I held up a hand. “There’s more you should know. About Quinn.”
I smoothed my hands across my jeans while Lucas and I exchanged a look.
Samuel caught the glance. “What?”
I bit my lip, then forced out the words. “She’s dead. Holland found her and murdered her.”
More than one face blanched. “Do you know for sure?” Daniel asked.
“We do. He sent us a transmission. He wanted . . . he wanted to make sure we watched while he executed her.” My voice was dull, a complete contrast to the sharp twist of horror inside me as I remembered.
Samuel flinched while Abby’s hand flew to her mouth. “Oh my god,” she whispered. Even Hunter whirled in his seat to look at us, his boyish features taut. Guilt was a string of barbed wire inside me. A visceral reminder that up until he’d met me, Hunter had been perfectly content to read his manga and do normal teen things. I’d dragged him into this mess. These murders.
“Jesus,” Samuel breathed, after several long, silent moments.
“Is someone Holland clearly doesn’t worship,” Lucas said. “You need to keep in mind that he is a cold-blooded killer who will do whatever it takes to get his way.”
He paused to let that sink in, and then continued. “Which is exactly why Mila is on this quest. At no small personal risk, I might add. Probably more than anyone else. She’s made a choice to stop Holland, regardless of her own safety. She wants to make sure he can’t hurt others the way he’s already hurt so many. I’ve made a pledge to join her. Who else is in?”
Lucas’s hand edged across the table until his pinky touched mine. A bare hint of contact, but it was enough.
Across the way, Hunter’s gaze tracked the small movement, his gaze locking on our hands.
Lucas said, “I’ve already let Mila know I’m dedicated to helping, but no one else is bound to my decision. Samuel?”
To my surprise, there was no hesitation on the part of the brawny Scot. “Danger is my middle name. Or it would be, if my mother had given me one.”
“Are you sure about the two-hour window?” Abby said, twisting a strand of blond hair between nervous fingers. “Even if the bomb goes off, we’ll be safe?”
“I’m as sure as I can be,” Lucas said.
She pondered that for a thoughtful moment and nodded. “I’m in too. But I reserve the right to bail at any time.”
“Agreed,” Daniel said. He was in.
All eyes turned to Hunter, who was still staring at the place where Lucas’s hand met mine. I pulled away and folded my hands in my lap, self-conscious.
“You all are crazy. What if she loses control again? Do you really think she can be trusted?” he said, all curled lip and flashing eyes.
Lucas stiffened. “I trust her implicitly.”
“I can see that. Maybe it’s easier when she hasn’t shot someone in your family.”
My hands tightened into a fretful ball. I didn’t open my mouth to defend myself. I had no defense.
“No, but my uncle—Holland—shot someone in hers,” Lucas said. His uncle shot my mom, and yet here I was, trusting him anyway. “It’s okay to want to leave. This is a tough situation, on many levels. And your pain is understandable and fresh, and I’m very sorry for it. But the circumstances are different now. Mila will never be under Quinn’s control again, and that means that I will follow her until this mission is complete, or she begs me to go away. Her bravery and compassion put a lot of so-called real humans to shame.”
Hunter’s lips thinned. He glanced from face to face, and finally shrugged. But beneath his casual pretense, fire lurked. “I’ll do it. If only to be there when she proves you wrong.”
I flinched. It hurt, of course it did. But even Hunter’s grim prediction couldn’t snuff out the glow ignited by Lucas’s words. Somehow, he believed in me.
Daniel clapped his hands together. “Well, then. If that’s all settled, let’s get to planning. We have a lot of work to do.”
TWELVE
Daniel passed out laptops and filled everyone in on what Lucas and I had learned so far. He pulled a stool from a closet, and folded his tall frame so he could sit at the table. I was next to Lucas, Hunter sandwiched in between Abby and Samuel.
“Here’s how it’s going to work. Mila will do a few quick online searches and then assign us tasks based on what she finds.”