Page 34 of Bound Vows
The reference to their mother’s cooking seems genuinely nostalgic, though something in Maya’s tone suggests layers of meaning I’m not catching. Alexei frowns and adjusts his headphones, trying to identify whatever subtext is flying over my head.
“Maya, listen to me.” Max’s voice drops to something more controlled. “Whatever they’re making you do and whatever they’ve threatened, we’re going to fix this. Vincent and I have been working with other families?—”
“Max, stop.” Maya cuts him off before he can reveal anything about rescue operations. “Don’t say anything that might make this situation worse for everyone involved.”
“Worse? How could it be worse? You’ve been kidnapped by the same animals who?—”
“Who what, Max?” Maya’s voice carries a warning. “Be very careful what you say next.”
I find myself grudgingly impressed by how she’s managing this conversation. Maya is protecting both her brother and me from inflammatory statements that could derail whatever fragile cooperation might be possible between our organizations.
“The same animals who’ve been expanding into our territory,” Max finishes after a long pause. “Though I suppose that’s ancient history now.”
“Exactly. Ancient history that doesn’t need to be rehashed.” Maya checks the clock on my desk. “How is everyone else? Vincent, Melinda, the baby?”
“Worried sick about you. Melinda cries every night, and Vincent’s been running himself ragged trying to find leads.” Max’s voice carries bone-deep exhaustion. “We blame ourselves for letting this happen.”
“Don’t. This isn’t anyone’s fault.” Maya’s gaze finds mine again. “Sometimes circumstances force us into situations we never expected, and we have to make the best choices available rather than the ones we’d prefer.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m learning to adapt to new realities, just like Dad taught us.” Maya adjusts herself in her chair. “Remember what he used to say about survival? How sometimes you have to work with people you don’t like to protect the people you love?”
“Maya—”
“I need you to trust me on this, Max. I need you to believe that I’m doing what’s necessary to keep everyone safe. Can you do that for me?”
The silence stretches for nearly thirty seconds before Max responds. “I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it. You just have to trust that your sister knows what she’s doing.”
“Time,” Alexei announces, tapping his watch.
I hold up one finger, indicating Maya has a few more seconds to conclude the conversation, though I have no idea why. I should’ve shut this down the second I realized she was passing information, just as I threatened to do, but God help me, something inside me wants to please her beyond all reason.
“Max, I have to go.” Maya’s voice wavers slightly for the first time. “But I need you to know that I’m okay, and I need you to make smart decisions rather than emotional ones.”
“Maya, wait?—”
“I love you. Give my love to everyone else and remember what I said about Mom’s sauce recipe.” Maya reaches toward the phone’s disconnect button. “Take care of yourself.”
“Maya, don’t hang up?—”
The line goes dead, and Maya slumps in her chair with relief. For several moments, the study remains silent except for the soft whir of recording equipment and the distant sounds of Manhattan traffic below.
“Well,” I comment while studying her face, “that was educational.”
“He knows I’m alive and unharmed. That should reduce his desperation enough to prevent him from doing anythingcatastrophically stupid.” Maya straightens in her chair. “You have what you wanted.”
“I suspect your brother knows significantly more about your situation than he did five minutes ago.”
Maya meets my stare without flinching. “He knows I can see trees and tall buildings. That narrows my location down to half of Manhattan.”
“Along with references to your mother’s secret sauce recipe and your father’s survival advice.” I lean forward with my elbows on the desk. “Childhood memories that carry more meaning than casual observers might realize.”
“Nostalgia makes people sentimental during stressful conversations. I was reassuring my brother with familiar references that remind him of happier times.” Maya crosses her legs and adopts an expression of innocence. “Surely you don’t object to a sister comforting her worried family.”
Alexei clears his throat from his monitoring station. “She passed location intelligence. The park reference combined with elevation indicators will help them narrow the search area considerably.”
