Page 1 of The Devil We Know

1

The Aftermath

Matt

Six months ago

When I first arrived at Declan’s estate to find it empty, I was somewhat relieved. I don’t have time to decompress very often, so I was going to take the reprieve for what it was; a gift.

That is until I saw his phone light up on the table.

Answer Me.

I blink at the screen a couple of times, then shrug, scooping it up and accepting the call before putting the phone to my ear. “Who is this?”

“Declan?” a feminine voice whispers, and I frown, momentarily startled that Declan’s “Answer Me” is female.

After a moment, I reply, “No, this isn’t Declan. His phone is here, but he must have stepped out because no one was home when I got here.”

She curses, annoyance in her voice as she replies, “Oh. Sorry to have bothered you.”

“Wait,” I interject hurriedly. “Why are you calling Declan?”

“N-n-no reason,” she stutters. “I’ll try again.”

“Maybe I can help?”

“Who are you?” she asks hesitantly.

“Mathias Shields,” I answer. “But you can call me Matt. I’m a good friend of Declan’s.”

She falls quiet, and I wait patiently, straining for some indication that she hasn’t disconnected the call. Then I say, “Hello? Are you still there?”

“Y-yes,” she stutters again, then clears her throat and adds, “I’m here.”

“Are you in trouble?”

She laughs, the sound coming off slightly crazy. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

She says nothing, and after a few minutes, I add, “Tell me where you are.”

She rattles off an address, and then I hear the distinctive chatter of her teeth indicating she’s shivering.

“I’m going to stay on the phone with you,” I say clearly. “What’s your name?”

“Jessica,” she whispers, as I put the call on speaker, exiting Declan’s house and making my way to my rental car. I getbehind the wheel, starting the ignition and switching the call to Bluetooth. “Okay, Jessica. Are you in immediate danger?”

“No.”

“Good,” I respond evenly. “That’s good. Do you have a sofa or a comfortable chair nearby?”

“Yes.”

“Great, that’s perfect,” I reply, maneuvering the car onto the freeway and flooring it. “First, I need you to find a blanket, and then I need you to wrap yourself in the it and curl up on the sofa or in the chair, facing the back of it. Can you do that for me, Jessica?”

“Yes,” she says through her chattering teeth.

“Are you able to bring this phone with you?”

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