Page 41 of Signs and Wonders

“You mean gay?”

“Yeah. We’re both from around here, and most of the locals just pretend they don’t notice. We’re careful in public. Tyler played football in high school and went into the Army, and everyone just sorta gave me a pass because I was friends with the right people. But West Virginia isn’t the easiest or safest place to be out.”

“Neither is Oklahoma, where I used to live. I understand.”

“So I just wanted to say that seeing you two together, it kinda gives me hope that Tyler and I can make it.”

Evan doubted Cameron had many people he could be so candid with, and his heart ached for him. “We travel around to do what we do. In some places people don’t care at all, and other times we have to be more careful. There’s usually someone trying to kill us for completely different reasons. But I wouldn’t trade our life for anything because we’re together. And someday, when this is all over, we’re going to walk away and make a different life for ourselves.”

“Try to avoid the getting killed part.” Cameron laughed nervously. He saw movement at the bar. “Guess we need to get back to work.”

Half an hour before Lacey’s closed, Tyler came into the bar and took a spot at the end of the counter. Cameron brought him a Coke without needing to be asked. Tyler looked tired. Evan noticed that he had a gun in a holster under his jacket.

“Take your time,” Tyler told Cameron as he accepted the soda gratefully. “I’m here to drive you home.”

“See anyone loitering in the lot?” Evan moved past Cameron to fix a drink.

“No—but you can be sure I’ll check again before it’s time to go,” Tyler replied.

“Take Seth with you. Safety in numbers.” After the Renou-Vous presentation earlier in the day, Evan couldn’t shake the feeling that Swain was just biding his time to make the next move—soon.

The bar closed without incident. Seth and Evan drove behind Cameron and Tyler and repeated their check of the area around the house and a sweep of the interior.

“Looks good,” Seth told them. “Stay inside, and call us if anything weird happens, or if you even have a bad feeling. Trust your gut.”

On the way back to the RV, a call came through, and Seth hit accept. “Hey, Brent.”

“Is it too late to get together?” Brent’s voice filled the cab. “Drake’s back from the Hub, and Travis had some thoughts about the event at the library.”

“We’ll be there,” Seth promised after confirming with a glance to Evan.

Evan wanted to go home and collapse, but he had the growing feeling that time was running out.

They pulled into the motel lot and parked next to Drake’s car. Brent must have seen their headlights, because he met them at the door. Evan noticed the gun tucked into Brent’s waistband.

“Sounds like it was a busy day for everyone,” Brent said, waving them toward the twelve-pack of soda and six-packs of beer sitting on the kitchenette counter. Evan grabbed a beer while Seth stuck with a Coke, and they greeted Drake and Travis.

“I think we’ve got stories to trade.” Travis waved them to find a seat. The table was littered with half-empty snack bags and pages of handwritten notes.

“Why don’t Evan and I go first? Then Drake can fill us in on the Hub, and Brent and Seth can share what their research has turned up,” Travis suggested.

Evan retold the tale he had laid out for Seth, sharing the brochure and map he had taken from the display and saved with a photo on his phone.

“I’m positive that the ‘deflect magic’ and auras charms helped me keep my wits about me,” Evan said. “Everyone else seemed to be in a light trance. Not asleep, but not really alert.”

“Do you know who the main speaker was?” Drake pressed.

Evan shook his head. “Peter Wellington, one of their guest faculty. I couldn’t find much about him online other than his ties to Renou-Vous. I thought that his comments were generic and not exciting. Even so, plenty of people signed up for the one-night orientation, including me—and Brent.”

“Like a timeshare,” Brent muttered, and Travis rolled his eyes.

“Actually, that’s what the presentation reminded me of, without the free ice cream or cocktails,” Evan said. “Overly pleasant but very persistent and manipulative salespeople who practically lock onto your ankle as you try to walk away.”

“Thanks for having my back and signing up,” Evan told Brent. “Sorry to spring it on you.”

“Pretty sure your boyfriend would have my head if I didn’t,” Brent grumped good-naturedly. “It’s dangerous and reckless—but it’s also our best bet to get a look at the layout and maybe find the anchor.”

“The more I think about it, the more I’m sure that the ‘family crest’ is the anchor—if we can find the original version,” Evan said. “Hiding in plain sight.”

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