Page 72 of Property of Quake

She lifts the picture. It's a cabin surrounded by trees. Nothing remarkable, but Whitney’s expression tells me that it’s triggered a memory.

Romeo swivels toward her. "You know it?"

"I think so." She sets the photograph down. "Carrie showed me this once."

"When?" I ask.

Whitney closes her eyes, searching her memory. "Months ago."

"What did she say?" Lyric asks, having left his post across the room to join us.

Several seconds pass before Whitney looks up. "She was talking about taking a vacation, wanting to disappear for a while and relax. She pulled this picture up on her phone and showed me, said if she could go anywhere, she’d go there."

Suddenly the air feels charged with possibility, with hope, with… danger.

Romeo grabs his laptop. “Give me the picture,” he tells her, and she hands it to him. Within moments he's searching, comparing, and cross-referencing. The wait feels endless, but then he leans back and smiles. "I found it."

Every muscle in my body tightens. "Where?"

He points at the screen where a little red circle blinks. “There.”

The property sits several hours away on a remote patch of private land. It appears to be off-grid, isolated, the exact kind of place someone would choose if they wanted to disappear.

Or hide a child.

I look at Lyric, and I know by the determination in his expression that we're thinking the same thing.

This is it, the best shot we’ve got to get Melissa back.

Whitney is on her feet so quickly that Stella startles awake. "I want to go."

"No,” I snap.

Her gaze snaps to mine. "No?"

"Absolutely not."

The look she gives me could melt concrete. "Quake."

"No."

"It’s Melissa."

As if I need reminding.

For too many hours I've imagined every possible thing that could be happening to her, and none of those possibilities were good.

"I know."

"Then I'm going." Emotion thickens her voice. "She needs me."

The words hit harder than they should because she's right. Not about going, but about Melissa. Somewhere along the way, Melissa became hers. Not legally. Not yet. But emotionally, completely.

Just as the both became mine.

The same realization seems to strike Lyric at the exact same time. He studies Whitney for several moments before sighing. "I'm guessing telling you no would be pointless,” he comments.

"Completely."