Lucia blew out a loud breath with a hand perched on her hips and pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment as if she was really contemplating, and Charlotte silently watched her, not wanting to overly push her since if Lucia didn't want to then it was fine. She would have had to go inside alone either way.
Charlotte ran a hand up her arm and kept a neutral expression since there wasn't anything that Lucia needed from Charlotte to make the trip purely worth it if she had to way the conditions, but Charlotte held out hope that Lucia would hopefully be open to lending her a hand despite knowing that doing so could put her in danger.
When it was put like that, Charlotte couldn't fathom the idea of bringing Lucia into the world that was dunked over her head, but she did dreadfully need the second pair of eyes. Charlotte didn't even want to involve a third party in the first place since she didn't want to put innocent lives on the line.
Time was ticking, and Charlotte didn't want to wait any longer since Lucia was taking her sweet time in making her decision. In moments like these, it didn't matter if one was a decisive person or not since weighing out the pros and cons did take time. But it was time that Charlotte didn't have and couldn't play around with any longer after taking so long to get to Vincent.
Charlotte started her way up the stairs to the doors that were unnaturally propped open when Lucia grabbed her arm. "Wait."
"It's now or never."
Lucia grimaced and let go of her arm. It was her clear answer, and Charlotte gave her a sharp nod. "It's okay. I understand, Lucia. Thank you for all of your help. I'll pray that you'll have a safe trip to your next destination."
Charlotte inclined her head for a second before pivoting on her heel to continue the walk up the stairs. She didn't blame Lucia's choice at all as it was one that most would choose. Lucia had a lot to lose while on the other hand, Charlotte's name was already written next to Vincent's in their shared fate.
The eerie atmosphere was sending chills down her spine, and she clenched the door handle before pulling it open and slipping inside the building. She took in all the broken glass and breathed slowly in and out to try and keep her heart rate in check. It was going to be okay. She was going to be fine.
It seemed to be a rundown office building with the foyer all broken down and the desk ahead was torn from the long time of no use. Reaching into the sleeve of the dress, she suddenly realized that she gave her phone to Lucia and forgot to grab it back since she was so preoccupied with other thoughts.
Charlotte turned over her shoulder and hoped that Lucia didn't leave yet just when she saw Lucia run through the doors with her lavender hair flying freely around her shoulders creating a dramatic scene that made her laugh lightly despite the unfortunate circumstances that had first brought them both together.
"Wait," Lucia called softly and waved her hands over for Charlotte to come closer. "You forgot your phone."
Charlotte took her phone and smiled. "Thank you."
Lucia was bent over with her hands on her knees to try and catch her breath before she straightened and put her hands on her hips as she often did now that Charlotte was watching her closer. "I guess I should stay since I'm already here."
Charlotte didn't let her facial expression betray her, but relief floored her body. "The car?"
"It'll stay running. Let's hope that this is a quick mission."
Charlotte nodded. "That's the plan."
There was a split moment of hesitation on Charlotte's part since they needed to go in armed. Having Lucia not, would practically be like going in with dead weight. Charlotte reached for her thigh holster and tossed Lucia the spare gun, knowing that there were limited bullets left on that one, and Lucia caught mid-air and lifted a brow.
"We need to go in armed in case," Charlotte said slowly. "If you turn that gun to me, I swear to God, I will come back and hunt you down to your grave to put a bullet through your heart ten times over."
Lucia gave her a sarcastic okay sign in an overkill of a show of understanding, and Charlotte ripped the other gun from her holster, bringing it up to her chest with the tip pointed down for the little comfort that it brought her before they both took a step closer to the doors that were hopefully housing Vincent in one piece and not the enemy.