Everyone I’d talked to since I stumbled out of the trees had said the same kind of nothing, just dressed in different uniforms.
We’re handling it.
We’re taking care of it.
You need to focus on yourself right now.
No one had said:Max is here. Max is gone. Max is dead. Max is alive.
It felt less like they didn’t know and more like they were all reading lines from the same shitty script.
By the time we rolled through the gates of the field office, my legs had gone numb. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead. Gray walls. Security glass. The kind of place that was supposed to make you feel safe.
It just made me feel trapped.
Jeremy killed the engine and swung off the bike. He offered me a hand; I ignored it and climbed off on my own, knees wobbling.
“They’re waiting,” he said.
My heart stuttered. “You mean, Tony?”
He didn’t answer, which was answer enough.
Inside, the air smelled like coffee and toner and something metallic underneath. Agents moved through the corridors in dark jackets, glancing at me, then away, like they’d been told not to stare.
I caught snippets as we passed:
“—she’s the one from the cabin?—”
“—they said he stayed?—”
“—don’t mention the?—”
Voices dropped when I looked at them. Smiles flickered on, bright and fake.
Jeremy led me into an interview room. There was no mirror, just a table, two chairs, and a box of tissues. I could hear the click of the camera in the corner of the ceiling.
I was being recorded.
Agent West came in stoically. Same suit as always, tie a little looser, hair grayer at the temples. His face carried that practiced mix of concern and authority I remembered too well.
“Mackenzie,” he said. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
I didn’t wait.
“Where’s Max?” I asked. No hello, no pleasantries. “Don’t tell me you’re glad I’m safe until you tell me where he is.”
A quick glance passed between him and Jeremy. It was over in a flash. If I’d blinked, I would’ve missed it.
West gestured to the chair. “Sit down. You’ve been through?—”
“Don’t.” I stayed standing. “Don’t talk to me like I’m a victim on a pamphlet. Tell me where he is.”
He exhaled through his nose, slowly. “We’re doing everything we can to locate him.”
My jaw clenched. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I can give you right now.”
