Van
The look on Luca's face might have been comical if things weren't so serious. As he continued to stare at her without speaking, she nodded while tracking the lithe movements of the Slayer across the restaurant. So far, Trixie had not spied them, but she was engaged in a tense conversation with what appeared to be one of the staff.
"B-but how? Has the Riviere been compromised?"
She thought of the tale he told her. If Trixie was here, it was more logical to think she had no ill will toward anyone inside the building. Otherwise, this place would be swarming with Slayers. But even with that thought in mind, Van didn't want Trixie to catch her having dinner with a shifter. What if she felt obligated to turn her in?
"We should leave," she whispered, gathering her things to get up. It would be best to go now, while Trixie was occupied.
"Wait, Van." Luca's expression was contemplative. "If Tommy's job with the Holy Asylum of Light is a cover..."
"Then maybe there are others working inside the organization," she finished, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "I've always thought Trixie was softer than the others. She was pissed the night they brought your little brother in."
"Yeah, but-"
"But what?"
He swiveled around in his chair and flattened his palms on the table. In the back corner of the restaurant, a string quartet began to play, taking over for the pianist. The notes danced around the room, sweet yet mournful, and Van felt a shift in the room. The steady hum and chatter softened as people strained to hear, their desire to speak squashed by a stronger desire to listen. Without the noise, Van felt even more exposed.
But when she opened her mouth to repeat her request to leave, Luca grabbed her hand and guided her to the dance floor. Several other couples were present, their footwork complicated and flawless. Luca twirled her to silence her protests, but it wasn't the sudden movement that stole her voice. It was the heavy weight of his hand on her waist.
"She's being led to the kitchen." He spoke directly into her ear. "She was going to walk right by us."
"Oh." Van swallowed her disappointment. For a moment, she thought maybe this had been a romantic gesture. A poorly timed one, but all the same... Turned out she was wrong on both accounts. It was a perfectly timed distraction.
Luca stiffened and pulled back. His eyes searched hers for a moment before he tugged her closer to his chest. She relished the solid warmth and wondered how he could make her feel both safe and scared at the same time. It was a question she easily answered when he dipped and twirled her again, his full lips stretched into a charming smile as he pulled her back to him. She knew he could protect her with his strength and speed. In fact, he already had on more than one occasion. It was her heart that was in danger when she was around him.
"You don't have to keep up the pretense," she said, grabbing his shoulders to catch her balance after a particularly fast spin. "Trixie isn't in the room."
"Well, that's a shame," he replied. "I like holding you."
"Luca," she said, swallowing hard as they held one another's gaze. So many unspoken wants passed between them. So many obstacles fell away as heat flashed through his dark brown eyes.
He jerked as if she'd struck him. "Shit."
They were on the move again, weaving through tables fast enough to draw attention, but no one stopped them. Luca never let go of her hand, his grip tighter than necessary but not painful. Van grit her teeth in a facsimile of an apologetic smile as her hip careened into a table. There would be a bruise tomorrow.
"Luca," she hissed when he finally drew to a halt.
"I just saw Tommy."
"Tommy? Tommy as in the guy who has been spying on us?" Her mouth went dry, and she had to work spit back into her mouth to speak again. "Do you think he was lying about the other group? Do you think they were setting us up?"
"If we were anywhere but the Riviere, maybe. It would be a very Slayer-like thing to do, but since they're both here-" He slapped his forehead and crinkled his nose. "I bet this is their base. I literally can't think of a better place to hide from the Asylum."
"Does that mean we can skip the mission to steal from my father?" She hoped Luca thought she hesitated because of fear. She could barely admit to herself that her feelings toward her father had softened. A few kind gestures over the last few days didn't make him father of the year, but right now, he was the only parent she had.
"I doubt it."
"Why can't we sneak into the meeting? If they know we found them, then they have to let us in, regardless."
They stepped back to let a black and white clad server pass. When the man was out of earshot, Luca turned to her. "Van, being recruited by them doesn't mean we get to skip the hard, scary stuff. It means they'll ask us to do bigger, harder things, but that's not a terrible idea."
She grumbled. "Could've fooled me."
Luca laughed and brought her hand to his mouth. He pressed a kiss on the back of her hand and then froze as it hit him what he'd done. She blushed but didn't pull away. The imprint of his lips felt burned into her skin, and she finally understood all her silly middle school friends who declared they'd never wash their hands again after their crush touched them.
"I meant," Luca's voice was raspy, and he cleared his throat. "I meant your idea about crashing their meeting. I don't like feeling like someone's puppet. I want to see who I'm working with before we do their dirty work for them."
"Well, let's start with the kitchen."
No one stopped them when they walked through the swinging double doors. Van's stomach growled as the savory scents of roast chicken, rosemary, and garlic assaulted her nose. A puff of warm air carried the aroma of fresh bread as they pulled it out of the oven. They sliced through the flaky loaf before plating it next to a golden pat of butter that looked as if someone churned it in-house.
"I promise I won't send you home hungry."
"That would definitely be two strikes."
Luca cut his eyes at her. "What was the first?"
"Um, we ended our first date with a pack fight."
"Thought that wasn't a date."
Van gasped. "I- you know what I meant. It wasn't-"
"What are you two doing back here?"
She jumped, but Luca remained calm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a black card. It glimmered in the harsh fluorescent lighting, and she glimpsed a red triangle before Luca handed it to the woman blocking their path. It was the same woman Trixie had been talking to.
The woman examined the card for nearly a minute before she fished a light pen from her pocket. Whatever the black light revealed, it must have been enough to ease her concerns.
"You're late. They started ten minutes ago, and you know they don't like stragglers."
Luca's voice dripped with genuine contrition when he replied, "I'm sorry. We had a bit of a problem avoiding attention. We thought it was better to be late than cause suspicion."
It was the perfect thing to say. The woman pointed to the back. "Go to the last door on the left. Down the stairs."
"Thank you," Van squeaked.
"I swear they're bringing you in younger and younger," was the only response she got.
"That was too easy," Luca said.
"Too easy! I need to reapply deodorant. I was sweating the entire time she was looking at that card. What was that card, by the way?"
"Tommy gave it to me. It's how we're supposed to contact him, you know. After."
After she betrayed her father. The thought sobered her, and she didn't say another word as they tread the dim hallway. Van had been working against her father for some time, and she knew helping Brantley and Livy escape was a betrayal. But copying that document felt far more personal.
Of course, she knew what her father stood for, and she knew it was wrong. Even Hailey knew it was wrong, and they indoctrinated her from birth.
"Oh crap, that reminds me," she said, touching his arm. This was a terrible time to bring up Hailey's request to help rescue Luca's family, but she didn't want to forget again.
"Just a second," Luca whispered, pushing open the door to the stairs. It whined so loudly, Van thought the hinges must be about to fall off. "If they didn't know someone was coming, they do now."
She peered down the stairs, her stomach knotting as she considered what waited for them at the bottom. Right now, it was just her and Luca against the Slayers, and she didn't hate that arrangement. What if these people were no better or even worse? She was tired of being a slave to someone else's agenda, but she also knew if change was going to happen, it would take more than two people.
She squeezed Luca's hand. He hadn't let her go since the dance floor. He returned the pressure, and they both nodded.
"Let's do this."