of making love to the dark-haired man.He’s not a stranger in that life. My lover. Partner.The intense flash of emotions told Seth that their relationship was far more serious than a casual fling.Fiancé? Husband?
Then there was the memory of a doctor and a rundown hospital room with tubes, monitors, and restraints.Did I get sent to a mental ward? Was I crazy in the other place? Is the insanity bleeding through?
