Luca

Where are you? I need you.

The two sentences crowded Luca's already jumbled thoughts, and for what felt like the hundredth time, he pulled his phone out to respond. And like each time before, the message thread below it stopped him. That conversation was the reason he wasn't out with his pack pretending to help hunt down Rosita. He did everything he could to cover up any tracks he found along the way without raising suspicion, but now, he had to pray his aunt was far enough away to be safe.

He hadn't set out to ignore Van. After discovering the truth about Livy and his declaration to his father, he had needed a moment to sort out his plans. It was all well and good to want something, but achieving it required planning. Luca wasn't so lost to his anger that he couldn't remember that, and Van was already in place to help him. Had promised to do whatever was necessary. But then a day turned into two... then three and four.

He sighed and hunched lower in his coat. Cold seeped into his bones from the brick wall behind him, and he wished he was at home in the family parlor, surrounded by his parents and siblings while snowflake clumps as big as his hand swirled down from the heavens. As if privy to his thoughts, a small cluster landed on his lashes, making him blink until the powder became icy liquid sliding down his cheek.

Messaging Van after so long felt wrong. Like he was using her, and that had never been his intention. He cared for her far more than he should, and the dangers involved in keeping her in his life finally hit home. If Abe could upend the pack so easily to find Rosita, what would he be willing to do for his daughter? Until Luca was certain there was no other way to rescue Brantley and Livy, he was going to leave her alone.

His phone dinged, and a bit of the tension eased from his frame as he read the response.

Price: She's fine. I saw her go into Wanda's with a bunch of Novitiates.

Luca: Thanks, man.

Well, he would leave her alone as far as she was aware. There was no way he could receive a message like that from her and not make sure she was okay, but he tried to play it cool. Van knew him well enough to choose her language carefully, and as he suspected, she was trying to make him emotional enough to respond. It had almost worked.

"Dude, it's freaking cold out here."

Yeah and you're almost thirty minutes late, Luca thought as he slid deeper into the shadows.

Tommy didn't look at the shifter across the alley. With bare hands almost blue, he struggled to unlock the door. He slipped inside, and to Luca's ears, the lock clicking back in place was louder than a gunshot. Two minutes later, a door at the back of the alley creaked open.

"Why is it colder here than out there?" Luca demanded, facing Tommy after shutting the door. The lights remained off, but he could see the bulky shape of the other man.

"I'm not paying to heat this place when I'm not here. The Asylum doesn't pay that well," the tech guy replied, adjusting the thermostat and pointing to another door. "We're going in there."

"I thought we would meet at your place like always. Coming to the middle of the Warehouse District seems a little risky."

Luca settled into a plush armchair in the new room. Unlike the rest of the building's interior, the walls were covered with drywall and a pleasant neutral beige. There were no windows, and when Tommy flicked on the light, Luca noticed the door was sealed well enough that even splinter cracks of shine shouldn't escape to the other side. The only other furniture was a chair and big desk. Everything else was tech gear.

"You don't think people wouldn't start to ask questions if you were showing up at my house all the time?"

Luca knew the answer even as he asked, "Do they really keep tabs like that?"

Tommy raked a hand through thinning blonde hair. "I received a verbal warning after someone reported they saw you leaving my place. Don't know how they knew and didn't catch on to the fact that Van was there, but I'm fairly certain you and I would both be locked up or worse if they'd known that bit of info."

"Man, I'm sorry-"

"It's fine. I've always known someone might say something one day about being too friendly with shifters."

"So why are you helping me again? It's not worth risking your life."

"One second."

Tommy's fingers flew across the keyboards and screens hanging from the wall flickered to life. Some showed empty rooms within the warehouse, flickering as cars drove by and filled the room with artificial light. Others flashed code Luca couldn't begin to understand, but whatever Tommy saw or read on those screens relaxed him.

"Look, I do want to help you, but I gotta be honest, dude. My motives aren't completely altruistic."

Luca leaned back in the chair, laced his fingers together, and settled them over his stomach. Leveling a hard stare at Tommy, he said, "I gotta admit... I'm okay with that. Makes me feel a little bit better about putting you in this position. Not to mention, something tells me you've got something big going on. Why else would you have a place off the radar like this?"

His friend cracked a grin. "Man, I've been telling them for so long you were meant to work with us."

Us. Luca's skin tingled with possibilities. For so long, his options had been limited in the fight against the Slayers. The rest of the Supernatural world cowered in fear, too afraid to help the shifters if it meant earning the attention of the Slayers. Vampires were the enemy of everyone. And of course, humans were generally banned from knowing anything about any of it unless they were Slayers.

"Who are them and us? The Slayers? Surely, you don't think I'd work with them?"

"Hell, man. No. I can't really tell you much right now because I don't have that kind of clearance. I told them you reached out to me about Proteans. You wanted to see the genealogy files, which of course led to finding out about the Rosita situation."

"You didn't know?"

