“You worry too much. Have I told you that?” Nic asked as he tucked the phone into the crook of his neck.

Lucas’ exasperated sigh made him smile. “Yes. If I’d kept track of the number of times you’ve told me that in the past couple of months, I’d have quite the tally by now. It doesn’t alter the fact that I am justified in my concern.”

Nic snickered as he shuffled through his handwritten notes. “Well then, you know what I’m going to ask next.”

Lucas groaned. “Do you have any idea how stubborn Shaun is when it comes to talking about his feelings? Especially if those same feelings are the ones he’s using to fuel himself? I’d have more luck prying a mouthful of teeth from a furious werewolf and coming out unharmed.”

“Then just continue to sit around fretting and worrying,” Nic told him.

“That’s not really helpful,” Lucas said.

Nic rolled his eyes. “What do you want me to do about it then, Lucas? I’m not there to talk to him. You’re the one worrying yourself into a mental corner, not me. If you’re that worried about him, then you need to be the one to talk to him. Have you talked to him about what’s going on between you two?”

“Oh certainly. While he’s been spending half his time training furiously, and the other half trying to play detective, I’ve had many conversations with him about possible romantic feelings between us,” Lucas replied caustically.

Nic grinned. “It’s nice to see you can still be a snarky ass. That’s not going to help you get him to talk, though. C’mon Lucas, just talk to him. Just get it all out of the way in one go, and do it before I get back.”

“When will you be back?” Lucas asked.

Nic glanced up at the loud groan from the cot a few feet from him. “Well, after this, I should be heading back your way.”

Lucas snorted. “Was that a sexy groan just now? Or are you…?”

Nic winced at the unfinished sentence. “There’s nothing sexy about this, but don’t worry, I’m not up to anything unpleasant either. This gentleman and I are going to have a little talk is all.”

“You know that doesn’t really make me feel any better,” Lucas said.

Nic shook his head. “This one is just a possible recruit. I want to see if he can give me any names or at least describe anyone to me. I promise I’m being extra good.”

“Are you telling me you aren’t worried about him?” Lucas asked, switching topics without preamble.

Nic wasn’t really sure how to reply to that, not in any way that would make Lucas feel better. Of course he was worried about Shaun, but worrying incessantly wasn’t going to do any good. Shaun hadn’t been himself ever since they’d received news that Matt Masters had been found dead. The normally friendly and jovial hunter had become reclusive and almost sullen. He’d become obsessed with finding the one who had killed the man who’d been like an uncle to him all his life.

His main suspect was someone within the hunter collective known as the Brotherhood. The same collective Nic had been investigating for months before either Shaun or Lucas believed them to be anything more than a group of harmless hunters. Nic’s suspicions had been enough to convince them to help him investigate, which is what had led them onto Masters’ property in the first place. Masters had used the place as a source of revenue from rich people wanting to hunt on his land and to secretly train future hunters. It also served as a place to unwind for veteran hunters.

The three of them had suspected Masters of being part of the Brotherhood. They’d tried to get as much information as they could without rousing suspicion and had managed that feat for all of a week. The Brotherhood had been wary of them from the beginning and had attacked the three of them when they were separated and thought to be vulnerable. That attack gave Nic all the information he needed about the Brotherhood’s true plans. The collective claimed they only wanted to bring hunters together to prepare for what they felt was an inevitable war with various supernatural factions around the world. Their hidden plan was to seize power in the hunter world by any means necessary, including turning on their own and taking the power and resources of the other Council hunters by force.

Lucas and Shaun had ended up confronting Masters, who swore he knew nothing of this secret plan, even though he’d supported the group for months. Nic hadn’t been as convinced by his story as Shaun, but he’d kept it to himself. With Masters dead under such suspicious circumstances, Shaun was driving himself to find those responsible and to bring the Brotherhood down. The hunter saw the collective as responsible for the death of his surrogate uncle, and as a dire threat to his parents, who were Council members.

“He’s just…very dedicated,” Nic finally said.

“Obsessed would be the word I would use,” Lucas replied.

Nic couldn’t really argue with that. “Can you blame him? I mean, it would be easy to just say Masters died of a heart attack, but I’m not a big believer in coincidences. Someone killed Masters, and the Brotherhood is still gonna be gunning for Anne and Jacob. You really think they’re going to go along with what the Brotherhood is aiming to do?”

