It surprised him to see his dad waiting by the jeep. “Is everything all right?” The homestead was well warded. No matter how angry Selina might be—and there was no doubt she would be pissed off—she couldn’t breach the wards.
“Son.” His dad’s hand rested heavily on his shoulder. “Sons, I should say. Look, I admit. I don’t know a lot about this magic business, and I’m not ashamed to admit it scares the pants off me, the thought of you facing that woman.”
“Dad,” Conrad said quietly. He was still unused to using the term, and it showed. “I promise with everything that I am, I’ll keep your son safe. You and your whole family.”
“You’re my son, too, now,” Kylo’s dad said firmly, “and that means you have to come back to us as well. No, I’m not stopping you. I know what has to be done, and while I wish…”
He trailed off, and Kylo knew what he wanted to say. Kylo’s dad would be at the front of a charge against any normal threat to his family. He and Kylo’s mom were true mates, too, and if he was in danger, then by extension, she was as well. Kylo’s dad wouldn’t do that to her. Kylo remembered from years before how his mom used to joke that his dad had put a stop to some of his wilder schemes, purely so that his cherished wife was safe.
“It’s fine, Dad. We understand. Together,” Kylo pointed between himself and Conrad, “we can win this. The Fates brought us together for a reason and this is it, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know what it means, but I got a message last night. I’m not sure it even makes sense, and I feel you should see it.” Kylo’s dad pulled out a tattered piece of rag, and after a moment’s hesitation, he handed it over. Unrolling it, with Conrad breathing in his ear as he looked over Kylo’s shoulder, he made out some words that appeared to have been inked with some kind of berry juice.
“A magic user can only have one focus.” Raising the rag to his nose, Kylo didn’t scent anything but the smells of the jungle. “Is this your magic user friend offering guidance?” The strange man in the feather coat would’ve been the only other person who could have gotten through their wards.
“I think so. It was under a rock by my seat on the back porch.” The seat where Kylo’s dad sat every morning to enjoy a stolen cigarette his mom pretended not to know about. “I wasn’t going to mention it, only I’m sure this is meant for you two.”
“That was kind.” Kylo stuffed the rag in his pocket and gave his dad a hug. “You know how it goes with these things. It could be days before we flush her out.”
“Life can also change in a blink,” his dad reminded him, releasing Kylo and hugging Conrad, too. “See you when we do.” He disappeared inside the house.
“Let’s head to the office.” Kylo smiled at his mate, and on the drive into town, he felt a glimmer of hope. They’d received a warning, a tip—Kylo wasn’t sure what it was exactly. After living his whole life in the same area, that simple scrap of rag in his pocket was the first time someone in the community had volunteered anything, something worthwhile, something that could help them.
“The influence of Devil is shifting already,” Conrad murmured, likely tracking his thoughts. “Let’s give it a solid shove.”
“That’s the plan,” Kylo said. “That’s the plan.”
Striding into the precinct a mere twenty minutes later, armed with fresh coffee, Kylo stopped by Pete’s desk. “Call all your journalist friends, a news crew if you can get one, anybody at all that has social media influence and knows how to use their phone cameras. I’m heading a press conference at Midday today.”
“Is this about that horrible business you found yesterday? You’ve caught someone already?” Pete whispered, looking around as if afraid he’d be overheard.
“I’ll reveal all the details in the press conference, Pete. I just need you to arrange for everybody who is anybody to be there. Can you do that?”
“I’m on it,” Pete promised, reaching for his phone.
“Do you need to practice your speech before the conference at lunchtime?” Conrad whispered in his ear as the two men went into their office. “Only I can think of ways to relax you, and after what you did for me last night, it’s only fair to reciprocate. If you have an issue with public speaking, that is.” He shut the office door, and Kylo heard the sound of the lock turning.
“Tell me more about those ways,” Kylo murmured, as Conrad crowded against his back. Conrad hadn’t had the chance to exert his control since the night before and was likely still feeling vulnerable. “Better yet, show me.”
“Don’t make a sound,” Conrad whispered, and Kylo closed his eyes as strong fingers reached for his belt buckle.
~/~/~/~
By lunchtime, the conference room at the precinct was full. Kylo, who was still feeling a bit flushed from Conrad’s relaxation methods, stood proudly, his mate just behind him. Kylo outlined for the curious audience the evidence they’d found over the months leading to the discoveries of the day before. He described in as much detail as he and Conrad had decided was necessary. He summarized the crimes that had been committed. Kylo spoke with pride about how the precinct had called in help from the United States and, in particular, the new hybrid division of the Shifter Council.
He spoke at length of the investigative work conducted by the men and women who served under him, and those who had lost their lives trying to keep the people safe. The driving force of his narrative was that everything they’d found, everything that had been done, could all be attributed to one single person—the one everyone knew as Devil.
“Twenty years we have fought this unseen foe,” Kylo said firmly, looking around the room, catching the eye of journalists he knew, and those he only knew by name. “Twenty years, our good people, your families, friends, and colleagues, have all lived in fear of this one individual. This one man who has thwarted every investigation we’ve put in place, ruling with fear, and terrorizing his underlings so they would rather die than speak.
“We persevered, and we kept going. And finally, it is with great pride, that I can announce that Devil is no more, and our communities can sleep safe in their beds at night, knowing his reign of terror over our jungles and community is over. His organization has been completely disbanded. Those who are not dead, have been or will be prosecuted by various courts and jurisdictions outside of Paraguay. It is over, everyone. I can tell you, hand on heart, Devil will never plague our community again.”
There was an uproar, which Kylo and Conrad both expected. Conrad moved closer, nudging Kylo’s shoulder as the questions came thick and fast.
“How do you know the gang is finished?”
“Were there really baby bodies found in the jungle?
“Is Devil dead? Have you seen his body? How do you know he won’t come back? How can you be sure?”
