Samantha's POV
The room's heavy tension felt as though I might be drowning in it. Lila stood against the wall, her weak, quick breaths accompanied by wide-open panic. Whichever game she had been playing, she was now in over her head, hence I couldn't help but feel sympathy for her. Royce was a name with more weight than we could have ever dreamed, and her eyes revealed fear.
But compassion was not going to save us. Not immediately.
"You have to decide, Lila," Alex remarked, his voice cool but forceful. His eyes stayed fixed on her face, and I could still see the strain of betrayal imprinted in his expression. "You either help us or you're on your own.”
Lila looked at Alex and me, desperation clear in every motion. She was computing, trying to decide whether we were worth the danger. B