Lucas’ snort was harsh. “What? To prepare to fight a big ass war that would spill out into the mundane human world? I don’t think they would, no. And as I’ve told him repeatedly, I understand completely why he’s so worried about the Brotherhood. I’m not exactly happy about the idea that Anne and Jacob are targets, either. I just…I don’t know. Do you know the last time I heard Shaun laugh at something, like really laugh, and not that fake laugh he does for his parents? I can’t even remember.”

Nic watched the unconscious hunter on the cot stir again. “I can’t say I remember either, but I haven’t been around you guys in awhile.”

Lucas sighed. “I miss having you around. You always know how to make him laugh. Anne and Jacob know something is up with him, but he’s not telling them anything. It just feels like we’re drawing out the inevitable, and we need you around to help.”

“I am helping,” Nic said in annoyance.

“I mean with the personal, emotional things. I’m out of my depth here, and you always know how to cut through tension like it doesn’t exist,” Lucas said quietly.

“I’ll be back soon, I swear. I do miss you guys,” Nic admitted, distantly amazed that it was the truth.

“I hope so,” Lucas said.

Nic cocked his head at the hopeless tone in Lucas’ voice. It hadn’t just been Shaun he’d been worried about. It wasn’t like Lucas to appear so hopeless in the face of a few emotional problems. Sure, the guy wasn’t exactly the most adept when it came to dealing with emotions, his own or others. Yet, just as the past couple of months had made Shaun into a nearly obsessed madman, Lucas had become withdrawn and meek. Lucas was one of the most self-sufficient and capable people he knew, both personally and professionally, and it was disturbing to see him act so helpless.

“Not just Shaun I’m worried about,” Nic admitted.

“Wait, who else are you worried about?” Lucas asked in surprise.

Nic laughed. “You, ya stubborn ass.”

“Me? What did I do?” Lucas asked, still sounding bewildered.

“You might think you’re amazing at hiding whatever is going on in that head of yours, but you’re as obvious as Shaun is. He might be obsessed, but you’re hiding,” Nic told him as he shuffled his notes into a binder.

“I didn’t…” Lucas began, trailing off into silence.

Nic raised a brow. “What, think you were that obvious? No, you have been. I just haven’t said anything because I was waiting to see if you would either get over it on your own, or talk to someone about it when you were ready.”

Lucas scoffed. “And there’s a time limit to how long you were willing to wait, then?”

Nic leaned back, tracing the lines of the dirty ceiling tiles with his gaze. “A lot of the time I just go with my gut, Lucas. It’s a pretty reliable system overall. I decided to leave well enough alone with the two of you, to give you both time to work through your shit on your own, if that’s what you wanted. But now my gut is telling me you need to be the one to talk to Shaun, about both his recent behavior and what’s going on between you two. It’s also telling me you aren’t going to tell anyone what’s going on in that head of yours until you’re forced to, so guess what we get to talk about when I get there?”

“That’s really not necessary. I’m just worried about Shaun, and I don’t like you out there by yourself,” Lucas said, voice tight.

Nic scoffed. “Since when? You and I both know I’ve done more dangerous shit than this on my own.”

“You might know that, but I don’t. You haven’t exactly given me a breakdown of every little thing you’ve ever done. How many things in the past have compared to your current job of digging up names and places of a secret group willing to kill to get what they want?” Lucas asked.

Nic grimaced. “Alright. Admittedly, trying to get information about a group that already knows I exist and wants me out of the way takes a spot high on the list. But I’m pretty good at keeping out of sight and off their radar. So long as I keep moving and don’t use a previously used alias, I’ll be fine. It’s you guys that are the bigger targets. You’re staying in one place rather than moving around like I am. I’m really surprised you haven’t had any issues.”

“We’re in a place with a bunch of other hunters, who would serve as witnesses. So long as we stay here, we’re safer than if we were out in the field,” Lucas said.

“At least until the Brotherhood decides to move on Anne and Jacob,” Nic said in an attempt at dark humor.

“Which is partly the reason we’re still here. Until we know more details of their exact plan, we feel it’s safer for everyone if we’re here. I would rather be here if the Brotherhood attacks than out in the field,” Lucas said worriedly.

