“There’s risk everywhere. You’re not in charge of what happens and who lives or dies. None of us are. What we need to do is trust that the God who made the universe is looking out for us.”
“Because He’s on your side?” Zeyla folded her arms and shuttered her expression.
Kenna said, “Yes, He is.”
She knew who she was in the eyes of the Lord. She was His child, and He loved her enough to die to save her. The way He loved every single person in the world, whether they believed it or not. They were guaranteed eternity, not safety in this life. But she still trusted Him.
Zeyla took a step back and angled her body toward the building. “Let’s go talk to this guy. You can preach to me later.”
Kenna didn’t let on that she was disappointed about where the conversation had gone. She had to see it as planting seeds and letting God work in Zeyla’s heart. It could take years for her to accept the truth, and Kenna would be in her life, showing her what God had done, whether she decided to trust Him or not.
Zeyla held open the front door of the T-shirt shop, and Kenna went in, her hand close to the weapon at the small of her back. She got a look at the guy behind the counter and almost kept her hand there. “Hey.”
The guy lifted his chin. Heavy-metal T-shirt, long hair that needed washing, and sleeves of tattoos. It was cold in here, but he didn’t seem to feel it. “How’s it going?”
Kenna said, “We’re looking for Marcus Neerwood. Is he here?”
The guy lifted his chin again. “He do that to you?”
It took her a second to realize he meant had Marcus impregnated her. “No, it’s not his baby.”
“That’s a relief.” His expression didn’t change.
“Is Marcus here?”
The guy stared at her. Kenna sensed Zeyla behind her, and the guy’s brows rose. Finally, he said, “Marcus didn’t show up for work this morning.”
“Is that normal, for him to just skip it?” Kenna asked.
The guy shrugged.
“Does he have a locker we can look at?” Kenna dragged out her ID and showed him her investigator license. Thankfully, she had one for Utah. “We’re looking for some people who might be missing and in danger.”
“You think he had something to do with it?”
Kenna said, “For all we know, he might be missing and in danger along with them.” Then again, he could be the reason no one could find Crystal, Ellayna, and Abe.
“Sounds like something for the police to worry about. Not a pregnant chick and her sidekick.” The guy tipped his head to the side. “You think I’m gonna let you poke around people’s personal stuff?”
“If it could save his life, why not let us look?”
He almost smirked. “Nice try. Now get lost, both of you.”
Zeyla shifted, moving around Kenna, who stopped her from going in front of her. “Nope.” She tugged her sister back. “Let’s go.” To the guy, she said, “Thanks for your time.”
Zeyla pushed the door open and held it, only speaking when it closed behind them. “You’re just gonna give up?”
“No, we just need a new tactic.” Kenna led her to the car. “We don’t need to argue with that guy and try to convince him to let us see the locker. The police can do the legwork on something like that. We need a lead that is actually going to get us a result.”
Zeyla looked over the roof of the car. “So what are we going to do?”
“Let’s go to his house to see if he’s there. Maybe he’s sick.” She didn’t think that would turn out to be the case, but it got them moving. Shaking trees. Kicking over rocks.
All the analogies that meant she could be distracted from thinking about the men shooting at them in the car. Even if the police had taken them into custody, or permanently subdued them in retaliation for an officer’s death, she didn’t know if she could let this one go easily. The memory of it seemed too close to the surface.
“You good?” Zeyla parked in a compact space outside of a two-story building of old, rundown apartments.
“I’m good.” Kenna sent Preston a text asking for an update and where they might get the car repaired so it could be back to being an armored vehicle most people would mistake for a regular car instead of a wreck that drew attention everywhere they went.
