Samantha's POV
Lila's unwillingness felt like a cold weight in my gut. She was hiding more than any of us had imagined. The faint light of the safe house flickering above obscured her drowsy features. Alex was behind me, his silence as keen as mine, but I could sense the barely felt annoyance coming from him. Time was racing through our fingers; we could afford no more delays.
Leaching forward and resting my hands on the table, my eyes never turned from Lila's face. Whichever it is, you have to tell us now. Should you fail, we are all mindlessly headed toward something we will not survive.
Her gaze wandered to the door, as though she were considering running away, but then she gasped long, quiveringly. Her eyes expressed a concern that indicated this went beyond Royce's usual performan
