Page 62 of Signs and Wonders

“If you end up looking for a new job, I can always use help—at least temporarily—with the private eye biz. Longer term, we have friends at the Tennessee Bureau of Supernatural Investigation,” Brent said. “You’d need to relocate, but I’m guessing that wouldn’t be a big deal. Let me know what you want to do.”

“Much obliged,” Drake answered. “I think I’ll be taking you up on that once we get the formal firing process over and done.”

After breakfast, they cleaned up the cabin, took inventory of supplies to be replenished, and finished off anything perishable. Then they drove back to town, gathering at the hotel where Travis and Brent still had a room.

“Thanks again—for everything,” Seth said to Drake. “We owe you.”

“Happy to help. Come visit after I move to Pittsburgh—or Tennessee,” Drake joked, trading handshakes and back slaps before he drove away.

Tyler and Cameron still had a white-knuckled grip on each other’s hands, which Evan totally understood.

“I don’t know how to thank you for putting yourselves at risk for us and saving our lives,” Cameron told them. “I’ll let you know where we end up in Pittsburgh. And if we can ever help, just call.”

Evan knew Cameron meant what he said, but he truly hoped that paranormal threats would leave the two young men alone after this.

“Good luck with the job search,” Seth told them. “I’m just glad we were able to be in the right place at the right time.”

Tyler had left his car at the motel while Cameron’s was still at Lacey’s, so they said goodbye with a round of hugs and headed out.

“Got a moment to talk about the Hub?” Brent motioned Seth and Evan inside.

Brent set his laptop up on the table. “You and Teag pulled off a real Hail Mary pass,” he said to Seth. “I can search databases with the best of them, but I’m not a hacker. Take a look at what went down.” He turned the screen so they could see the news coverage. “Hub Melts Down.” “Data Center Blues.” “Cyberattack Hits Hub Hard.”

“Nice,” Evan said. “Now please tell me that no one has a clue about how it happened.”

Brent grinned. “Plenty of theories out there, none of them right. I stopped to have a look before I came back to the cabin last night. The ‘experts’ are debating whether it was a data breach, a coordinated attack by foreign powers, or a spiteful former employee. Oh—and since it just so happened to reveal the blackmail documents, local and state politics is on spin cycle for the foreseeable future.”

“And the legitimate companies that used the Hub?” Seth asked.

“None of their data was lost or compromised. No employees were harmed—they didn’t even realize anything was going on until it was too late.”

“Teag and I got copies of all the coven records,” Seth said. “I imagine we’ll be parsing through those for a long time, but they might help us take down the rest of the warlocks.”

“Of course, the Hub ‘lost’ all those records, so the other witch disciples are up shit creek with their money laundering and asset transfers shut down,” Brent added. “They’re going to be scrambling for a while to rebuild their empire. And with the Hub, the lodge, and the seminar program out of commission, Swain’s business holdings are likely to be liquidated.”

“How about the shifters and other creatures Swain was using?” Evan asked.

“Teag and I believe that most, if not all, of them were trafficked, kidnapped, and forced to do Swain’s bidding,” Seth said.

“Teag told me that he found a section in the basement of the Hub that was basically a prison with digital security,” Seth added. “He turned off the locks when we attacked the servers. The creatures are long gone by now—and if they stay out of trouble, they’re not our concern.”

Evan saw the shadows in Seth’s eyes and guessed he was thinking about the shifter in the tunnel.I hate that he attacked Seth and impersonated me, but maybe Swain didn’t give him a choice.Part of him hoped that amid the chaos, the shifter had gotten away.

“I guess that wraps things up,” Seth said as they walked to the parking lot. “Thank you both for dropping everything and coming down here. We really couldn’t have done it without you.”

Travis shrugged. “That’s what friends are for. Let us know the next time you’re coming through Pittsburgh. We’ll find something distinctly non-dangerous to do.”

Seth and Evan said their goodbyes and drove back to the campground. Evan held his breath, half expecting to find officers waiting to arrest them. He sighed in relief to find their RV just as they had left it.

“What do you say we blow this popsicle stand early and go somewhere else for a few days?” Seth said. “I don’t even care if we get our deposit back.”

“Somewhere out of West Virginia, please. Just in case,” Evan replied.

The wardings were untouched, reassuring them no one had tampered with the trailer. Evan went to pay the office while Seth readied the RV to leave. It didn’t take long before they were back on the highway.

They drove for more than three hours, heading south to Wytheville, Virginia, where Evan had gotten them another campground reservation. Other than discussing their destination’s amenities, they didn’t talk much. Evan struggled to reconcile everything that had happened at Summit and figured Seth was also wrestling with his emotions.

“The drive is beautiful,” Evan remarked as they wove through the Blue Ridge Mountains.

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