Page 9 of The Devil You Know
Seth’s phone rang, and Evan recognized Teag’s ring tone. “You’d better get that,” he said.
His boyfriend sighed. “I know. But it’s going to harsh my mellow.”
“I’ll mellow you,” Evan promised, and he knew Seth could read the heat in his gaze.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Seth answered the call. “Hi, Teag. What have you got for us? Let me put you on speaker.”
“Hi, Seth. Hi, Evan. I’ve hit pay dirt out on the Darke Web when I looked up info on Osborn.” Teag’s hacking surpassed even Seth’s exceptional skills. The Darke Web used ensorcelled encryption and was the favored online resource of supernatural creatures and those with paranormal abilities.
“What did you find?” Seth asked.
“So…the witch disciple currently known as Osborn was an apothecary back in the day,” Teag replied. “As he reinvented himself over the last hundred years, he stayed in pharmaceuticals. Then he branched out into illicit drugs for the supernatural community.”
“Like what?” Seth asked, surprised.
“Strength enhancers, hallucinogens that work on non-human metabolisms, roofies that make it easier to erase memories and immobilize victims, pills that will give a buzz to an immortal, or let them sleep without dreaming. He’s supplying a cartel, and there are links to another trafficking ring that was uncovered several months ago,” Teag told them. “It’s pretty ugly. The legitimate packs and nests are not on Osborn’s side, but they don’t dare oppose him head-on.”
“Fuck,” Evan muttered. They knew about the online trafficking groups that had been exposed within the supernatural community for seizing young shifters or people with psychic gifts and selling them into servitude or for shifters to big game hunters with “exotic” tastes. Their friends had helped to take down some of the trafficking kingpins, but the problem was widespread and not easily contained.
“So we’re not just going up against Osborn,” Seth clarified. “He’s going to rally his customers, who stand to lose a major supplier if we stop him.”
“That’s what it looks like,” Teag admitted. “It might be a good time to call for backup. Mark Wojcik gave me a name—Joe Mack. He thought Joe could help you and provide some protection.”
Seth fidgeted, and Evan could guess what his partner was thinking.He’s weighing the value of bringing in reinforcements versus trusting a stranger.
“All right,” Seth replied. “Go ahead and text us Joe’s contact info, and please let him know we might be in touch. I want to get my feet under me before we throw in a wild card.”
They’d worked with others many times, including Teag. But always before, they’d known those allies from trading information online, even if they hadn’t met in person. Evan understood Seth’s reluctance to bring in a total stranger, even one who’d been amply vouched for.
“Will do. Stay safe,” Teag cautioned. “And keep your eyes open—Osborn is definitely connected.”
Seth ended the call and sighed. “We should probably call his contact.”
Evan could hear the reluctance in his boyfriend’s voice. “It’s not a bad idea to have someone who not only knows the city but the local supernatural community. That doesn’t mean he gets to tell us how to do our job.”
Seth grimaced. “It’s just hard to trust someone I don’t know to have our backs.”
“I trust Teag and Mark. That’s a pretty strong endorsement,” Evan noted.
“Yeah, yeah. Okay. How about tomorrow, after we go to the main library downtown?” Seth replied. “They have old maps that haven’t all been digitized, and I want to see if I can narrow down possibilities for the location where Osborn’s been doing his rituals.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Evan said. “I want to look at the old photos and public records. We have holes in what we know about Osborn’s ‘reinventions’ over the years. Filling in the gaps might not matter—or we might find something important. But it’s worth a few hours to see what they’ve got.”
“We can go in the morning and be back by early afternoon. That gives us the rest of the day to run down any leads we find.” Seth stretched, arching his back and twisting his neck from side to side, working out the kinks that came with spending too much time driving.
“I can help with that,” Evan offered, dropping his voice to let Seth know he meant more than a massage.
“Oh, yeah?” Seth raised an eyebrow with a glint in his eyes.
“Rumor has it I have ‘good hands,’” Evan said with a smirk, repeating something Seth had told him a few days before when Evan jerked him off.
“Hmm. That’s tempting.” Seth pretended to consider the idea.
“Happy ending guaranteed,” Evan added.
“Sounds good to me.” Seth stood and stretched again before he held out his hand and led Evan back to the bedroom.
The king bed took up most of the space, but for an RV, the room was generously sized. The bathroom was not, especially for two grown men, so shower sex was out of the question.
