Forbidden

Subterfuge

The third member of the party was driving, but she followed Scott's lead and introduced herself as she merged onto the highway. Her accent was a blend of her latina heritage and Boston, and whenever she turned her head, Luca glimpsed a silver ring in her eyebrow. Definitely not a Slayer, then.

"I'm Luciana, but you can call me Luce. Only my girlfriend calls me Luciana, and that's because she enjoys busting my balls."

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Luca, but I guess you already know that."

Van huffed but said nothing. Luce bounced in her seat like an excited puppy. "Man, I was so pumped when Nancy here asked me to tag along. We've wanted to get some shifters with the Delts for a long time, but-"

"Luce," Nancy warned.

"Shit, my bad."

Scott laughed, sending vibrations through Luca. "That's why we don't take Luce anywhere. She can't keep her mouth shut."

"Is she saying anything you're not going to tell us anyway?" Luca asked, tired of this dance around the truth. There was only one reason they wouldn't be truthful with them, and that was because they still weren't sure if Luca and Van would be part of the group.

"You'll get answers, Luca. We don't have the authorization to give them to you."

"Who does?" Van asked. "That's the first person we want to see."

Simultaneously, the three stiffened, and Nancy cleared her throat. When she looked into the back seat, her porcelain skin had somehow gone even more pale. "If you have the file, then I'm sure it can be arranged."

"Looks like we'll have to come to some arrangement then," Van replied, crossing her arms as she turned away from the window. Luca put his hand on her knee and squeezed, hoping she would take it as the warning he intended it to be.

"Van, please. We're all on the same side."

"No, Nancy. We're not. I'm on my side. I'm done being a part of other people's agendas, and I have something you want. I won't give it up for free."

"Luca. Tommy told us you were levelheaded. Can't you reason with her?"

Van's response, while worded less politely than he would have liked, mirrored his own feelings. He didn't want to hand over the flash drive without a few assurances. Even if he didn't agree with her, his answer to Nancy would have remained the same.

"I'm on her side."

"We're here," Luce announced, turning down a dirt road about ten miles outside of Briarwood. Beyond Thornton, even.

Luca had never been so far from home, and the tension inside the car had distracted him from paying attention to the world outside. They hadn't traveled far enough for the scenery to differ greatly from what he saw every day, but every tree and stone sent a thrill through him just because he had never seen it before. For the first time, he felt free.

"This is your headquarters?" Van didn't sound impressed.

"Sorry, we can't all have castles," Luce quipped. "And no. It's one of many spots we use. We alternate between different places so if they expose one, we're not out in the cold."

"Luce, dear god woman," Scott shouted. He dragged his fingers down his cheeks, rolling his eyes to the heavens until only the whites of his eyes were visible.

Van snickered and slid out of the car. Luca followed behind and took her hand in his while they waited for their escorts to stop bickering.

Wherever this place was, they had received several more inches of snow. Enough so that no blades of grass poked above the icy crust. A sprawling farmhouse stood about twenty yards in front of them. Mature trees surrounded the building, their gray branches naked save for a light dusting of snow. It would have been a peaceful place if not for the armed guards posted by the door and the corners of the house.

"You know," Luca whispered as they followed Nancy into the house. "This feels like old times?"

"What do you mean?"

"You, being all prickly and sour. Don't get me wrong. I like that you look at me all soft and sexy like now, but sometimes I miss your sharp edges. Good to know they're still there."

She snorted. "You're a strange one."

"Ah, I see you didn't deny that you look at me all soft and sexy like."

"My mother always told me that silence is a more truthful denial."

"Ouch," he said, grabbing his chest with one hand while tightening his grip on hers with the other. Now was not the time or place for this light banter, but he needed to hear it. Needed to know they were both okay.

"If you two are done flirting, you can wait in this room," Nancy said, opening a door to the left.

Van shifted her booted feet on the threadbare runner covering the dented wooden floors, but neither of them moved to go inside the dim room. Luca looked down the hallway, taking in the surroundings. Fading and peeling floral wallpaper dominated the upper half of the wall, while the bottom half was covered in dated, dark wood panelling. A musty odor clung to the house, making him wonder if the roof leaked. This was the hideout of a group struggling to get by, not one ready to take on a group like the Holy Asylum of Light.

"Come on. I promise I'm not going to lock you in there and leave you," Nancy said, rubbing her temples. "We all know both of you could get out if you wanted to."

"I don't even think I'd need a Blessing. I would just have to shake the walls until they fell down." Van pushed on the door frame to prove her point. "Fine, but I'm hung-"

"Van?" Luca shouted as her mouth fell open and she swayed.

"Walker."

Then she slumped forward, only his swift reflexes saving her from falling to the floor.

He pushed her hair out of her face and checked her pulse. Nancy was down the hall, shooing a little boy out of sight. Luca, convinced Van's breathing and pulse were steady, studied the child, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar.

"Can you carry her?" Nancy asked, returning to their side after issuing a stern warning to the child when he poked his head back around the corner.

"Of course."

"She'll be okay. She just had a shock, but we can put her in bed in case she needs to sleep it off."

Luca cradled Van in his arms as they walked up the stairs. Every board groaned beneath his weight, and her head lolled slightly to the side as he shifted his grip to walk through a narrow doorway. Putting her on the bed Nancy led him to, he again checked her pulse before giving the Slayer his full attention.

"What the hell kind of shock would make her faint? Van isn't some fainting damsel."

"I don't think it's my place to tell you."

"Bullshit."

"I promise. When Van wakes up, we'll tell you everything. We've got a lot of explaining to do, and I just hope she listens."