Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
“Carl Allerton is nobody.” Zeyla dropped the file folder on the small round table in the hospital café, tucked into the corner of the lobby.
Kenna pulled out a chair and sat, aware of Ramon and Jax getting drinks for the four of them. “No one is nobody.”
Around them, a smattering of people had gathered. An old man reading from a newspaper, drinking out of a china teacup on a saucer. A couple of doctors, or residents, in light-blue scrubs. A guy who gave “dad” vibes having a tense conversation with a teen boy.
Zeyla gripped the back of the chair. “Fine, he was a soldier along with Mitch Caudell. Basic training together, in a unit together. Carl pulled out early. Mitch got redeployed.”
“After they kidnapped Mitch’s girlfriend, Megan, and a younger girl who they killed.”
“According to Megan,” Zeyla said.
“What’s that supposed to mean? She’s upstairs having every abuse she’s ever suffered catalogued and photographed so the police can use it for evidence.
Like it’s a piece of paper left behind, or a fingerprint on a knife.
They’re going to take apart her life and leave her to figure out how to put it back together on her own. ”
Not only that, but with the connection to their enemy, she might be in danger and that would pose a serious risk if she was left to fend for herself.
Only if this turned into a federal case—like a corruption charge against those in power who had covered up the murder—did Megan have any shot at a witness protection deal in exchange for her testimony.
“Seems to me however this shakes out, she’s in danger.” Kenna glanced at Jax, who frowned as he approached the table.
Ramon didn’t look any more pleased about this situation than her husband did.
Kenna would have said Ramon was her best friend, if they even needed to categorize it. They had each other’s backs, and that was what counted.
“Thanks for coming in, both of you.” She glanced between him and Zeyla. “I didn’t know you were nearby when I called, but I’m glad you were.”
Given the size of this country, and the fact they’d supposedly been working a case elsewhere, that was an interesting development.
Two minutes away sounded more like they’d been on call, ready to assist at any moment.
Not just because she’d called on a reflex, and they’d been nearby.
She’d contacted Ramon not even knowing if they’d be able to help.
Something she wasn’t going to unpack. It simply turned out they were, and she was choosing to be grateful for it.
Jax shifted his weight from foot to foot, not because he was nervous. More likely he wanted to get moving to burn off some pent up frustration.
She wasn’t surprised he’d ensured she was protected.
He pressed his palm to the table and leaned down to kiss her, light and quick. “Yesterday, when it became clear there might be the slightest Dominatus connection with this case, I called them. They came.”
Ramon sipped his coffee.
Zeyla folded her arms across her chest. “You’re welcome.”
Kenna smiled at her cousin, knowing the other woman was just as on board with protecting the people in this chosen family as the rest of them were.
She didn’t exactly know what, if anything, was going on between Ramon and Zeyla and if they were more than just friends, but she was glad for the support.
Jax pulled out a chair, and Ramon dragged one over after confirming the older man with the newspaper didn’t need it. He rotated it and sat leaning against the back. “So what do we know about this guy? Other than the fact that he kept her after his friend died.”
Kenna had spoken to Megan in the ambulance on the way over here, Joseph tucked to her side.
The EMT hadn’t been able to do much, considering she had no pressing injuries and didn’t respond to any of his requests.
She had answered Kenna’s questions, though.
Probably because that made it easier to ignore the EMT.
“Megan told me that she’d already moved in with Mitch before she was reported missing.
Neither mom nor her dad paid much attention, and no one really cared where she went.
The police did come to the house to ask about her, but Carl is the one who answered the door back then.
They were roommates at that point, so Carl told the cops that Mitch and Megan had left town.
Headed for Florida, or California, he didn’t know which.
They bought the whole story, and no one ever came back to ask about her.
No one knew she was being held there, abused and tormented into not even stepping outside the front door. ”
“So sad.” Zeyla shook her head. “They didn’t follow up and never checked anything else.”
Kenna hadn’t read the missing person file but figured that was likely accurate.
“I’m more interested in going back and talking with Doctor Elenor Walsh about how she not only misconstrued the cause of death, but how she also neglected to include the fact that the deceased had recently given birth before she died. ”
Jax reached over and put a hand on her knee.
“Where’s the connection to you-know-who?” Ramon looked around, like saying the D-word aloud and mentioning the name of their enemy was taboo. Or risky.
She’d done it a moment ago. “I’d love an answer to that. It could be a number of things.”
Zeyla sat back in her chair. “Mitch. Carl. Some other parentage of the kid. It could be Samantha’s parents, and they wanted her death covered up.
For whatever reason scumbags do that sort of thing.
” She drifted into a slight British accent.
“Megan. The cops investigating. Some witness, or bystander. Who knows.”
“Hopefully, we can narrow it down more than that,” Jax said. “I’m praying Maizie comes up with something.”
Ramon glanced at Kenna, but she wasn’t sure why. She held his gaze until he shrugged.
“Wanna tell the rest of the class?” A slight smile tugged at Jax’s lips.
Kenna pushed out a long breath. “It’s nothing.”
Ramon shook his head. “Zip. Zilch. Nada.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jax said. “But I want to thank the two of you as well. We appreciate the backup.”
