Page 44 of Glow

“Now I can’t stop imagining squirrel assassins,” Dan said, and the mental picture lightened his mood. “Scary stuff.”

“Let’s just be glad that they’re on our side.”

“So how do we get ahold of the trail cam pictures to see if they ID the bounty hunter?” Dan asked.

“I already texted Liam, and he’ll enlist his army of hackers,” Quinn said. “He’s working on it, and he promised to let us know as soon as someone got a lead.”

Dan bought himself time as he sipped his coffee, sorting through a tangle of feelings.

“Talk to me,” Quinn nudged. “That’s your ‘thinking too much’ face.”

Dan laughed. “You already know me too well!” He took another gulp of coffee and set his cup aside.

“I’m grateful to have you and the squirrels and birds looking out for me. Even if the bounty hunter isn’t currently near Fox Hollow, he’s in the Adirondacks, which is already too close. It means he knows I left Dover and followed me to this general area, which is scary as hell. And I’m worried that because he hunts supernatural creatures, there won’t be a way to turn him over to law enforcement to make him leave me alone,” Dan admitted.

“Leave that last part to Sheriff Armel,” Quinn said. “Since I’ve been in Fox Hollow, I’ve learned there are paranormal branches of law enforcement that deal with the kind of crimes that involve magic. He and Liam will know what to do with the information. Odds are good that you’re not the first person the hunter has come after. One step at a time.”

Quinn’s phone rang just then, and he glanced at the display. “Speak of the devil, it’s Liam.”

“I’ll tell him you said that,” Dan teased.

“Don’t you dare!” Quinn took a deep breath and answered the call. “Hey, Liam. Hold on while I put you on speaker. Dan’s here with me.”

“Hello again to both of you.” Liam sounded cheery despite their hunt for a hired killer. “That trail cam footage you sent paid off. I put it out to my hacker friends, and they got a confirmed ID.”

“What did you find out?” Dan felt his heart rate speed up.

“The guy’s name is Ben Harrison, and he’s originally from Maine,” Liam replied. “Werewolves killed his parents and brother when he was a teenager. He survived but swore vengeance. He got the pack that did the killing but didn’t stop hunting. He doesn’t like anything supernatural and takes in a disgusting amount of money claiming bounties on creatures, whether or not they’re dangerous.”

Liam cleared his throat. “Unfortunately, he’s also wrongfully arrested, assaulted, and injured regular people who weren’t cryptids, as well as killing assorted livestock.”

“He’s slippery and manages not to get arrested, although some of the assault charges have stuck and he’s had to pay damages,” Liam said. “His rap sheet for paranormal crimes is probably as long as my arm, but my hackers think he has a powerful witch or two helping him. And since he’s in it now for the bounties, there are rumors he also takes commissions from trophy seekers who want a stuffed cryptid for their den.”

Dan’s stomach dropped, and Quinn paled. “So he’s a real sick bastard,” Quinn said.

“That’s a good way to put it.” Liam didn’t hide the disgust in his tone.

“It’s great that we know a name, but if he’s so good at not getting caught, how do we stop him?” Dan’s anxiety ratcheted up. Quinn took his hand, and Dan could see concern in his boyfriend’s eyes.

“Quinn and I had already agreed to turn over the information to the sheriff, without details on how it was collected,” Liam said. “Not surprisingly, he didn’t ask. I think he might be getting used to me. Now that we’ve got a face and a name, the sheriff can leverage all the non-magical tools like unpaid speeding tickets and active warrants, along with the supernatural ones. Plus, we know who to watch out for.”

Dan took a few deep breaths. “That’s good. Better than we had before, right?”

“Definitely,” Liam replied. “And there’s more. The podcasters are Chet Sutton and Phil Sullivan. Professional agitators on social media, they love riling people up. Chet has been sued by people for calling them witches and getting them fired, and one of the lawsuits says that his podcast led to someone’s house being set on fire. Similar stories for Phil.”

“Both ‘nice’ guys, I’m sure,” Quinn muttered.

“Yeah.” Liam’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Dan’s issues are just the most recent in a long streak. Sutton’s had to go on the run, but he’s apparently not as good at being undercover as he thinks he is. My hackers traced his latest uploads through a series of redirects and think they’ve figured out where he is. We alerted local law enforcement, anonymously, of course. Phil didn’t even try to hide, so that one was even easier.”

Liam paused. “We also turned this information over to some private investigators we know who deal with supernatural dangers. They’re prepared in case Sutton, Sullivan, or Harrison try any curses or dark magic.”

“Wow,” Dan said. “I’m glad you and your hackers are on the side of good instead of evil. That’s awesome work.”

“My professional sworn law enforcement side is going to forget most of those details,” Quinn replied, “but I agree, that’s awesome. I think taking Sutton, Sullivan, and Harrison out of the picture, one way or another, practically counts as a public service.”

“No argument from me,” Liam said. “That’s it. But the info came in after we talked earlier, and I figured you’d want to know as soon as possible.”

“Thank you,” Dan replied. “It helps a lot.”