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Quick, simple, and easy.

Still, Max couldn’t stop fidgeting.

Despite his concerns, he was proud of Dallas for doing this. Those wings were nothing to her now but a burden. They were too destroyed to get her airborne. And, even if they’d made it back to Angelthene, she would’ve had to get them removed—or fixed—there.

He lifted his head to see Maya shuffling into the room, that blanket still wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

“Can I talk to you?” she said quietly. Her question was for Max.

He felt a little bitter still, but he told her, “Sure.”

Travis got up and left, leaving the two of them alone. Once brother and sister, now strangers.

Max waited for Maya to speak.

“I wanted to thank you,” she began.

His bouncing knee stilled. “For what?”

“For diving into the canal to save me.”

“You’re my sister,” Max said. At that, her eyes softened. “I already lived through your death once.” He cleared his throat and choked out, “I didn’t want to lose you again.”

An awkward silence descended. They stared at each other from opposite sides of the room, neither of them talking.

Max broke that silence by gesturing to the other sofa across from the one he sat on. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

For a long moment, she looked at the couch, as if her decision was life or death.

“It won’t bite,” he said.

She smiled a little, then sat down, tucking the blanket around her legs. “I owe you an apology,” she began. “I know I haven’t been the sister you remember, but…being in that facility…it changed me. I never thought I was getting out of there, Max.”She lowered her gaze. “And, when I finally did…well, the last thing I expected was to live long enough to see you again.”

Max had to take a moment to process her words.

Maya was apologizing. She wasactuallyapologizing.

Maybe…maybe things could finally be better between them. Go back to how life used to be. Well, for the last two days they had to live, anyway.

“What did you think?” he asked her. “When you saw me, I mean.”

“I was…surprised. And happy.”

“You were happy?”

“Of course,” she said, as if it should be obvious. “You’re my brother, Max. Of course I would be happy to see you.”

He swallowed. “Well, thank you,” he said. “For the apology. And for taking the time to talk to me.”

She picked at a thread on the blanket. “Do you think we can start fresh?” she whispered.

A smile pulled at his mouth, and she answered it with one of her own. The kind of smile that reminded him that this really was his sister. This really was Maya ‘MJ’ Reacher. “Yeah,” he said. “I think we can start fresh. You ready to be Maya again?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I think I’m ready to be Maya again.”

His smile broadened. “Welcome back, sis.”

She snickered. “Thanks.” She buried her hands in the blanket to warm them. “Do you ever see Dad anymore?”