Maeve #2
"You've got that look." Peak's voice pulled her back.
"What look is that?” she asked.
"The one where you're five steps ahead of everyone else,” he said.
She smiled faintly. "I think Wren wanted us to shut the whole operation down."
Peak leaned forward. "Why do you think that?" he asked.
"If she'd only wanted me to rescue her—” Maeve tapped the coordinates they'd recovered from Mercer. "She would've left me an address."
Peak nodded slowly. "But she didn't."
"No, she left us the infrastructure."
Warden frowned over the rim of his coffee mug. "Can you put that into English, please?"
Maeve looked at him. "The women aren't the business; they're the product. The information is the product."
Peak finished the thought. "If Director loses the servers, he loses the organization."
Warden slowly lowered his mug. "So we're not saving one woman."
"No." Maeve looked back at the map. "We're saving all of them by taking down the servers. And I’m betting that we get Captain back that way too.”
Silence settled over the booth. It was Peak who finally broke it.
"I don't think Wren expects us to rescue her first." Maeve hated how much sense that made.
Her little sister had always thought three moves ahead.
If Wren had managed to leave clues, then she'd also have known Maeve would come for her unless she'd deliberately tried to stop her.
"Wren knew I'd chase her,” Maeve said.
Peak nodded. "So she gave you something bigger."
Maeve swallowed. "She trusted me to figure it out."
"No." Peak's voice was gentle. "She trusted you to finish what the two of you started." The distinction mattered more than she expected.
Her phone vibrated—not the burner, but her own. Peak immediately reached for it before stopping himself. He looked at her instead. "Expecting anyone to call?"
She shook her head. "No." The screen showed an unknown number. There was no caller ID, and no location. It just said, incoming call. Warden subtly rested one hand beneath the table, closer to the pistol hidden beneath his jacket.
Maeve answered, but didn't speak, and neither did the caller. For several long seconds, there was only silence. But then, she heard breathing and a woman’s voice. It was shallow and uneven, and Maeve’s heart started hammering. "Wren?"
"Maeve.” The world stopped when she heard her sister’s voice. She sounded older and weaker, but it was unmistakably Wren.
Maeve's eyes immediately filled. "Oh, my God.” Peak's entire body went still next to hers. She gripped the phone so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Wren.”
"I'm here." There was a long pause on the other end of the call. "They're listening." Maeve looked toward Peak. He was already opening his tablet and typing, trying to trace or locate the call.
"Wren.” Maeve forced herself to stay calm. "Are you okay?"
A tiny laugh came through the speaker. "You shouldn’t ask that because you might not like the answer."
"I need to know,” Maeve said.
"I'm alive." The words nearly broke her. Peak held up two fingers, and she knew that he needed her to keep talking to buy him two minutes. Maeve nodded almost imperceptibly.
"I found your message."
There was another quiet laugh. "I knew you would. Tide Before Dawn. You were always better at puzzles."
Maeve shook her head. "No, I had help." Her eyes drifted toward Peak, but he didn't look up from the tablet. His fingers flew across the keyboard, and she could tell that he was getting close.
"Wren,” Maeve whispered, "where are you?"
"I can't tell you,” Wren said.
"Why not?" Maeve asked.
"They'll know it was me." Peak silently held up one finger, letting her know that he still needed a minute. Maeve's pulse quickened.
"Wren.” Maeve breathed.
"I need something,” Wren said.
"What is it?” Maeve asked. She’d give her sister just about anything that she asked for.
"If—” Her sister hesitated. "If I don't make it—”
Maeve's heart stopped. "No, listen to me."
"No,” Wren said. "You need to listen to me right now."
Maeve squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't."
"You can." Wren's voice became stronger. "You need to know this. They're not just taking women; they're building something."
"We know." Peak looked up sharply, and Maeve continued. "We found Bayview."
"You found Voss,” Wren said. It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Maeve looked at Peak, and he nodded. They were right—Dr. Voss mattered.
"Wren,” Maeve said. Peak silently counted down. He needed just thirty seconds, and Maeve's throat tightened. "What do I do?"
Her sister answered without hesitation. "Burn it to the ground."
Maeve frowned. "What?"
"The servers." Peak stopped typing, and his eyes met hers. Wren continued, "Don't save the data; destroy it."
Maeve's stomach dropped. "But there are thousands of files in there. You’ll lose the evidence,” she said.
"I know,” Wren whispered. Maeve could hear emotion creeping into Wren's voice. "But if those servers stay online, they'll never stop."
Peak whispered, "She's right."
The line crackled, and Wren's breathing changed. "They're coming."
"Wren!" Maeve shouted.
"I love you,” Wren said.
Tears spilled freely down Maeve's face. "I love you too."
"Tell Mom—” Maeve's breath caught because their mother had been gone for years. Wren caught herself, and a tiny, broken laugh escaped her. "Sorry, old habit.”
Maeve smiled through her tears. "Mom already knows what you want to say, Wren."
"I hope so." The call disconnected, and Maeve stared at the phone. The diner around her faded away.
Peak quietly took the phone from her trembling hand. "No trace."
She nodded. "I figured." Her voice barely worked. Peak reached for her hand, and this time, she held onto him like he was her only lifeline. It wasn’t because she was falling apart, but because she finally knew that Wren wasn't waiting to be rescued.
She was fighting, just like she'd always believed, and for the first time since this nightmare began, Maeve wasn't chasing a ghost anymore. She was racing toward the finish line.
Peak squeezed her hand gently. "So, what now?” he asked.
She looked at him and nodded. "We end this." Maeve looked back toward the map at the old seafood plant and the hidden data center beneath it. That was where the Director believed he was untouchable—but he wasn’t.
A slow, determined smile spread across her face. "No."
Peak frowned. "What?"
She stood, sliding the coded strip into her pocket.
"We don't end it." Her green eyes met his.
"We bury it." For the first time since she'd walked into the Grave Prowlers' clubhouse, Maeve wasn't reacting.
She had a plan, and the Director had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He'd let two hackers compare notes.