fearful in the face of threats and adversity. Some of our allies have closed their doors to us."
Moira said, "What do you expect? They don't see the point of fighting when they think they just have to be good little children, and when the end comes they worry about their own souls and no one else!"
"Moira!" Anthony said harshly. "That's enough."
Rafe leaned forward and said softly, "She's right and you know it."
If Rico noticed the friction, he said nothing, commenting instead on the state of the mission. "I've been authorized to provide any resources necessary to restore the mission as quickly as possible, and Anthony is the best to oversee the project."
"So Anthony is going to Italy," Moira said, "and you're taking the demon to Olivet. What do Rafe and I do? Sit around and twiddle our thumbs?"
Rico said, "You will continue to do what you need to do."
"Can you be a little more vague?" Rafe said.
"Raphael, we need to find out exactly what happened to you during your coma, or you could be a risk to all of us."
Rafe slowly rose from his seat. "I am not a risk."
"That's not what he meant," Moira intervened. "Rico."
"But that is what I meant," Rico said flatly. "I appreciate loyalty, but for ten weeks the coven had Rafe under their thumb. We don't know what they did to him, and we need to know. I have every available man searching for members of Fiona's coven. Any luck with Richard Bertram?"
Skye said, "I'm still working on a subpoena for destroying Rafe's medical records, but Bertram claims it was an accident."
Rico dismissed her legal authority, and Rafe saw it irritated the sheriff. Rico said, "Make no mistake: our primary responsibility is to capture the Seven before we lose more lives. And second? Find and destroy the Conoscenza." He looked at Moira. Something crossed his face, but when Rafe tried to figure out what had disturbed Rico, the trainer's cold, blank expression returned.
For a split second, Rafe thought Rico had looked scared.
"That's my job," Moira said lightly, belying the seriousness of the conversation.
"Yes it is," Rico said softly.
Something was wrong, and it bothered Rafe that he couldn't put his finger on it. It had to do with Moira, and by extension her safety. He would damn well figure out what was going on.
Skye's phone vibrated on the table, and she grabbed it up and excused herself, walking outside onto the deck.
"Where's the girl now?" Rico asked, changing the subject.
"The girl?" Rafe asked.
"The arca."
"Her name is Lily," Rafe said.
Anthony shot him a glance. Rafe wasn't about to back down. Rico could damn well think of Lily as a person. When she was thought of as anything less, she'd become expendable, a martyr to the cause. Rafe wasn't going to let that happen to the teenager that Father Philip died to save.
"She's with Deputy Hank Santos," Anthony said. "He has assisted us."
"I read your report," Rico said impatiently. "Santos was affected by one of the demons; he may be susceptible again."
"Jared is keeping an eye on the situation," Moira said.
"The girl's--" Rico hesitated, then said, "Lily's boyfriend? So we have hormones involved? Can we trust his judgment, considering he was willing to participate in an occult ritual ostensibly to save his girlfriend?"
"He understands the situation now," Moira said. "He's not going to make the same mistake."
"All it takes is one mistake. He either exercised poor judgment or he was under the influence of a spell. Either way, he's weak."
"He's not weak," Moira defended Jared. "Young, but not weak. I'll work with him."
"Then he's your responsibility," Rico said, showing his irritation and his true colors. Rico did not like mistakes, not even one. "You'd better keep him in line."
"One mistake is all it takes to die," Rico had told Rafe during his training at Olivet. "One mistake and people you care about die. One mistake and you lose your soul."
Skye stepped back into the room and cleared her throat. "If you're done bickering, I
Moira said, "What do you expect? They don't see the point of fighting when they think they just have to be good little children, and when the end comes they worry about their own souls and no one else!"
"Moira!" Anthony said harshly. "That's enough."
Rafe leaned forward and said softly, "She's right and you know it."
If Rico noticed the friction, he said nothing, commenting instead on the state of the mission. "I've been authorized to provide any resources necessary to restore the mission as quickly as possible, and Anthony is the best to oversee the project."
"So Anthony is going to Italy," Moira said, "and you're taking the demon to Olivet. What do Rafe and I do? Sit around and twiddle our thumbs?"
Rico said, "You will continue to do what you need to do."
"Can you be a little more vague?" Rafe said.
"Raphael, we need to find out exactly what happened to you during your coma, or you could be a risk to all of us."
Rafe slowly rose from his seat. "I am not a risk."
"That's not what he meant," Moira intervened. "Rico."
"But that is what I meant," Rico said flatly. "I appreciate loyalty, but for ten weeks the coven had Rafe under their thumb. We don't know what they did to him, and we need to know. I have every available man searching for members of Fiona's coven. Any luck with Richard Bertram?"
Skye said, "I'm still working on a subpoena for destroying Rafe's medical records, but Bertram claims it was an accident."
Rico dismissed her legal authority, and Rafe saw it irritated the sheriff. Rico said, "Make no mistake: our primary responsibility is to capture the Seven before we lose more lives. And second? Find and destroy the Conoscenza." He looked at Moira. Something crossed his face, but when Rafe tried to figure out what had disturbed Rico, the trainer's cold, blank expression returned.
For a split second, Rafe thought Rico had looked scared.
"That's my job," Moira said lightly, belying the seriousness of the conversation.
"Yes it is," Rico said softly.
Something was wrong, and it bothered Rafe that he couldn't put his finger on it. It had to do with Moira, and by extension her safety. He would damn well figure out what was going on.
Skye's phone vibrated on the table, and she grabbed it up and excused herself, walking outside onto the deck.
"Where's the girl now?" Rico asked, changing the subject.
"The girl?" Rafe asked.
"The arca."
"Her name is Lily," Rafe said.
Anthony shot him a glance. Rafe wasn't about to back down. Rico could damn well think of Lily as a person. When she was thought of as anything less, she'd become expendable, a martyr to the cause. Rafe wasn't going to let that happen to the teenager that Father Philip died to save.
"She's with Deputy Hank Santos," Anthony said. "He has assisted us."
"I read your report," Rico said impatiently. "Santos was affected by one of the demons; he may be susceptible again."
"Jared is keeping an eye on the situation," Moira said.
"The girl's--" Rico hesitated, then said, "Lily's boyfriend? So we have hormones involved? Can we trust his judgment, considering he was willing to participate in an occult ritual ostensibly to save his girlfriend?"
"He understands the situation now," Moira said. "He's not going to make the same mistake."
"All it takes is one mistake. He either exercised poor judgment or he was under the influence of a spell. Either way, he's weak."
"He's not weak," Moira defended Jared. "Young, but not weak. I'll work with him."
"Then he's your responsibility," Rico said, showing his irritation and his true colors. Rico did not like mistakes, not even one. "You'd better keep him in line."
"One mistake is all it takes to die," Rico had told Rafe during his training at Olivet. "One mistake and people you care about die. One mistake and you lose your soul."
Skye stepped back into the room and cleared her throat. "If you're done bickering, I
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