She smiled. “That isn’t necessary. What I have, I want to share with you. I’ve been so alone all of my life, and now I have a chance for real love and a family. I love you, Mr. Coulter. I’ve loved you since I first laid eyes on you, and I will never stop.”
CHAPTER
6
Kenzie finished with her duties at the warehouse, then decided once again to try to get through the restricted areas to find her cousin. She’d heard there were parts of town where a person could slip through relatively unnoticed, and she intended to find one of those.
At ten o’clock every morning, Camri had taken to giving a reading class. Quite a few of the elderly people staying with them couldn’t read, and with Camri’s deep commitment to education, she felt it her duty to rectify the problem. Judith, meanwhile, was busy with preparations for lunch. She and some of the other women were laughing and sharing stories about their childhood days while they made noodles from the newly furnished flour and eggs. It was the perfect opportunity for Kenzie.
She slipped out the back of the warehouse, unnoticed by anyone but the collection of old men playing checkers on the outside tables.
“Miss Kenzie, you’re sure purdy today,” a man named Bartimaeus declared.
“She’s purdy every day, you old codger,” another man declared. He grinned up at her, revealing that he was missing most of his teeth.
“You’re very kind, Mr. Lawrence.” Kenzie returned his smile and kept moving. If stopped to engage in conversation, she risked Judith or one of the other women coming outside.
She made her way toward the city, crossing Market near the Ferry Building. People were plentiful here, and with the general confusion and activity, it was easy for one woman to move through the crowd without drawing attention to herself. She decided to keep close to the bay and moved along the collection of piers. It was busy there as well. The piers that had been damaged were being inspected and repaired, while the ones that had remained safe were being used to bring in much-needed commodities. Normally, Kenzie would have avoided this area due to the sailors and rowdy stevedores, but like the repairmen, they were much too busy to pay her any heed.
Proof of the fire was everywhere. Some buildings had suffered complete destruction, while others were only partially destroyed. In some areas, there was even a building or two that had escaped the fire entirely.
“I want this first group of ten to start on the corner of Sansome and Green Street.”
Kenzie paused at the sound of a man barking out orders. She couldn’t tell exactly where he was, but she ducked behind a collection of charred framing and concrete to avoid being seen.
A moment later, a man appeared with a long line of tent city workers in two columns following him. He was explaining what he expected of them and where he would leave each group to start working. From her hiding place, Kenzie heard him announce that he would have three trucks positioned at various places for the loading of rubble. He told the men they would be fed at noon and dismissed at six, but only if they were steadfast in their work.
Once they had moved on, Kenzie hurried off in a different direction, hoping to avoid any possible encounter and the risk of getting pulled onto a work crew.
She made her way as best she could, thankful that many parts of the city were deserted. As she neared the industrial area where Lake Boxed Candies had been manufactured, it was clear that conditions were much worse. Here the fires had been all-consuming, and the earthquake had left indelible marks. For a long moment, all Kenzie could do was stare. It brought tears to her eyes. So many lives lost. So much property destroyed.
“Say there, ain’t you a sight.”
She stiffened at the words. She didn’t see anyone nearby at first, but then a scraggly blond man, hardly more than a boy, stepped out from the shadows. On his heels was another boy who looked to be the same age, but his hair was coal black. Both were tall and muscular but filthy and clearly up to no good.
Kenzie moved away, only to have the men close the distance.
“You ain’t gonna be all uppity now, are you?” the blond asked.
The other boy grinned. “We ain’t had any decent female companionship since the fire.”
“I’m neither uppity nor companionship for you,” Kenzie replied. “I’m meeting my cousin. Perhaps you know him. George Lake.”
The grinning boy shook his head. “Nope, don’t know him and don’t want to.” He took hold of Kenzie’s arm. “But you, lady, I do wanna know. I wanna know you real bad.”
Kenzie pulled back, but he held her fast. The blond, not to be outdone, grabbed her other arm. “Unhand me. If you’re looking to rob me, I have nothing. I brought neither purse nor coin.” She struggled to free herself, but the duo were much stronger than she was.
“We ain’t lookin’ to rob you, darlin’. We just want a little friendly fun. We got a nice, quiet spot where we can have a real good time,” the black-haired boy said, leaning down. He tilted his head to avoid the wide brim of her hat and pressed his lips against her cheek.
Kenzie fought to put distance between them, but it was no use. The hoodlums only laughed and held her all the tighter.
“You need to learn how to have fun,” the blond said. “Come on, let’s show her how to have a good time.”
They moved toward the darkened abyss from which they’d emerged. Kenzie had no other choice but to scream, so she did. This startled the boys so much that they momentarily halted.
The blond looked at her and shook his head. “That weren’t very nice.”
“I’m not trying to be nice. Let me go.” She screamed again, and the black-haired boy clamped a filthy hand over her mouth.
