Page 15 of The Devil We Know

Declan shakes his head. “Not last I spoke to him, but they’re usually pretty quick, especially if Tony’s put on the case.”

“Who all is here, then?”

“As far as I know, it’s just Dare, Tony, and Antoinette. Maybe Carolina. I’m sure Lilith will pop in eventually if she’s not already here. There’s also a chance that Carolina’s brother, Jayme, will make an appearance, and maybe even Antoinette’s sister, Agatha.”

My eyes widen, and I laugh as I say, “Well, they got a whole ass posse or something?”

Declan laughs as he says, “You could say that. They tend to be spread across the world at different points in time, but as soon as there’s a problem, they all congregate quickly.”

“Then, why did no one know there was a problem before now?”

Declan continues walking into the next room, and I follow along as he replies, “Matt had been going through some stuff. I’m not sure how much you know about the situation or how much you’ve spoken to him otherwise, but having to leave his job with the police was a real slap in the face for him. Honestly, we all just thought he was going to go out and lick his wounds for a while and then come back with some big new plan on how to take over the universe.”

I nod and respond, “Yeah, I knew about that. I knew he took it to heart, and I also figured he was going to go out and get some R and R. That’s why that text he sent me was so jarring.”

“Yeah, that fucking text makes no sense at all coming from him,” Declan replies seriously. “Even if Matt genuinely wanted you to leave him alone, he’s the type of guy who’d literally fly across the country and sit down and have a conversation with you and give you a spreadsheet and a play-by-play on why thisis the best plan that there is, and have a rebuttal for any kind of reasoning you may have of why he’s full of shit.”

I smile, nodding in agreement. “Yes, that sounds like Matt.”

“We’re glad you said something because if you hadn’t, who knows how much more time would have gone by before any of us caught on.”

“I wonder how long it’ll take for them to find him,” I say quietly.

Declan stops walking and turns back to me, his gaze serious. “Theywillfind him, Jessica.”

“What if it’s too late?”

Declan’s lips press together, and his gaze flits away momentarily before coming back to me. “That’s not possible. Don’t even think about it.”

I inhale sharply through my nose, expelling the breath just as quickly out of my mouth, and I nod a bit more aggressively than necessary as I attempt to shake the negative thoughts from my brain.

I can’t imagine Matt being gone, but there’s always a little part of me that thinks worst-case scenarios in an attempt to prepare myself to deal with it.

We stop beside the next set of doors, these being closed, and Declan turns to me and says, “I gotta use the facilities. I’ll be right back. Just wait here.”

I nod in agreement, and he walks off, disappearing through the door on the other side of the hallway.

This room is small and nondescript, but I suddenly hear voices sounding through the doorway, so I lean closer to try to listen. I can’t quite make out what the voices are saying, so I slowly ease the door open an inch and listen more intently.

“We’re going to get made within seconds. They all know us.”

I don’t recognize the voice, and without context, it’s impossible for me to know what they’re talking about, but I feel,given the current circumstances, it’s safe to assume it has to do with Matt.

Someone mentions Antoinette. I can’t make out exactly what they’re saying, but then a female voice says clearly, “We can’t leave him there, so what are we going to do?”

I clench my jaw, annoyed when the voice becomes too faint for me to understand, and I’m tempted to open the door fully and step inside but also fearful my sudden appearance will stop the conversation dead, and I won’t be able to determine what’s going on.

Then, an impatient male voice pipes up, “There has to be someone who can get the job done without us having to worry about them turning on us.”

There’s a pause in the conversation, and I strain to hear more of what’s being said, to no avail. Easing the door open a few more inches, I peer through the crack, catching a glimpse of Darius and Tony still speaking to each other, but I can no longer make out their words.

I attempt to move closer quietly but lose my footing and fall heavily into the door, a loud squeak punctuating my clumsiness.

Knowing I’m caught, I give up any semblance of sneakiness, pushing the door open fully and stepping into the room.

6

Deciphering the Unknown

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