Holy crap, Chester is pretty sure he couldlivein this hug. He melts into Obie’s arms, tightening his own grip around him. He can’t even remember the last time he hugged someone, much less hugged them likethis,full of warmth and affection and?—
Chester’s heart sinks like a stone.
Right. Of course it’s affectionate. They’re pretending to date, after all. And of course Obie would hug hisboyfriendafter “Kyle” got a strike.
Chester shouldn’t feel nearly this disappointed that it’s not real. Forcing a smile, he pulls away. “Looks like I reallyambetter at this than you,” he says, going for a teasing tone and probably missing it by about a mile.
Luckily, Obie doesn’t seem to notice. “Beginner’s luck,” he says, clapping Chester’s shoulder.
And then, just as quickly, his voice wafts through Chester’s head.But seriously. Good job, Locke.
Just like that, Chester’s heart flip-flops embarrassingly again, and no,no?—
This isn’t good. This issonot good. Chester can’t be starting to Feel Things for a demon, much less a demongod.It doesn’t matter thatObie has started letting Chester into his life, or that he always helps Chester clean interrogation rooms when no one is watching, or that he always sounds so irritated when the other interrogators talk down to Chester, or—or?—
Is this how JJ felt? JJ and Roma both?
Obie’s eyebrows furrow. “Ches—um, Kyle? Puppy? You okay?”
Before Chester can even begin to answer that question, another voice cuts in from behind them. “Well, looks like someone finally broke our losing streak.”
Starting with surprise, Chester whips around to see none other than Maggie Khan standing behind them, her eyebrows raised and a manila folder in her hand.
19
It was all Kyle,” Obie informs her, still bizarrely proud of his stupid hunter. “Only took him three tries, but…”
Chester throws him a mock scowl.“Hey.”
A small smile tugs on Maggie’s lips, but it looks strained. Frowning, Obie steps forward. “Mags? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She looks away. “Well. Everything, I guess.”
Chester’s eyebrows pull together. “What is it?” he asks, and the honest concern on his face makes Obie’s heart shiver. Chester has always been nervous around Maggie, but it’s obvious that he cares about her—even if it’s only because Obie cares about her. “Did something happen at—at work?”
“Kind of,” Maggie says, giving Chester a cautious look. “Can you actually give me and Obie a few minutes, Kyle? I need to talk with him about a work thing.” Her eyes cut to Obie. “A work thing we’ve been discussing for a while now.”
The words jolt through Obie. His eyes shoot down to the folder in her hand.“Proof?You actually found proof?”
“I did.” Maggie hesitates, her eyes shifting back to Chester. “Could we discuss this, ah, somewhere private?”
“Oh—” Chester immediately steps away. “Yeah, absolutely. I’ll go hang out with Trevor and Sasha, and?—”
Impulsively, Obie reaches out and snags his hand. “Wait.”
Chester frowns at him. Maggie looks even more confused. And Obie?—
This is it.
Ever since late June, Maggie has been searching for proof that the Chain and the Sanctum are working together—specifically, that the Chain is sending the neophyte demons that they allegedly “save” straight to the Sanctum. It’s exactly what Obie has spent over a month trying to tell Chester, but without any evidence, he was never able to convince him.
Chester needs to know this. Hedeservesto know this. “I don’t keep many secrets from Kyle,” Obie says eventually, tugging Chester back towards him. “He knows my many theories about the Chain and the Sanctum. You can speak freely around him.”
Chester stiffens, his eyes snapping to Obie. “What?”
Maggie looks surprised, but she nods gamely. “Allies are important,” she says, and she holds up the manila folder. “Originally, the Chain was using Ricci’s name on neophytes’ transfer documents, but now that he’s officially a fugitive, they obviously can’t do that anymore. That meant they needed to find a new scapegoat, andthatmeant room for error.” Her smile is mirthless. “Luckily for us, they made an error.”
Obie glances at Chester’s frozen expression. “Remember how I said the Chain was shipping neophyte demons to the Sanctum’s prison?” he says pointedly. “They were forging the signature of a Personnel employee, Gregorio Ricci—G. Ricci. But Gregorio and his husband, Micah Devereux, publicly resignedright around when Roma Gutierrez defected from the Sanctum. Remember?”
