anyway.
Turning to look at the back of her head, he traced the line of her dark ponytail with his eyes, feeling deflated and lost.
Uncle Alex pulled into Zach's driveway and cut the engine. He turned to speak to Lucy, but before he'd even opened his mouth, she pulled the latch and shouldered the door open. The guys all looked at each other, worry cresting through the space around them.
"Are you coming?" Lucy snapped from the front door.
Zach shuffled out of the car and dug out his keys as he approached her. Her heel bobbed erratically, her fingers clenching and unclenching as she waited for him to unlock the door.
"You either need to pee real bad...or you need to calm down."
She threw an evil glare at Elliot's dry statement, which just made Zach laugh manically. The harrowing day was catching up to him. He coughed back his snicker and pushed the door open. She charged past him and made a break for the stairs.
"Lucy!" Elliot shouted as he flicked the door closed behind us.
She froze on the stairwell, clutching the railing as if it was the only thing keeping her upright.
"You can't quit now."
Her blue eyes were vivid as she slowly spun to face him. With her dark hair and pale skin, she looked like Snow White...after eating the apple.
Zach threw Elliot a look of warning, but he ignored it, approaching the bottom step with a pointed finger.
"Lucy Tate. That is who you are. No matter what you call yourself or who you become in this life, you will always, underneath it all, be Lucy Tate...the daughter of Jack and Edith Tate."
The tendons in her neck strained as she drew in a sharp breath.
"You owe it to your parents to keep going."
"Elliot, we screwed up! There's nothing left and now we have to deal with the FBI looking into this! We'll be identified! They'll find us. We're screwed!" She slapped the railing.
Elliot's tongue darted out the corner of his mouth for a second. "They haven't found us yet. We still have time." He sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "I didn't know your parents, okay. And you probably think I have no right to be talking about them, but I know you and..." He swallowed. "And I actually think you're kinda awesome, which means they must have been pretty cool."
Lucy's eyebrows shot up, her blue eyes growing wide. Zach was pretty sure his face was doing the same thing. Elliot was never this nice to people. Zach knew his marshmallow interior existed, but the guy never let anyone else see it.
Elliot walked up the first three steps so his eyes were in line with Lucy's. "Let's just forget about the whole FBI thing for a second and focus on why we're really doing this."
Her forehead creased.
"Because your parents...and you...deserve justice. If it were me, I'd want to honor them, and you can do that by exposing their killer."
Lucy's hands were shaking as she let out a sigh and gripped her forehead. "I want to, but it's too hard. He's too powerful. He'll win."
Flicking a look down the stairwell, Elliot pointed at Zach. "Isn't there some sort of quote about the hardest things to get, being the most rewarding or something?"
There was a stunned pause in the room, before Lucy suddenly snickered.
"You're such an ass, Elliot." She pressed her palms into her eyes and dropped onto the stair. "Why do you have to be right?"
Spinning on his heel, he slumped down beside her, throwing his arm over her shoulders.
"Zach and I are with you all the way...and Alex. You know none of us will be able to let this rest now. And you know we'll have a stronger chance of beating this jackass with your help. He won't win, because we're not going to let him. The little mishap today has just added a certain urgency to our quest."
"Little mishap?" Lucy looked at him incredulously.
"Yeah, well..." Elliot tipped his head. "Okay, a pretty, big, shitty mishap, but still....nothing we can't overcome."
Her jaw shifted to the side as she closed her eyes. "What if you guys get hurt?"
"We'll heal."
"What if he kills
Turning to look at the back of her head, he traced the line of her dark ponytail with his eyes, feeling deflated and lost.
Uncle Alex pulled into Zach's driveway and cut the engine. He turned to speak to Lucy, but before he'd even opened his mouth, she pulled the latch and shouldered the door open. The guys all looked at each other, worry cresting through the space around them.
"Are you coming?" Lucy snapped from the front door.
Zach shuffled out of the car and dug out his keys as he approached her. Her heel bobbed erratically, her fingers clenching and unclenching as she waited for him to unlock the door.
"You either need to pee real bad...or you need to calm down."
She threw an evil glare at Elliot's dry statement, which just made Zach laugh manically. The harrowing day was catching up to him. He coughed back his snicker and pushed the door open. She charged past him and made a break for the stairs.
"Lucy!" Elliot shouted as he flicked the door closed behind us.
She froze on the stairwell, clutching the railing as if it was the only thing keeping her upright.
"You can't quit now."
Her blue eyes were vivid as she slowly spun to face him. With her dark hair and pale skin, she looked like Snow White...after eating the apple.
Zach threw Elliot a look of warning, but he ignored it, approaching the bottom step with a pointed finger.
"Lucy Tate. That is who you are. No matter what you call yourself or who you become in this life, you will always, underneath it all, be Lucy Tate...the daughter of Jack and Edith Tate."
The tendons in her neck strained as she drew in a sharp breath.
"You owe it to your parents to keep going."
"Elliot, we screwed up! There's nothing left and now we have to deal with the FBI looking into this! We'll be identified! They'll find us. We're screwed!" She slapped the railing.
Elliot's tongue darted out the corner of his mouth for a second. "They haven't found us yet. We still have time." He sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. "I didn't know your parents, okay. And you probably think I have no right to be talking about them, but I know you and..." He swallowed. "And I actually think you're kinda awesome, which means they must have been pretty cool."
Lucy's eyebrows shot up, her blue eyes growing wide. Zach was pretty sure his face was doing the same thing. Elliot was never this nice to people. Zach knew his marshmallow interior existed, but the guy never let anyone else see it.
Elliot walked up the first three steps so his eyes were in line with Lucy's. "Let's just forget about the whole FBI thing for a second and focus on why we're really doing this."
Her forehead creased.
"Because your parents...and you...deserve justice. If it were me, I'd want to honor them, and you can do that by exposing their killer."
Lucy's hands were shaking as she let out a sigh and gripped her forehead. "I want to, but it's too hard. He's too powerful. He'll win."
Flicking a look down the stairwell, Elliot pointed at Zach. "Isn't there some sort of quote about the hardest things to get, being the most rewarding or something?"
There was a stunned pause in the room, before Lucy suddenly snickered.
"You're such an ass, Elliot." She pressed her palms into her eyes and dropped onto the stair. "Why do you have to be right?"
Spinning on his heel, he slumped down beside her, throwing his arm over her shoulders.
"Zach and I are with you all the way...and Alex. You know none of us will be able to let this rest now. And you know we'll have a stronger chance of beating this jackass with your help. He won't win, because we're not going to let him. The little mishap today has just added a certain urgency to our quest."
"Little mishap?" Lucy looked at him incredulously.
"Yeah, well..." Elliot tipped his head. "Okay, a pretty, big, shitty mishap, but still....nothing we can't overcome."
Her jaw shifted to the side as she closed her eyes. "What if you guys get hurt?"
"We'll heal."
"What if he kills
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