Zeyla shrugged. “You should’ve shot him before we got there. Or let me do it. This whole thing would be a lot easier to contain.”
“But we’d lose the chance to question him,” Kenna pointed out.
Jax glanced at her, a guarded expression on his face.
Before he could speak, she said, “Fine. I’m not the one who’s going to question him. You know what I mean.”
“Maybe you guys should head back to the RV. Let Zeyla and I take care of the next steps.” Ramon kept his tone all innocent, like he wasn’t suggesting the pregnant lady go take a nap.
At least he hadn’t told her to calm down.
Ramon lifted his hands. “It’s just a suggestion. You’re the one who said Megan might be in danger.”
Zeyla narrowed her eyes. “I’m feeling the need to make sure the local social services department lets Joseph and Megan stay together.”
Kenna shrugged. “Even if that was a good idea it’s not our fight. It might be the worst possible thing for Joseph to continue to live with her, and foster care would be a blessing. We have no idea. Given the police are involved, it’s not even necessarily up to us to make sure Megan is safe.”
Zeyla looked impressed. “So you’re turning over a new leaf, not determined to save everyone in the world anymore?”
“Or you just don’t want to be anywhere Dominatus is involved?” Jax paused. “You’d rather be a million miles from any of them.” Like his statement was a confession of her darkest secret. When he was actually outing her to her friends.
Ramon straightened back from the chair, his brows rising.
Zeyla chuckled. “That’d be nice.” She let out a long sigh. “I tried that once. Told Mum I was done. I was out of the game. Lasted a good few days until one of them approached me at the grocery store. Best of luck to you, trying to ignore them.” She lifted her paper cup and toasted Kenna.
“I’m not doomed to fail. I’m living my life.” She folded her arms across her chest, resting them on the baby, who suddenly kicked at the spot where her right arm lay. Kenna jumped.
“What is it?” Jax uncrossed his arms and leaned toward her.
“The baby kicked me.” She took his hand and touched it to the same spot. Little Miss kicked at his hand, pushing a few times in a row against his palm.
He smiled at her, so much wonder in his eyes.
“Did you guys pick a name yet?” Ramon asked. “Because Ramona is pretty good.”
Zeyla snorted into her cup and started choking on coffee. “There’s no way.” She coughed and barked out a laugh. “No way.”
“What?” Ramon said. “It’s a good idea!”
Kenna smiled at her husband, only partially paying attention to the other two and their antics. He smiled back, but the kicking seemed to have died down.
“We’re making a list.” Kenna chuckled. “Sorry, but neither of your names are on it.”
“Zeyla is a great name, but it’s not for everyone.” The other woman shrugged. “I’ll see if I can get in to talk to Megan, find out what she knows about”—she glanced at Ramon—“you know who.”
“I’m not that bad,” he said. “But to be fair, the last one of those people I met nearly killed me.” He rolled his shoulders. “Who just blows themselves up?”
“I’m just impressed they covered up use of a military armament on US soil.” Zeyla pushed her chair in, and the two of them headed across the lobby of the hospital.
He eyed Kenna. “I’m guessing you want to go see Doctor Walsh again?”
“What’s there to learn?” She shrugged. “Walsh covered up the pregnancy, and the family cremated her. If there’s any evidence, it’s gone now. The family needs to know so they can get a DNA test run. If Joseph was my grandson, I’d want to adopt him.”
“You’re a good person, though.” Jax smiled for a second, then said, “We could make a packet, get Maizie to anonymously send it to someone in the DA’s office so they can start an investigation. But if Dominatus wants this all hush-hush, that might put another life in danger.”
“Exactly.” She nodded. “I keep turning down paths and realizing I have no idea what to do with the road ahead. I just know I want to be where you are and have this baby safely.”
“That’s a lot just by itself. All the rest of it on top of that is enough to drive a person into a psychologist’s office—or to a counselor.”
She nodded but didn’t want to talk about doing that. Not right now when the list of people she could trust was so short.
Jax’s phone beeped on the table. He flipped it over to see the screen. “It’s a breaking news alert.”
“What’s going on?” She took a sip of the smoothie he’d bought her.
“A bomb just went off in Washington, DC, on a city street. Several cars were blown up.”
“Seriously?” Kenna said. “Any fatalities?”
“The number of casualties is unknown yet, but there are deaths and injuries on the scene. And a limo belonging to a Croatian delegation looks like it was the target.” With his head dipped to his phone, he didn’t see her reaction.
“Apparently, they’re in town for a meeting with the president about a peace treaty between our two countries. ”
She stared at him, not allowing her mind to show her memories she wanted to keep locked up tight. None of our business. “That’s scary. How horrible.”
Jax nodded. “There’s going to be a taskforce busy for weeks working this. Hope they find the bomber soon.”
She took another sip of the smoothie, which tasted sour in her mouth. “Me, too.”
Movement across the room caught her attention. When she looked she couldn’t believe who she saw. The smoothie got stuck in her throat, and she coughed, swallowed it, and managed not to choke.
“Everything okay?” Jax glanced from her to the spot across the room. “Did you see something?”
She looked again, but he was gone.
Kenna shook her head. “Just a ghost.”