Page 25 of Glow

“Absolutely. It doesn’t have to be fancy or different, just good,” Dan replied.

“I think I can come up with possibilities,” Quinn answered. “Maybe we get takeout.”

“I like that idea,” Dan said.

Quinn leaned in for another kiss. “Get some more sleep, eat something, and take things one step at a time.”

Dan walked him to the door and waved a sleepy goodbye. Quinn hated to walk away, but he had work to do and couldn’t let himself get too far behind.

He’s scared. He just left everything he’s known in the middle of the night and came to a new town where he hardly knows anyone. We don’t know if the podcasters and bounty hunters will figure out his connection and try to follow him. I can’t protect him every moment. Maybe they’ll leave him alone if the chase isn’t fun anymore, Quinn thought, although he doubted it. Bullies often doubled down if they thought they could get away with it.

The trick is going to be keeping Dan safe here without exposing his secret and outing the rest of the shifters. I’m not sure how to pull that off; another reason we need the sheriff.

After the suspense of the previous night, Quinn’s day unfolded without drama. He made his usual rounds of the campsites and picnic areas, noting where extra maintenance or trash removal was needed. Along the way, he looked for any trace of the missing hikers. Quinn checked his phone frequently in case Dan reached out, but nothing popped up.

He didn’t know whether to be relieved or more worried.

He’s a grown-ass man. I need to support without hovering, he thought. I want to beat the snot out of those podcasters and the monster hunters who chased him. I hate seeing him so afraid. We need to tell the sheriff. This might be the kind of thing that takes a village.

Quinn talked himself out of calling Madden, although he checked his messages for an update. He knew his friend barely had time to mobilize his squirrel brigade, let alone surveil the forest, but Quinn was antsy and wanted to do something.

Instead, he worked off his nervous energy refilling bird feeders and checking the food for the deer and other animals. Quinn couldn’t get to every picnic area or campsite in one day, but he did his best to stop in a couple of times each week to make sure everything was as it should be.

When his phone rang, it surprised him to hear Liam on the other end. “What’s up?” Quinn asked.

“Dan’s a cryptid shifter, isn’t he?” Liam jumped right in.

“Umm…” Quinn hesitated, not wanting to break confidence.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t need to hear it from you. And no one else tattled either,” Liam replied. “I knew he was some sort of shifter, but I couldn’t figure out what. And then I looked up Dover, Massachusetts, and found out that they’re probably missing a ‘demon.’”

Quinn sighed. “Please don’t tell people until Dan’s had a chance to get settled. I’m not sure how out about the shifting he wants to be, at least until he gets to know people. It’s not like the usual forest animals.”

“Has he talked to Armel yet? Because if any of the tourists get a glimpse, they’re going to report it.” Liam sounded concerned.

“Not yet. I’m working on him. It’s just a lot all at once, when he’s just moved here.” Quinn fidgeted in his seat. He agreed with Liam but didn’t want to break confidence with Dan or seem unsupportive.

“While I was poking around the websites about Dover, I found a rather alarming podcast,” Liam said. “All about sighting the Dover Demon and chasing it. They placed a bounty on catching the demon. From the comments, people were interested in claiming the prize.”

Quinn hesitated and realized he had run out of plausible deniability. “Yeah, it’s true. That’s why Dan got here in the middle of the night. He heard the podcast and left right away. We don’t know if people will figure out where he went, and how to keep that from endangering him and all the rest of the people with abilities in Fox Hollow.”

“Hmm,” Liam replied, and Quinn visualized the librarian’s fox form with its bushy tail swishing. “I might be able to help, at least a little.”

“How?” Quinn had already wracked his brain for ideas and come up short. Everything he had thought of seemed too complicated or too likely to lead to exposure.

“I know a lot of researchers and hackers,” Liam said. “They love a good challenge. Unmasking a villain is top of the list. I think we start with finding out the real names of the podcasters and the would-be hunters in the comments and make them public as well as report them to their employers for making threats.”

“I like it.” Quinn felt the stress in his chest loosen, at least a bit.

“Some of the other things, like a protection order or a lawsuit, won’t work without revealing Dan’s identity and his whereabouts,” Liam went on. “But if my network of hackers can get any legitimate dirt on the podcasters and bounty hunters, maybe law enforcement can go after them for other crimes, and Dan doesn’t need to get involved.”

“I’d be very surprised if these assholes don’t have a long list of people they’ve stalked and blackmailed,” Quinn replied. “As for the bounty hunters, odds are good they’ve either shot or captured regular people by mistake, which ought to count for something.”

“I love a challenge,” Liam said brightly, as if they weren’t discussing life and death. “Let me see what my network can find, and I’ll keep you posted.” He paused. “Oh, and please don’t mention that part to the sheriff. Sometimes what’s necessary isn’t entirely legal.”

“I understand,” Quinn said. Given that he was ready to join a posse to put the fear of God into the podcasters and would-be bounty hunters, he recognized the moral gray zone and found himself surprisingly comfortable with it.

“How about the dragon?” Quinn asked. “Any leads?”