Page 64 of The Devil You Know
Nelson jerked upright and twisted, throwing himself on top of Osborn and taking them both to the floor.
The barrier flashed and vanished, but the purple rift grew larger, as if Gremory would not be denied his offering once summoned.
Osborn howled and struggled to throw Nelson off him as he stood to meet the new threat. Seth swung the wrench at the witch’s head, and Osborn ducked, planting his hands on the table to steady himself. Nelson wrapped his arms around Osborn’s knees, holding him in place as Evan brought the machete down on the witch’s right wrist and severed his ring hand.
Osborn shrieked in pain. He fixed Evan with a murderous glare and raised his left hand, speaking the words of a spell. Seth grabbed the severed hand, ring and all, and threw it into the gaping purple rift that throbbed like a wound. The ring and hand vanished inside, and the violet light flared.
“Get out of there!” Johnny’s shout jarred Evan into motion.
Osborn screamed as tendrils of light snaked from the rift and wrapped around his body, keeping him from finishing the spell.
Evan grabbed Nelson by the arm and yanked him to his feet. “Come on!”
Evan and Seth half-carried, half-dragged Nelson, desperate to put distance between themselves and Osborn.
“Go!” Johnny ordered.
Nelson could barely keep his feet, even supported by both Seth and Evan. Joe shoved them through the door with Johnny right behind him.
Evan looked over his shoulder and saw Osborn flailing as Gremory’s power pulled him toward the rift. Osborn screamed again, pained and terrified as the rift claimed him, then vanished.
Out in the tunnel, Nelson sank to his knees. Seth and Evan stayed on guard while Joe and Johnny checked for other attackers, human or otherwise.
“What a mess,” Evan murmured.
The bodies of the dead vampires littered the tracks, and the white tile walls were painted with blood. Evan thought the guards were still alive but had no idea what to do with them.
He turned to Joe and Johnny as they strode toward them. “We need to get Seth and Nelson to a hospital.”
“Do you want to answer questions? Because I sure don’t,” Joe replied. “Jenna’s got someone who can patch them up without drawing the wrong kind of attention. Her people can handle the clean-up too.” He looked around the bloody station and grimaced.
“Let’s get out of here.” Joe wrapped his coat around Nelson, then scooped the cop into his arms as if he weighed nothing and led the way back to their cars. Evan got under Seth’s shoulder and slipped an arm around his waist, but Seth managed the walk to the truck.
Joe deposited Nelson into the back seat of Seth’s truck and pulled out his phone. “Hey Jenna—we need a medic and a clean-up crew. Yeah, the problem is handled, but we left a mess.” He listened for a moment. “Okay. We’ll be there. Thanks.”
Joe turned back to the others. “Jenna said to bring them to room 36 at the Byway Inn. She’ll have a medic meet us there.”
“What about the old hospital? Did Jenna’s team find any of the missing people? Are they okay?” Evan asked, and Seth’s head snapped up.
“I’ll tell you everything at the motel. Let’s get out of here,” Joe ordered.
Evan slid behind the wheel of the truck, and Seth climbed into the passenger seat without protest. The comm link crackled to life in his ear.
“Evan? Holy shit! What the fuck was that?” Parker sounded terrified and impressed all at once.
“That…was what we do,” Evan replied. “I’ll fill you in when we get back, but Seth and the cop are hurt, and we’ve got to meet up with a sketchy doctor to patch them up. Can you manage if we don’t come home tonight?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Parker assured him. “I’m going to lock myself in the bedroom, sleep with the light on, and put one of your guns under my pillow, but I’ll manage.”
“Good. I’ll pay for your therapy,” Evan replied, only half-teasing. “Don’t go out, don’t let anyone in, and stay away from the windows.”
“Yes, Mom,” Parker snarked, and the link went silent again.
“Looks like I missed a lot,” Seth said, eyeing the earpiece and the small improvised camera clipped to Evan’s coat.
“Parker is our new tech wizard. He wants to be part of the team,” Evan replied. “I think you’ll like him.”
“I woke up at the abandoned rehab hospital,” Seth said as Evan drove away from the tunnel, with Joe and Johnny in the next car behind them. Nelson sat quietly in the backseat, and Seth handed him a bottle of water from the bin they kept beneath the front seat.