"We had ears to the ground, and we knew the rumors. The Supreme is doing his best to keep information from leaking, but you cracked it wide open for us. So, I guess me helping you is sort of a thank you and a bit of reciprocity."

"So, you've got the files?"

Tommy hesitated and Luca swore. When he'd calmed down enough to think straight after Livy's capture, Luca started connecting dots. Where one Protean survived, there had to be others, and when he rescued his brother and cousin, he would need a place to hide them. Where better than with the people who had been hiding successfully for centuries?

"Look, those files get flagged every time they're accessed. I can't go digging around in them without raising suspicion. Besides, everyone has the same idea you're getting."

"And what idea do you think I'm getting?"

"You want to find the others."

Luca considered denying it and then shrugged. "I really just want to look at Rosita's file. Find her mother."

"You're too late. They took her into custody two days ago."

He was on his feet and pacing, vision flickering between animal and man. Tommy wisely kept his mouth shut while Luca processed everything. This put him back at square one. In some ways, it was worse than square one because no matter what ideas he seemed to come up with, he found the Slayers ahead of him.

"So why do you want me? What can I offer you?"

"You have a connection we don't have."

"No, no, no," Luca snarled, slapping his hands on the desk hard enough to rattle Tommy's monitors. "It's not even like that."

"No?" Tommy asked, pulling something from his bag and pushing it across the table.

The photo was grainy, but it was clear enough to damn them both. It was taken the night Van met him in the shifter cemetery. His hand was cupped against her cheek, and she was leaning into his touch. Anyone looking at it would think they were about to kiss.

Luca's voice was flat when he spoke. "I trusted you."

"And you can still trust me. This wasn't taken to be used as leverage."

"So you're not blackmailing me with this? You're not putting my life, my family's life, and maybe even Van's on the line?" When Tommy's mouth worked without sound, Luca held up his hand. "Save it. What do you want?"

"Dude, I promise. This was taken because we've been wanting to approach you for awhile now, but we gotta do our research. And even though I don't know Van well, I know enough to wonder why she's suddenly all aboard the Slayer train. Makes me think she's helping you."

He said nothing. Let the traitor keep talking and maybe he would slip up, giving Luca a way out of this mess.

"Here." Tommy handed Luca a flash drive. "There's a file on the Supreme's computer that we need access to."

"And you want Van to sneak into his office, in the middle of a building filled with Slayers, and just casually download a file?"

"Not quite."

He frowned. "I'm not following."

"The file isn't on his computer in the Asylum. It's on his home computer."

The flash drive felt hot in his hand, but he couldn't stop the wheels from turning in his brain. Van might actually be able to do this, and he hated that he was willing to ask it of her.

"What's the file called?"

"The Countess," Tommy replied, handing him a card.

It was solid, shiny black. In the center was a white triangle hugged by a red infinity symbol. Flipping it over and finding it blank, he shot a dark look at Tommy.

"Black light on the back will show you a phone number. When you've got the info, give it a call. We'll be waiting."

"If you're not giving me the files on Rosita, why am I doing this? There's nothing in it for me and Van."

"Get that file. I promise you'll get a hell of a lot more in return. Have I ever done you wrong?"

The card went into his back pocket, and he gave Tommy a weak smile. "No, I guess not. I'll talk to Van. I can't promise anything until she agrees."

"Of course. It's probably best if you slip out first."

"Yeah, thanks man. I'll contact you if it's a go."

Tommy's hand landed hard on Luca's arm, stopping him before he could leave the room. Turning the lights off, he nodded but didn't remove his hand. "Hey, I never asked if you figured out what caused Van to act so loopy that night? She have a concussion?"

He thought back to the night of their "not" date. The bruises on her face was something he'd prefer to forget all together. "I don't know. She was sick the entire day after, so maybe?"

"Hmm, okay. I just wanted to make sure she was fine."

The racing pulse in Tommy's neck belied his casual tone, but Luca was too keyed up to worry about it. After all, what did it matter now? Van was better, and she seemed to have no lasting ill effects.

Back outside, he walked several blocks before pulling out his phone. The meeting with Tommy had taken more time than he thought, but not so long that Van wouldn't still be at Wanda's. No one would question if he showed up there, and it would give him a chance to leave her a note without an incriminating text. Not that he much cared for seeing her hanging out with her new school buddies.

Luca: Van still at Wanda's?

Price: No, she left about twenty minutes ago. Heading out to the levy with the same crew. I headed home. Figured it wasn't worth getting caught by one of them.

He didn't respond to his brother-in-law. Not even a thank you. Wishing he could shift, Luca sprinted down the sidewalk, ignoring the strange looks he received from the few people willing to brave the frigid evening. This was another reason he hated coming into the middle of town. Too much metal and concrete and not enough freedom. His animal felt caged, and right now so did the boy. There was only one reason the Novitiates took people out to the levy, and if they hurt one hair on her head...

Where are you? I need you.

"Just hold on."