“Yes,” Beth said sharply. Noa glanced at her again. Every so often, Beth’s hands would move to her neck, her fingers gently rubbing at the skin. Noa frowned in confusion.
“Is your neck sore?”
Beth dropped her hands as if her skin had suddenly become a naked flame. A heavy blush infused her cheeks. “I’m fine,” she said but kept her eyes focused on the window. Noa knew something was up with Beth. She shook her head, understanding from Beth’s body language that she wasn’t going to tell her anything, and it suddenly dawned on her …
“Michael.” Noa turned onto a back road that would lead them to the location. Beth whipped her head to face Noa, shocked. Noa’s stomach turned. “That was where he bit you.” In the days afterward, Beth had refused to talk about what had happened in the back room of the Brethren barn. Michael didn’t remark on it either, but that was no surprise; he never talked. “Did he hurt you?” Noa asked. “Did …” She sucked in a breath. “Did it violate you?”
Beth ducked her head, her deep flush spreading to the tips of her ears. “Beth?” Noa pushed, then Beth shook her head. And Noa realized—Beth had liked it.
Noa opened her mouth to say something else, shock and concern running thickly through her heart, but before she did, Beth’s eyes narrowed on the road. “This isn’t the way to the planned location.”
Noa’s heart started beating too fast. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel and she pushed down harder on the gas. The van moved quicker down the country road. Noa had cut the headlights long ago.
They weren’t far away now.
“Noa.” Beth sat forward in her seat, searching the barren area around them. “Noa, where are we going?” she asked, her voice tighter. Noa pushed the van harder. Dusk was darkening the sky. “We’re not going to the planned Witch Finders location, are we?”
It was several strained seconds before Noa said, “No.”
Beth swallowed hard. Noa turned the van onto a country lane, then pulled off the road to take shelter in a copse of trees. The van stopped, and Beth said, “Where are we, Noa?”
Noa stared straight ahead. “Perdition.”
Noa watched the shock, then stark fear engulf Beth’s pretty features. Beth began to shake her head. “No.” She frantically gestured to the ignition. “No, Noa. Take us away from here, right now!”
“I can’t do that,” Noa said coldly, gritting her teeth. She looked out of the window. The sky was almost pitch black. If she was lucky, no one would be there. She prayed it would be a quick break-in and extraction. “It’s here,” Noa said to Beth. “I know it is. It’s the only feasible place Auguste would keep his ledgers. I just know it.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Beth said. “Dinah said we were to scout the other places first. This was the last resort. If we’re caught—”
“You won’t be,” Noa said. “I’m going in alone.”
“Going in?” Beth shrieked in a raised whisper. “We’re here to scout. Not go in. We haven’t prepared for that.”
“If it’s empty, it’s our only chance to search it.”
“Noa, this is Father Auguste’s favored—”
“I know what this place is,” Noa said, cutting Beth off. “I’ve been here, remember?” Heavy silence stretched between them. “I’m going in alone,” Noa said. “You are staying here. I’m not arguing about it.” In her peripheral, Noa saw Beth’s hand dive into her pocket. She snatched the retrieved cell phone straight from Beth’s hand.
“Noa, give me that back!” Beth demanded.
“You’re not calling anyone.” Stubbornness and a deep well of familial protectiveness kept Noa stoic in her decision. Beth was looking at Noa, wide eyed, clearly not knowing what to do. “I know this place, Beth. And I won’t see any of our family, or Diel’s family, hurt. But we need that ledger, and I know that bastard has it here. Something inside of me is telling me it is here.” Noa sighed. “If you wanted to hide something that important, you’d do it in your least well-known place.”
“Please, Noa.” Beth’s voice was quiet and broken, as if she’d swallowed shards of glass.
“Stay here, Bethy,” Noa said softly. The sky was now dark enough for Noa to move freely, unseen in shadow. “Do not come after me. I’ll return soon. If I don’t …” Noa let that possibility hang in the air. “You drive home and get to safety.”
“Noa—”
“Promise me,” Noa interrupted. Beth began to shake her head. “I haven’t asked you for anything, Beth. Ever. Not once in our lives. But I am asking you this now. Let me do this. I can do this. But I have to do it alone. I …” Noa composed herself from the flash of sadness that burst in her heart. “I have to do this for Diel. For Cara.”
“Noa …” Beth’s voice was wounded. The Coven was a sisterhood. They always had one another’s backs. It was against everything they stood for to allow another sister to do something so dangerous on her own.