Jenna Black - The Devil You Know

“Anything wrong?” Adam asked.

I snorted softly. “Is anything right?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah. Nothing’s wrong. Except that with my brilliant investigation techniques, it’s going to take me three weeks to locate Dr. Williams. I don’t suppose you’d be able to help me with that, would you?”

His breathing steadied, and I could almost see the ironic lift of his brow. “You’re willing to risk letting me know this paragon of virtue’s address?”

“It’s not like you couldn’t find it anyway,” I retorted. “Besides, you’ve already agreed that we’re going to try it my way first. Right?”

“Sure. I’ve got some, uh, loose ends to take care of first, but I’ll get back to you this afternoon at the latest.”

I suspected it was a tight end he planned to take care of, but I tried not to think about it. “Thanks,” was all I said before I let him get back to his regularly scheduled activities.

I didn’t want to be alone with Brian, so I asked him to keep watch while I had a private word with my brother. It was something I needed to do anyway, and if it would save me some awkwardness to boot, I was all for it.

I think both the boys recognized what I was doing, but they didn’t call me on it. I dragged Andy into the spare bedroom, which he had already branded with his testosterone-fueled decorating tastes. Meaning un-made bed, chair buried under discarded clothing, and dirty socks on the floor.

I leaned against a wall—I wasn’t touching his dirty clothes to make room for myself on the chair—and crossed my arms over my chest. “You do know you’ll be fumigating this room before you move out, right?”

He smiled at me, then grabbed the clothes off the chair and dumped them on the floor. “Have a seat.”

I wrinkled my nose. “I think I’ll stand, thanks very much.” I’m not what you’d call a girly-girl, but I’ve always been tidy.

Andy shrugged, then sat on the edge of his bed. “So, what did you want to talk to me about? Or was that just an excuse to run away from Brian?”

I grimaced. “A little of both, actually.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve been very good so far about not pushing you to tell me your secrets.”

“Uh-oh.”

“But there are some things I have to know.”

I could almost see his mental doors slamming shut. Every muscle in his body seemed to tighten up, and he watched me with the wary caution of a tabby cat facing down a ferocious pit bull.

“Oh, relax!” I snapped. I hated having my own brother look at me that way, like I was the enemy. “I don’t need you to tell me everything you know. But I’m going to go question my doctor this afternoon, and if Adam doesn’t like the answers I get, he’ll take matters into his own hands. You haven’t seen Adam at work before. I have. He is not a nice guy.” Understatement of the century. “You are a nice guy.” At least, he was back when I knew him ten years ago. “And I’m really hoping you won’t let some poor old man get tortured just because you don’t want to talk about what you know.”

Andy didn’t look at me, instead staring at the carpet. “I don’t know anything about what happened to you at The Healing Circle.”

“Then why the fuck won’t you look me in the eye when you say that?”

He winced, like my harsh tone had hurt his feelings. Maybe it had, but under the circumstances, I felt I had a right to be angry with him. He kept his gaze pinned firmly on the rug.

“I’m sure Adam is a real badass,” he said. “But Raphael is, too. And Raphael has been inside my head for ten years.” He finally found the courage to look up, and the terror I saw in his eyes banished my anger. Andy had been through a kind of hell I couldn’t even imagine. What a judgmental bitch I was for getting angry at him!

He visibly swallowed hard, then sucked in a deep breath. He looked away once more. “Imagine what a skilled torturer who knows every one of your hidden fears and nightmares can do. Then tell me you’d be willing to risk pissing him off.”

“What does Raphael have to do with The Healing Circle?” I asked.

He gave a snort of bitter laughter. “You don’t quit, do you?”

I finally forced myself to sit down. “I’m sorry, Andy. I get that you’re scared of Raphael, and I know you have every reason to be. But despite all that, he’s supposed to be one of the good guys. Sort of.”

Andy shook his head. “Take my word for it, little sister. He’s not one of the good guys.”

“But he saved my life. And Lugh’s life.”

Andy met my gaze again, and I could practically see the gears turning in his mind as he carefully considered what to say to me. His words came slowly, each one chosen with meticulous care. “He’s…loyal to Lugh. He doesn’t like Lugh, but he loves him, if that makes sense. He’ll protect his brother at any cost. But that’s the extent of his commitment to the cause.”

I thought about that for a long moment and decided I knew what Andy was trying so hard not to say. “Meaning that whatever the hell’s going on, he’s in it up to his ears?”

Andy wouldn’t answer, not even with a nod or shake of his head. His body language screamed “leave me alone,” and though I wished I could get him to open up and trust me, I knew it wasn’t happening.

With an aching lump in my throat, I gave him a hug, which he returned only halfheartedly. Not knowing what else I could say or do, I slipped out of the room.

My confidence in Adam’s ability to locate Dr. Williams was well justified. By mid-afternoon, I had an address and phone number, delivered to me personally by Adam. With Dominic as a potential victim for Der Jäger, Adam wasn’t about to let him out of his sight.

I was embarrassingly glad to get out of the apartment and away from the guys. All of them. It was a major testosterone overload in there, even though two of the guys were gay. Or at least bi. I was pretty sure Adam liked women just fine, based on some of the wolfish looks he’d given me, but I had no idea about Dominic. He wasn’t your stereotypically campy gay man, but then he was with Adam, and he didn’t seem to care who knew it.

I shook my head at myself as I walked the eight blocks between my apartment and Dr. Williams’s condo. Why was I even speculating on their sexual orientation? Yes, they were both good-looking, majorly sexy men. However, they were obviously devoted to one another, so even if I’d been in the market for a new man in my life, neither of them was a candidate.

I dismissed them from my mind as I entered the lobby of the exclusive condo building on Rittenhouse Square. I had called Dr. Williams in advance, so the guy at the security desk was expecting me. I signed in while he called Dr. Williams to let him know his guest had arrived. There was a mirror behind the desk, and I caught a glimpse of the doorman giving my ass the once-over. He was a wizened little old man, but he still seemed to appreciate the view, and I couldn’t help a little smile. I was wearing low-rise jeans and a clingy top that was almost long enough to tuck in. If he’d gotten a look at me in my leather pants, he’d probably have swallowed his dentures.

Dr. Williams had obviously retired wealthy, for his condo took up the entire top floor of the building. I needed a special key-card just to make the elevator go up that high.

He met me in the doorway, looking almost exactly as I remembered him from the last time I’d seen him, which had to be at least ten years ago. His hair was a gorgeous, snowy white, and the big, droopy mustache that had always fascinated me as a kid still adorned his upper lip.

His smile produced a dazzling collection of crow’s-feet at the corners of his eyes, and he held out a hand for me to shake. “How nice it is to see you again,” he said as I obediently shook his hand. His grip was firm and sure. He looked me up and down, then nodded approvingly. “You’ve grown up a bit since I last saw you.”