“This is a secure facility, not a diner.”

From the kitchen, a woman’s voice called, “There are chocolate chips in the pantry.”

Maya whispered, “I like her.”

The woman stepped into the light.

It was Nina Vale, a former military medic, former field surgeon, and the former person I trusted with my life when trusting anyone was stupid.

She looked at Maya, and the hardness in her face softened instantly.

“Well,” she said.