Chapter 100

Chapter 100

He was jealous because he didn't want anyone else's.

The realization should have alarmed Damon.

Instead

It settled into his chest with terrifying certainty.

And that was somehow worse.

The next morning began with shouting.

Not unusual.

What was unusual was that the shouting came from the roof.

Again.

"WHY ARE YOU UP THERE?"

Seraphine yelled from the yard.

Cassian sat on the edge of the safehouse roof eating an apple.

"Fresh air."

"YOU HAVE INTERNAL STITCHES."

"They're internal."

"That doesn't help!"

"It helps me."

Damon stepped outside with a cup of coffee.

Luca appeared beside him seconds later.

Neither acknowledged the fact that they'd left the house at exactly the same time.

Cassian immediately noticed.

Of course he did.

The recovering menace pointed his apple at them.

"There they are."

Damon sighed.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Luca looked toward the horizon.

Pretending not to hear.

Coward.

A vehicle engine sounded from the road below.

Everyone froze instantly.

Instinct taking over.

The mood shifted.

The joking vanished.

Weapons appeared.

Positions changed.

Years of training moving faster than thought.

The black SUV climbed the winding road toward the safehouse.

A familiar one.

Nova.

The vehicle stopped.

She stepped out.

Smiling.

Immediately suspicious.

Very suspicious.

"Good morning."

Nobody relaxed.

"That's rude."

Seraphine lowered her weapon first.

"Brought news?"

Nova's smile faded slightly.

"Unfortunately."

That got everyone's attention.

Within minutes the group gathered around the dining table.

Maps.

Files.

Intel.

The atmosphere became serious.

Nova placed several photographs onto the table.

Program facilities.

Unknown locations.

Possible division sites.

Damon studied them carefully.

While Luca stood beside him.

Close.

Again.

Not touching.

Close enough.

Nova noticed immediately.

So did Cassian.

Which meant the situation was doomed.

Nova pointed toward one of the facility images.

"Division Four."

Everyone focused on the photograph.

Everyone except Damon.

Because Nova casually reached over.

And adjusted Luca's collar.

Like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Like she'd done it a thousand times before.

Like she had every right.

Damon's grip tightened around his coffee cup.

Crack.

The ceramic fractured.

The entire room went silent.

Everyone stared.

Damon looked down.

The handle had broken clean off.

Oops.

Cassian immediately sat up straighter.

"Oh."

No.

Absolutely not.

Nova looked delighted.

Luca looked horrified.

Mira looked confused.

"What happened?"

"Nothing," Damon answered.

"Something," Cassian corrected.

"Nothing."

"Something."

The battle lasted several seconds.

Neither blinked.

Finally Seraphine intervened.

"Focus."

Everyone reluctantly returned to the briefing.

Except Cassian.

Who continued grinning.

Because he enjoyed suffering.

Especially Damon’s.

After the meeting ended, Luca escaped outside.

Which Damon immediately noticed.

Unfortunately.

Because now he was noticing everything.

Again.

Ten minutes later

He found himself outside too.

Coincidentally.

Obviously.

Luca stood near the vineyard fence.

Watching the hills.

Thinking.

Damon approached quietly.

Luca didn't look surprised.

"You followed me."

"I walked outside."

"To exactly where I was."

Damon frowned.

"Coincidence."

Luca's expression made it clear what he thought about that explanation.

Rude.

Very rude.

For a while neither spoke.

The afternoon breeze moved through the vines.

The peacefulness felt strange.

Temporary.

Like something waiting to break.

Damon hated that feeling.

Luca finally glanced toward him.

"What?"

There it was again.

The question.

Because Damon kept staring.

Damn it.

"Nothing."

Luca looked unconvinced.

Reasonably.

Then something shifted behind his eyes.

A tiny spark of amusement.

Dangerous.

"You broke a coffee cup."

Damon immediately regretted coming outside.

"No I didn't."

"You did."

"It was damaged."

"It was fine."

"It clearly wasn't."

Luca's amusement grew.

And somehow

That was worse.

Because Luca almost never teased people.

Yet here he was.

Enjoying himself.

At Damon's expense.

Unacceptable.

The silence returned briefly.

Then Luca spoke again.

Softly.

"You're jealous."

Damon nearly choked.

"What?"

The word came out far too quickly.

Far too loudly.

Luca looked entirely too pleased.

"I didn't even mention a name."

Traitor.

Absolute traitor.

Damon looked away.

The hills suddenly became fascinating.

The sky too.

Trees.

Clouds.

Anything except Luca.

Unfortunately Luca stepped closer.

Just one step.

Not much.

Enough.

"Relax."

Damon narrowed his eyes.

"I'm relaxed."

"You broke a mug."

"It was one mug."

"It died bravely."

The smile finally appeared.

Small.

Real.

And Damon completely forgot his argument.

Because there it was again.

That smile.

The one he kept chasing without realizing it.

The one that made everything else disappear.

For a moment

Neither looked away.

Neither moved.

The distance between them suddenly felt very small.

Dangerously small.

Then a voice shouted from the house.

"LUCA!"

Both turned.

Nova stood on the porch.

Waving.

"Come help me with something."

Luca looked back toward Damon.

Then toward the house.

Then back.

And something unreadable passed between them.

Brief.

Dangerous.

Before Luca finally stepped away.

"Later."

The word wasn't significant.

Shouldn't have been.

Yet Damon watched him walk away.

And immediately hated how much he missed him already.

Meanwhile

From an upstairs window

Cassian lowered a pair of binoculars.

Turned toward Mira.

And solemnly announced:

"They're hopeless."

Mira nodded.

"Very."

Neither realized that downstairs

Hidden inside the folder Luca kept locked away

Was a mission file.

Old.

Classified.

And stained with enough blood to destroy everything Damon was beginning to feel.