Nic could see several things wrong with that logic, but decided against voicing them. Lucas already seemed weighed down enough by his worries without Nic adding to them. He knew they had the sense to be wary around any hunters that came in, and to monitor any food shipments they received. There was only so much they could do to keep safe when the Brotherhood was lurking in the shadows waiting to strike.

“You guys got the last list of names, right?” Nic asked.

“Yes, and thank you for making sure I was the one to get the list. The last thing I need is for Shaun to see it and try to go after one of the people when they come in here. Kudos on your organizational skills by the way,” Lucas commented with a faint chuckle.

Nic smiled, “I figured you might like that. Also kind of figured that if I sent the original notes, I would end up with an angry voicemail from you as you tried to decipher what the hell I was going on about.”

“Shorthand kind of guy, eh?” Lucas asked.

“Look, when you’re hiding in the bushes listening in on a conversation, you have to scribble shit down as quickly as possible,” Nic told him.

“Well, in any case, I did what we agreed on when it came to the list, so maybe we’ll get some more information soon,” Lucas said with a rustling sounding in the background.

Lucas used the list of names Nic gathered so he could nose through the possessions of the hunters on said list. That meant going through their vehicles and supplies. If they had a computer, all Lucas had to do was slip in a flash drive containing a few extra programs and that would give them remote access. The programs were courtesy of a “friend” of Nic’s, and they hadn’t come cheap since they had to be capable of avoiding any sort of detection and incredibly effective at gathering information for them.

Nic nodded. “Good, then we can compare notes and come up with something soon.”

“I hope it’s soon. I don’t know how long I can keep Shaun in one place,” Lucas sighed.

Nic watched his “guest” stir again, eyelids fluttering, and knew his time on the phone was coming to a close. “Just listen to me for once, and talk to him, okay? Nothing is going to get settled while you’re too scared to talk to him. Just do it.”

Lucas sighed. “You’ve gotta go?”

Nic shook his head. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. By the time I get there, you better have at least tried to talk to him. And I mean a real attempt, okay? I’m serious.”

“I’ll see you soon. Be safe Nic,” Lucas said before the line beeped to signify Lucas had hung up.

Nic stared down at the phone, snorting to himself before pocketing it as the hunter on the cot rolled over to stare up at him blearily. The drugs in the guy’s system were wearing off fast, and understanding was beginning to dawn in his pale-eyed stare. Nic gazed back, keeping his face impassive as he wondered just how desperate the Brotherhood was getting. The hunter gazing up at him didn’t look old enough to even be able to buy alcohol legally. His dark blond hair was in need of a cut, and he was unsuccessfully trying to hide his fear. Was the Brotherhood trying to bring in inexperienced hunters because they needed numbers that desperately, or because they were simply trying to get them before they were exposed to the current hunter paradigm?

“Who the hell are you?” The kid, whose name was Toby, said with a bravado as flimsy as wet tissue paper.

“Someone who wants to have a chat with you,” Nic said calmly, allowing a thin, sharp edge to enter his voice as he leaned back in his seat nonchalantly.

“About what?” Toby asked, trying to make it sound like a demand.

Nic picked up a knife from the desk beside him, casually twirling the wicked looking weapon in his hand. “You’ve made some new friends, Toby. They’re very dangerous friends to have, and I believe you can tell me about them. As a matter of fact, I’m very sure you will tell me all about them.”

Toby’s pale-blue eyes widened at the sight of the knife as he tugged faintly at the expertly tied ropes around his wrists and ankles. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Nic leaned forward, hating being the cause of the look of fear in Toby’s gaze. “Yeah, you do. You really do. And whether or not you leave this room in one piece is going to be determined by whether or not you tell me a few stories.”

By the time Nic left the abandoned barn he’d been using, Toby had inevitably told him everything he knew. The young hunter was unconscious again, and would wake up in a few hours, alone. All he would have left was a headache from the drugs, and the small bag Nic had left. Toby would find a gun, ammo, his phone, and a wad of cash. If the kid was smart, he would disappear until everything had blown over, especially since there was a fake passport nestled below the cash. Nic could be ruthless when necessary, but he also knew compassion had its place. He’d done what he could for the poor bastard, but the rest was up to Toby. When Nic drove off, with the crumbling barn in his rearview mirror, he honestly wished the kid the best.