Lyla sat in the passenger seat of yet another stolen car. She didn't like it but was quietly relieved that Adley was not the driver tonight. He'd teamed up with Merissa, taking another vehicle.

Lennon gently rapped his fingers on the steering wheel, watching the entrance. They were situated at the corner of the nearest street to the Exeter Bridge.

"I want a promise out of you, Lyl's."

Warily she turned to Lennon, who was still watching the tunnel entrance. He didn't look away for even a second.

"What kind of promise?"

"That you follow my lead. Don't let emotions take hold of you because you could screw it up, and we're not going to get a second chance at this."

Something dark moved. Lennon caught a brief glimpse in the side view mirror. The figure opened the back door and slid into the car.

"Carson," Lennon said softly. "What brings you to my new office?"

"I have orders, and you need to back off."

"Of course you do," he said dryly. "Lyl's, where's my promise?"

"Uh, sure," Lyla said vaguely.

She turned to look at Carson, who tipped his head as a greeting. Lyla was wary of this vampire. She had no idea what he was like. Their interactions had been limited to a few minutes which was not enough in her opinion.

"What are your orders?"

"I am to take your daughter and him to the boss. Anyone in there helping him is to be destroyed."

"Told you," Lennon said.

"You have orders to collect my daughter?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Lyla smiled, and for the first time since arriving, Lennon turned to look at her. A heavy frown was given.

"What?"

"Do not assume that everyone in this world is your friend, and do not assume that those who are nice at the surface don't have their own hidden agenda beneath the façade."

Lyla warily looked at Carson, who offered nothing in response. She expected him to refute the statements, yet he said nothing. To Lyla, it said a lot. He agreed with the statements which meant that she could not trust the boss man and in turn, she could not trust him.

"Alright, so what does your boss intend for my daughter if she's found alive with, you know, him."

"I don't know his intentions. I know what I was told, and that was bring him in chains and your daughter in chains if necessary."

Lyla frowned at him; Carson shrugged. He didn't care if a human found it offensive. If someone was unruly, then they were put in chains regardless of gender or species. His safety and the boss man's safety were what was necessary.

"Well, what do you think will happen if you take my daughter to your boss?"

"It would depend on her attitude and the situation that she was found in. If she was found caged and about to be sold, then we would expect a frightened child and would ensure that she felt safe. If she was beside him as a partner, we might see resistance and anger for which we would offer chains and a choice. Either settle down or join him in his fate."

When he stopped talking, Lyla frowned harder than she ever had. She thought that it was possible that she was seconds away from lunging at these annoying vampires, punching and screaming that they were wasting her time.

"That does not answer my question. End results for every situation, now."

Carson raised an eyebrow and forced a smile. To him, Lyla came across as somewhat forceful, but it seemed as if it was done to impose a strong image. The tone that was just snapped at him indicated it was not the case. She was forceful. She was strong. He'd underestimated her and that was not like Carson.

"Of course. The worst is a similar fate to him which is death. Clearly, being excommunicated has not stopped him, so this is the next step. If your daughter has chosen to align herself with him, then she has decided her fate. As an almost innocent person in this situation, she will be given a chance to repent. Failure to do so will result in death. Repent and she will go to one of the other possibilities. If she's a vampire, then she will be sent to Fielding Hall to be educated. If she doesn't comply, then it's a path back to death because as a newborn, she cannot be excommunicated. The council have simple rules, Lyla. Newborns are put to death if they do not submit to our rules."

"What if she's still human?"

Lennon shifted in the seat, feeling rather uncomfortable from sitting in one position for too long. His back hurt from the makeshift bed, he was tired from the incredible daytime activities, and he was hungry. It was not a good combination, and to make it worse, Carson was here. Things were not peachy with him at the moment. Things were far from peachy.

Lyla looked at him briefly. When she turned back to Carson, Lyla found that he was gone. It was like the wind flicked the door shut. She couldn't see him anywhere.

"Where did he go?"

"Probably to find another way into the markets."

"He didn't answer my question."

"That's because he didn't want to."

Lyla looked at the vampire, waiting for him to elaborate. After a heavy sigh, Lennon relented with the one tiny piece of information that he knew Lyla would not want to hear. It was like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

"Boss man will keep her."

"Please tell me that this is a terrible attempt at a joke."

"It's not."

"She's sixteen."

"He's patient."

Lyla stared in disbelief. For the second time in as many minutes, Lennon turned to look at her.

"He's a decent man, Lyl's. Not a finger on her until she's eighteen, but when that day arrives, it's fair game, in his opinion. He's the lesser of two evils, in a way."

"Are they brothers, you know, boss and Joe?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Just a few pieces that seem to fit. So, are they?"

"They are."

Taking her hand, Lennon hoped that it would be comforting.

"I know it's horrible and it shouldn't be this way, but this is what happens when humans willingly wander into our world. If she behaves herself and doesn't give him a hard time, she will have a very good life. Boss man is,"

Lennon let out a pained sigh.

"Look, I can't say he's a good man and expect you to believe it as the truth, but if it were me, I'd pick him over Joe any day. How your daughter's life will be within his walls will depend on how she treats him."

"She's a rebellious sixteen year old. How do you think this will go?"

"Dunno, but I think it will sink faster than a lead balloon."