𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter One Hundred Seven ~

Silence rustled through the van as the siblings were officially back on the road. As Lila looked into the back passenger seats, she saw that Luther, Allison, Five, and Viktor sat slumped in their seats, the wave of drowsiness washing over them. Trailing just behind them through the side mirror, she could see Dusk's car a length away. Turning back to her husband, Lila could see the anger and the small hint of betrayal etched onto his face. Even if he wasn't driving, he couldn't look at her, fearing she habored much more sinister secrets.

"Look, the reason they called me Nancy is-" Lila spoke but Diego quickly interrupted. "I already know," He claimed. "Know what?" Diego sucked in a breath, trying to choose his next words very carefully so as not to piss her off. "I've been following you. You and Vic," He admitted. "Well, that's a bit stalkerish," Lila cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood, but Diego didn't find it funny. "You've been lying to me about book club. I don't know why you're involved in this Gene and Jean business, but you could've at least told me what you were getting into,"

"And why the hell would I do that?" Lila raised a brow. "Because I'm your husband, and we shouldn't be keeping secrets from one another," "You don't know these people like I do, Diego. And knowing you, you're gonna do some deep investigation or something that blows my cover," Lila scoffed. "Since when have I ever done something that almost blew our cover?" Diego questioned. "Remember the consulate in Dallas? Not to mention, you nearly spilled the beans back in Oblivion that I was pregnant with Gracie!" She pointed out.

"First of all, we were being attacked, so I wasn't gonna stand around and get murdered by a bunch of Swedes, and second of all, you're still going to hold that over my head?" The hushed argument between the two continued, but upon hearing the tiniest creak or shift of one of their siblings, they went quiet, hoping they weren't disturbing them. "I know you care about me, but believe me, I'm not some damsel in distress in need of rescuing. I can handle things by myself," Lila insisted. Diego sighed as his focus shifted back to the road. She was right, he may not have agreed with some of her decisions, but she had proven she could handle herself before. It was still one of the things he loved about her.

"I heard what you told Five last night. About Victoria cheating on him. Why were you following her too?" Lila brought it up, remembering his earlier mention. "It wasn't intentional. I had another package drop-off on that road, and I saw her in the cafe with... him," Diego explained, his growing softer with a hint of protectiveness. "With who?" Lila asked for clarification. "Some little Greek guy with a mustache," He answered. Upon remembering Victoria's reaction to the cheating accusation and the shifting look on her face when questioned, laughter erupted from Lila's mouth as she struggled to regain her composure and clarify the misunderstanding. "Is that funny to you?" Diego looked at her incredulously.

Lila coughed, patting her chest as her laughter quickly died down. But as Victoria's contorted look lingered in her mind, she erupted in laughter again. "Yeah, trust me! That is absolutely hilarious!" She sputtered. "Your sister is cheating on my brother, and you're laughing?" Diego questioned her again, hoping to get a serious answer. "Half-sister! Same adopted mother, different birth parents! But still my sister!" Lila corrected. "Diego, the guy, that little Greek guy is Five," Diego's eyes blinked with confusion, how Five could easily look like somebody else was beyond him. Back then, he stuck out like a sore thumb wearing schoolboy shorts, and now he could easily blend in and change like a chameleon.

As Diego looked back into the passenger seat, Lila nodded her head, her grin wider than the Cheshire Cat's. "We've been undercover investigating the Keepers. All three of us," She confirmed. "So, you're working undercover with the CIA too?" Diego asked, still struggling to grasp the reality of the situation. "This is why I didn't tell you, because I knew you'd have some bizarre reaction," Lila sighed. "I'm not having a bizarre reaction!" Diego insisted. "You're acting like I had an affair!" "This is worse than an affair!"