Page 16 of The Devil We Know

Darius

Lilith: I found him.

The text drops intoour group chat, and we all clammer to respond, the succession of pings reverberating throughout the room.

Tony: Where?

Antoinette: Where the fuck is he?

Darius:Tell us.

The dots show up, and we’re all holding our breath as we wait, and wait, and wait. Finally, after what feels like hours, the message pings through.

Lilith: I was actually en route to you when I got the information. Be there in less than an hour.

Tony curses loudly, and another message pings through.

Tony: Cut the fucking shit, Lils. Just tell us.

Lilith: Calm the fuck down. There’s nothing we can do about it right this second, so just wait.

Antoinette: Is he alive?

Lilith: Yes.

That’s all I need to hear. I toss my phone down on the table, heaving a long sigh of relief at the knowledge that if nothing else, the man lives. Tony curses some more, obviously intent on being angry, even knowing that isn’t going to get us anywhere.

Antoinette looks down at her phone again, typing out a message. Nothing pings on my end, so I give her a look, which she returns with a short nod that means she sent a message to Carolina to come rein in her man.

We haven’t been looking for Matt for long, but it feels like a lifetime. When things first went south with his job, he went alittle berserk, and we gave him some space to handle issues as needed, but somewhere along the way, things got fucked.

We’re not even sure exactly when he disappeared. We all figured he was out sowing some wild oats, living it up for once, and taking a much-needed break from us and our bullshit.

It wasn’t until Jessica reached out to us, asking what his fucking problem was, that we realized something was fucked up, and then we spent way too much time scurrying around like fucking idiots.

Tony and I had a conversation with Matt back when his career in law enforcement ended, and he had alluded to the fact that he felt there were many loose ends he needed to follow up on in terms of who may have aided in shortening his career and who may still be out there waiting to strike.

At first, his concerns were brushed off, but after a thorough briefing, PowerPoint presentation and extensive spreadsheets included, Tony and I agreed that he may be onto something.

What he failed to do was circle back and update us about his plans, which quite obviously took a turn deep behind enemy lines or, worse, ended up with him being taken prisoner.

I feel that same anger, that helpless rage that bubbles under the surface at the thought that anything could have happened to him while we had our damn pants down, all because he couldn’t be bothered to share his fucking plans.

We knew Matt and Jessica had become friendly since everything went down with Declan and Issa. We all assumed that was going somewhere, and I’m thankful she thought to reach out to us rather than just believing that he was a stupid, fucking ghoster.

Even though we were aware that something was going on between them, Matt never really divulged any secrets to us. We would joke around with him about it, and for the most part,he deflected it, but you can tell when a man is enamored with someone else.

Once we realized something was wrong, we threw everything we had at finding him, only to run into a dead end and a cold trail. The amount of blood that was shed in only a few hours was a bit extreme, but, of course, Tony didn’t give a fuck, and I don’t think any of us really did, but having it be all for nothing was like twisting the knife in the wound.

Luckily, Lilith makes good time, and before too long, she strolls in the doorway to be met by a rabid Tony. She gives him a bland look, putting a hand up when he rushes toward her. “Don’t even fucking try me, Tony. I’m not in the fucking mood.”

He stops short, glaring at her, but says nothing. Antoinette steps around him, enfolding her mother into a hug. Lilith returns her embrace, relaxing into her momentarily before pulling back and then walking further into the room to stop before me. We all gather around, and she finally says, “According to my sources, he’s basically been under our nose the whole time.”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you saying he’s in the city?” Antoinette asks.

Lilith shakes her head and replies, “No, but he’s in the state. Not too far from here, really.”

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