Page 31 of Never Bound

“You’d be surprised at how often that turns out to be the case,” remarked Milagros.

“The case never went to trial, let alone made headlines,” Erica went on. “She paid a fine and left the country a week later. Somebody pulled some major strings for her. You probably don’t need three guesses as to who. However, what’s even more interesting is the home address she listed on the police report.”

“Two-eleven Cholla,” I said. “Same as the late, unlamented Gerhard Langer.”

Erica nodded. “My guess is that if your sister is anywhere, it’snotat the warehouse. It’s at that address. The warehouse may just be another stage in whatever the grand plan is.”

“Grand plan? So you think Resi is actually working with Langer? Why would she have helped Maeve and the other girls, in that case? Unless that’s also part of the grand plan?”

“Will you two stop saying ‘grand plan?’” demanded Louisa. “We don’t even know if thereisa grand plan.”

“Oh, there’s a grand plan, all right,” I said confidently.

“Your guess is as good as mine as to why she helped them, or at least let them think she was helping them,” continued Erica.

“So you think there’s no rebellion in the works? Maeve was lied to?”

“I didn’t say that,” said Erica neutrally. “But we’ll know more once we check.”

“Check? We?” I asked.

Erica rolled her eyes. “Yes, we.That’swhat I was going to explain on the phone before you went off all half-cocked, if you’ll forgive the expression.”

Milagros, who so far had mostly observed, turned to Louisa with a thoughtful sip of her wine. “Your boy here seems to have a real problem with accepting help,” she said.

“He’s not mine,” Louisa said automatically.

That didn’t sound good.

“He’s his own.”

That sounded okay, actually.

Erica continued, “If you’d stayed on the line long enough, I would have told you we have people who specialize in these kinds of things. Free people, who have better methods available to them than those available to you and your sister,” she said. “Such as running away and going into permanent hiding.” She peered critically over her glasses.

“I don’t recommend life on the run,” Milagros remarked. “It may sound glamorous, but you can only dye your hair in a gas station sink so many times before it loses whatever appeal it once had.”

Erica continued, “If we can locate her, we can get her somewhere safe where you can still see her. In the best-case scenario, we work with lawyers who might even be able to prove that she was freed. Either way, no one will hurt her again. You have my word.”

It all sounded incredible. Better than I ever could have hoped for, frankly, and more help than I ever expected to be offered.

I turned to Erica and took a deep breath. “I appreciate everything you’re offering. More than I can say. And the information. But actually saving her is something I have to do myself. Maeve is my sister. I tracked her this far, and I’m the one who needs to find her.”

Erica sighed, exasperated. “I don’t know how else to put it, but this isn’t about your pride. We’re talking about your sister’s safety. Her life.”

“I know that better than anyone.” Selfish, ungrateful bastard. I’d be lucky if Erica didn’t snatch the wine out of my hand and kick me over the back fence. But I didn’t stop. “Which is why I can’t just sit back and let someone else handle it, no matter how capable they might be.” I pushed back my chair. “Look. I need to be the one to look her in the eyes and tell her she’s safe now. That I’m here for her, and that I’ll always be here for her. I failed her once before. And I can’t—I won’t—let it happen again.”

Milagros, however, looked at Erica with an expression only the two of them understood. She placed a gentle hand on my arm. “This isn’t just about Maeve, though, is it? It’s about you too.”

“Well—”

“No one’s saying you can’t be involved,” Milagros continued. “But let Erica and her team help. They have resources and experience that could make—”

“I think I can explain,” said Louisa.

Three heads turned to look at her instantly.

“Look, Erica, I know you’re the expert on this stuff,” she continued with a quiver of stage fright in her voice that reminded me why I was the supposed actor and not her, “and I’m just an ignorant college girl. Before I methim, the most rebellious thing I ever did was skip school to go stand in line at a designer sample sale. I-I don’t know what all this might involve, or what we’ll need to do. And I know that just by allowing us to be here at all, let alone helping us, we already owe you more than we could ever repay. But this is something he’s got to see through—for Maeve, yeah, but also for himself. The weight he’s carrying around since he lost her—it’s heavy. It’s really—” She paused to suck in a delicate breath, her shoulders shaking. I mean, knowing her, it didn’t surprise me that she was crying. But it did kind of surprise me that she was crying rightnow.Okay, maybe that didn’t surprise me, either. But I did wonder why it seemed to be suddenly coming from someplace very personal, and I did feel like shit for not being able to comfort her. But I didn’t dare. Not yet. “It’s really heavy. I’m sorry.” She looked up like she was afraid Erica was going to kickher.

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