Chapter 37
KENNA
S he held out as long as she could, but she was only human. She karate-chopped Tarian’s topmost claw three times, and shouted, “Sorry!” at the top of her lungs, but she knew he was paying attention because he started aiming them inland.
She realized she should’ve been more clear about just what it was they were aiming for—especially considering when they’d land, Tarian would be naked, but luckily he made the right call, finding them a desolate rest stop off the highway.
She and Rocky both bounced forward the second he set them down, Rocky pulling for the nearest bush, while she ran for the bathroom door.
The sooner they were back in the air, the better—and while the bathroom was disgusting, she assumed Tarian’s brother would have running water.
A shower. A bath. Maybe a hot tub? Her hopes escalated all the while she peed, until she was done and heading for the trough-like sink to wash her hands.
“Oh. My. God,” she said, catching sight of herself in the blurry metal mirror. Her hair, which had priorly been “merely tangled” was now, officially, a bird’s nest. It was all she could do not to laugh, when she heard the sound of a vehicle parking outside.
Hopefully Tarian had made himself scarce—although she doubted it—and before she could make it out the door, an older lady came inside.
“Oh!” the woman said, pressing a palm to her chest. “You scared me!”
“You scared me too!” Kenna said with a laugh, knowing full-well she looked foolish.
The woman gave her a strange look, which, after taking all of her in, softened into something possibly maternal. “Honey—that parking lot is empty. Where is your car?”
“I flew here?” Kenna said, because she didn’t know what else to say.
The woman’s head tilted. “Are you safe?”
“Yeah. Of course,” Kenna said. She realized by now Tarian would’ve known she wasn’t alone—but if he wasn’t barging in, that meant she must not be in danger. “Hey, I’m sorry, but can I borrow your phone?”
The woman’s lips pursed, but then she nodded, pulling it out of her pocket to hand over.
Kenna actually had Sarah’s number memorized. By now, she must’ve been losing her mind, and surely the cops were involved. She knew better than to give anything away, but she didn’t want Sarah wondering if she’d been murdered for the rest of her life.
Sarah picked up on the first ring, while Kenna paced briefly away from the lady. “Hello?” Sarah said.
“Hey,” Kenna said. “It’s me.”
“Oh my God!” Sarah said. “You’re late for your shift at the bakery!”
Kenna’s stomach dropped, but she recovered quickly. “Yeah—sorry. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“You’d better, or you’ll get fired!” Sarah said, and hung up.
And now Tarian was nearer—she knew it because she could feel him through their bond, and also because his shadow had appeared outside the door. She hung the phone up and handed it back to the older woman, who took it and gave her a sad smile.
“Just so you know—long term, drugs aren’t worth it, baby.”
“You’re totally right,” Kenna agreed with her, dancing around the woman to get outside as soon as possible. “They’re not.”
Tarian caught her arm the second she emerged and hauled her around to the far side of the building. “What’s wrong?” he asked, as soon as they were alone.
“I borrowed that woman’s phone and called Sarah.”
His nostrils flared and he leaned down. “You. What?”
“I had to say goodbye!” she protested.
His entire bearing was pissed. “And then?”
“And then she used our code word for shitty dates. We—we used to joke about whether or not a guy would butter our muffin.” She held up her hand, before he could ask. “Trust me, you did it about five times last night.”
Tarian defused a little. “And?”
“She told me I was late for my shift at the bakery—it’s just an in-joke—only I know she wasn’t at a date with anyone she’d need rescuing from at”—and here she looked for the sun to make a guess at the time—“eleven in the morning?”
“But she does need rescuing...from someone,” he said, his voice going dark.
“Cliff knew where I lived.” Which meant he knew where Sarah lived, too. She looked to Tarian to make her case. “We can’t just leave her.”
He shook his head, patting his broad chest, where their shared bond lived inside him. “I know we cannot. I felt your concern like my own.”
“But it won’t be safe. If they’ve got her—she’s bait.”
“Yes.” His expression turned grim, as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. “It would be an extraordinarily bad decision to go back to your apartment.”
Kenna nodded. “I know...but,” she said, looking up. “We don’t have to. We just need to get to an Apple store.” She then whistled for Rocky.