18Mine to LoseReese tips the laptop shut. She crosses the room and folds herself into her usual chair.
Jayce slides back onto her barstool. Abby tucks her pencil behind her ear.
I ease onto the wicker couch, and Iris ducks in beside me. Our murmurs cease, and we all stare expectantly at Reese.
Without a word, she’s taken command of the room. But she says nothing. Her mouth twists with a sullen reluctance, and her promise bleats back to me.
She doesn’t want to go after Lucas.
A ribbon of fury snakes through my middle. Reese’s low voice renders it still.
“We’ll send a team to search the property,” she says. “If Lucas is out there, we’ll do our best to bring him home.”
The other girls nod.
“In light of this week’s events, I will bring only those who choose to come. There’s no shame in
