Page 71 of Property of Quake

"How much smarter?"

"The phone was only active for seven minutes."

My jaw tightens. "That's not much."

"No, but it only takes one mistake."

Romeo isn’t our secretary because he likes to take notes. No, he’s earned that title because he doesn’t miss a fucking thing. He can’t, not with his eidetic memory. Add in his tech skills, and he’s not only invaluable, he’s irreplaceable. We’re fucked if anything ever happens to him, and we all know it.

The man built an entire reputation around finding mistakes. People lie, hide, and cover their tracks, but eventually they screw up. The question isn't whether Carrie made a mistake. It's whether we'll find it before she disappears with Melissa forever.

A chill runs through me at the thought, but I shove it aside immediately.

Not happening, not on my watch.

A chair scrapes across the floor. I turn to find Lyric approaching. He looks as tired as the rest of us, maybe more. Melissa isn't just Whitney's kid or Sacred Haven's kid anymore. Somewhere along the way, she became ours. The transition happened so gradually I don't think anyone noticed. One day she was a frightened little girl hiding behind Whitney. The next, she was a Kings of Anarchy princess.

"What've we got?" Lyric asks.

Romeo points at the screen. "Burner pinged near Spokane six hours ago."

My pulse jumps. That's the first useful thing I’ve heard since he found the burner phone.

"Near Spokane isn't a location."

"No," Romeo agrees. "But it's a direction."

I stare at the map. Hundreds of possibilities still exist, but for the first time since the kidnapping, we're no longer blind. Right now, that's enough.

It has to be.

The front doors open, drawing every eye in the room as Whitney steps inside. I was so engrossed in the chaos of the common room turned war room that I hadn’t even noticed she went outside.

The sight of her makes my chest tighten. She's exhausted, her eyes red from crying, fear written plainly across her face. Yet somehow, she's still standing, still moving, still fighting. Most people would've fallen apart by now.

Whitney spots me immediately and crosses the room. Without thinking, I meet her halfway.

"Any news?" she asks. The hope in her voice hurts because I don't have nearly enough to give her.

"We've got a location."

Her eyes widen. "Melissa?"

"Maybe."

Disappointment flickers across her face, but determination replaces it almost immediately. "What can I do?"

The question doesn't surprise me. It's exactly who she is.

I glance toward Romeo as an idea starts forming.

"Actually, there might be something."

Fifteen minutes later, Whitney is seated at a table covered with photographs while Stella sprawls at her feet. Mellie retired to the quarters she shares with Lyric, at his insistence, of course. Romeo has pulled images from Carrie's apartment, social media, financial records, and every backup he could uncover. Individually, none of them look important. Together, they're beginning to tell a story.

Whitney sorts through them carefully until one photograph makes her stop and call my name.

"What is it?" I ask, joining her.