Kenna lowered the phone and let the rocking chair move back and forth. She stared out at the snow-covered land in front of her. The neighbor’s place, a tiny red barn that dwarfed thehouse beside it, was almost too far away to see. Mountains in the distance.
They’d forced her to come home to make the exchange.
Now her RV was parked in the shop Jax had constructed months ago. Preston’s helicopter had a weather cover over it but still looked totally conspicuous in the yard, and his dogs were leaving paw prints all over the snow around the house. He was staying in her RV, and he had security guys camped out over the property in little tents. They were here to work patrols but also sort of looked like they were having a blast camping out in the snow.
A small SUV had made its way from the highway to the west, down the single-lane road to her front gate. She already knew who it belonged to.
Kenna called out over her shoulder. “They’re here!”
Jax pushed open the screen door, then shut the front door to the cabin behind him. He needed a blanket as well if he was going to be out here without a coat. He glanced at her and saw the phone. “Listening to it again?”
“It’s the only thing I can do. Maizie is gone, and I can’t get her back. Ramon isn’t here. Amara and Bruce aren’t answering. Zeyla is…keeping herself safe.” She sniffed back tears. “At least we can do this. But I have no idea what to think. Our friends are the ones who created this whole situation.”
She just couldn’t let go of the betrayal. It stung that MSI had chosen to work withDominatusand not even trusted her. They just took it upon themselves to do…whatever this was that they were doing.
The small SUV pulled into the drive Jax had plowed between the road and the shop, parking off to the side. Elizabeth and Craig Stairns climbed out.
Kenna shifted to the edge of the rocking chair and swung the blanket around her shoulders.
Elizabeth waved her back. “You don’t have to get up.”
“It’s good to stretch my legs,” Kenna said. “I’ve been sitting for a while.”
Elizabeth came up the porch steps and held her arms open. Kenna gave her a hug, difficult because of the person between them. Elizabeth’s breath caught in her chest. “I can’t believe they took her.”
“I know.”
The other woman leaned back, and Kenna saw Jax and Craig shake hands. Craig Stairns, once a marine. An FBI agent for years. A tough, weathered lawman who’d seen it all and lived with the scars to prove it. He looked wrecked. All because a young woman had nestled her way into his heart, and now she was in danger.
“Right now, we need to save Ellayna and her family.” Jax swallowed. “And Maizie.”
“Tell me what to do.” Stairns lifted his chin. “We need these guys to answer for what they’ve done. Putting innocents in danger. Taking Maizie from us.” He shook his head, his jaw set. “I brought weapons.”
Jax motioned with his chin toward Stairns’s car. “Let’s take a look.”
Kenna took Elizabeth inside so she could use the bathroom after so many hours in the car. She poured the older woman a glass of water and handed it to her when Elizabeth came into the kitchen.
“Thanks.” Elizabeth smiled, settling onto a barstool at the counter. “This is an adorable little cabin.”
Kenna smiled. “It’s not just cute. It’s got some upgrades, and it’s fully satellite connected.”
“Doesn’t that put youon the grid.” She sounded awkward saying the words. “Rather than staying off it so you’re safe.”
“It makes more sense for us to be connected if we need to call for help or if someone on the team needs to get information to us.” Kenna hit the button on the kettle so she could make tea, then realized there wasn’t much time before the exchange. She clicked it off.
She just needed something to do while she waited. It felt like she’d done everything possible to distract herself since MSI had taken Maizie and she’d discovered the voicemail in her inbox. No call in her call history. Someone had simply dropped the message in her voice mailbox remotely.
She should assume this was a setup, but these people were supposed to be her friends. They wanted tech she had turned back over to the software company who owned it—but apparently, they knew she’d made a copy of everything before she posted it all online.
“What’s the plan for when they show up?” Elizabeth looked at her over the rim of the glass. “You aren’t going to face down these gunmen, are you?”
“I just want Maizie, Ellayna, and her family safe. But Jax came up with a good plan, and there’s a whole team here to keep me safe.” Kenna had her gun on her. She wasn’t going to put herself in danger, but Bear and his team, hopefully, didn’t intend her harm.
Lord, protect us.
This would be a delicate balance.
“And when you go into labor?” Elizabeth asked, not beating around the bush.
