As he walked through the living area toward the kitchen, the ceiling opened up above him. He craned his neck, trying to catch a glimpse of Maya up in the loft area where the bedrooms and gym were located, but the place was still. Quiet.
He headed for the back, then paused by the open door when he heard another language—Louisiana French. People displaced by the flooding in southern Louisiana had mostly moved west, into Texas territory or Old Mexico, but a handful had settled in a section of Atlanta known as Little Acadiana.
Although Gray recognized the dialect, he couldn’t speak the language. Maya, it seemed, was fluent. Her voice rolled over him, both drawling and rapid-fire, all at once. He caught words here and there—trouble and doctor …
And then pregnant.
He peered into the workroom. Maya was talking to an older, grandmotherly type, and the woman was pissed. She glowered as Maya scribbled something on a piece of paper, and then sighed when she put it in her hand.
Beyond them, a young woman—a girl, really—with red-rimmed, shadowed eyes sat on a stool. She caught sight of Gray with an obvious jolt of shock. He tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace, so he stopped immediately, and she looked away.
Maya turned to her, her words bringing a spark of hope to the girl’s face. “You’ll be okay, Emeline. I promise.”
“Ouais.” The girl nodded jerkily. “I just feel so stupid.”
“Hey, no. Don’t. You did your best.” Maya gave the girl’s shoulder a gentle pat. “Your grandmother has the address. I trust this doctor, okay? He’ll take care of the abortion and replace that shit implant with the real deal. It’s fast and easy, I promise. And no more side effects.”
Emeline swallowed hard. “We can’t afford—”
“It’s taken care of,” Maya interrupted. “Like I told your grandmother. And don’t think this is charity. I’m trusting you to come back when the harvest is in and put in a day or two doing food prep for the freeze-dryers. I hate chopping vegetables.”
That prompted a small, shaky smile. “It’s not so bad. I don’t mind doing it.”
“Don’t tell me that, or I’ll have you back here all the time.” Maya smiled back, her brown eyes sparking with warmth. “Go on. The doctor will be waiting. T’inquiète. You’ll be fine.”
The girl hurried to where the older woman waited by the back door. Maya said something else in that rolling dialect and waved cheerfully. Her expression held until the door closed behind the pair.
By the time she’d turned to face Gray, there was murder in her eyes. “Wanna help me kill someone?”
“Why not?” He shrugged. “I don’t have any other plans for the day.”
Maya scowled and snatched up a tablet, her fingers flying over the screen. “Apparently, there’s a new quack preying on the more insular communities south of us.”
“I gathered. What does Nina usually do about that shit?”
“Ask them to stop. Then tell them to stop.” She finished her message and tossed the tablet onto the table. “If they don’t listen, she makes them stop.”
There was a bushel of peaches on the long, low table, waiting to be peeled and sliced and readied for the big steel freeze-dryers in the corner. Gray picked up one of the peaches and ran his thumb over the fuzzy surface.
It reminded him of his dream.
He took a big bite, then licked the juice off his hand. “Sounds fair enough.”
She was silent for a beat too long, then jerked her gaze away from his face. “I’m not feeling fair. I’m feeling murdery. All of the snake-oil shit is bad, but the faulty birth control implants…” She hissed in a breath between her teeth.
“Want me to handle it?”
Maya traced one finger along the edge of the peach basket, looking seriously tempted—by the fruit or by the prospect of murder, he couldn’t be sure. Then she sighed. “I don’t know. Neighborhood policing is Nina’s deal. Besides, you’re supposed to be resting, not doing crimes. Even righteous ones.”
“Hmm.” He held out his half-eaten peach. “Want the rest of this?”
She reached out, her fingers brushing his as she accepted the offer. She lifted the peach to her lips and took a small bite, and her eyes fluttered shut. She savored the fruit, chewing slowly as bliss transformed her expression to something almost ecstatic.
“Like Eve in the Garden of Eden,” he murmured.
“What?”
It was a dangerous path—for the conversation and his thoughts. “Nothing. So.” He turned away. “Do you always do what you’re supposed to do?”
“Depends,” she replied. “Mainly on who’s going to get hurt if I don’t. If I drag you out to beat down some punk-ass fake doctor and you have another seizure, Knox will tear my head off. And I’ll deserve it.”
“That’s fair.” Gray tilted his head to one side, then the other. “But, then again … who’s going to get hurt if we wait?”
Maya tossed the peach into the garbage can hard enough to rock it on its base. “Too many people. Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”
“What, beating down some punk-ass fake doctor?” He snorted. “I could do that in my sleep. Relax, Maya. I’m fine.”
“Okay. Let me check in with Tai real quick and make sure Rainbow is still settled in upstairs with Ivonne.” She waved a hand at him vaguely. “Do you need to … I don’t know, weapon up or something?”
As if he’d leave the confines of these warehouses empty-handed. “I’m already armed.”
Her gaze broke from his to skim down his body in a slow assessment. “If you say so. Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”
She hurried out of the warehouse, leaving Gray to wonder what words, what circumstances could induce Maya’s warm gaze to linger on his body for more than a few seconds.
* * *
Maya could always tell when she crossed over the invisible boundary at the edge of their unofficial territory.
When she’d first come to live with Nina, their relative influence had been small. Neighbors for a few blocks in any direction might come to Nina to ask for help or to access her impressive digital library. When you lived on the fringes and couldn’t afford the strings—and surveillance—that came with TechCorps-approved net access, it was hard to find information. People traded battered how-to manuals and books on home remedies like they were black-market contraband—which they would be, if the TechCorps had their way.
The TechCorps really liked being people’s only option for survival.
By the time Dani had joined them, Nina and Maya’s reputation had spread across Five Points. Year by year, they’d added to their offerings, helping people grow their own food, fix their own tech. Giving people the skills and knowledge they needed to step back from the exhausting ledge of struggling just to survive.
Then they’d added the sweetest part. Books about deathless romance and daring adventures. Movies to show you a world you could barely imagine or keep the kids entertained while you stole a moment to yourself. Music to fill the silence, whether it was real or just in your head.