Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jax slumped onto the bed in the RV with a groan. Jolene hopped up and curled up near his feet.
Kenna winced, standing by the door that slid across and separated the bedroom from the rest of the RV. “Do you need anything? An ice pack?”
She doubted the over-the-counter medication he had taken was even taking the edge off the pain from the giant blue bruise in the center of his chest. Just looking at him made her chest tighten in sympathy.
“Ice…pack.” He groaned out the words, his eyes closed.
Kenna had given him a hand changing out of his gala event clothes, and he looked more comfortable now, but all that movement had to hurt.
She grabbed an ice pack out of the stack in the freezer compartment and took it to him.
Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her sweats, a notification for their security system.
Before she could grab her pistol off the kitchen counter, the door opened.
“Just me!” Zeyla pushed the door open and came in, grinning. “Don’t shoot.”
“Too soon.” Kenna shook her head, leaving the gun where it was.
Her cousin looked around. “He’s good, right? The vest he was wearing stopped it?”
Kenna nodded back toward the bedroom. “He isn’t dead.”
“Dead would feel better than this!” Jax called out.
“It’s too soon for that as well,” Kenna yelled back. But the fact that any of them were joking about it was a minor miracle in their lives.
Zeyla pressed her lips together like she was trying not to laugh. “I know exactly how getting hit in the vest feels, among other things. Like we all do. I’m sorry you got hurt, Jax.”
Kenna waved at the fridge. “You know where the drinks are. Help yourself.”
Zeyla stayed by the door, putting one elbow on the headrest of the passenger seat, while Kenna sat in one of the two recliners between the dinette and the front cab of the RV. “You good?”
She nodded. “There was a lot to explain to the police. They didn’t exactly believe me that Simon was the one who tried to murder Andrette, but I had enough information on my phone to prove I’d been investigating his crimes. They also called Langley, and he backed me up.”
Zeyla shook her head. “Good riddance. I’m glad you shot him.”
“So am I!”
Kenna smiled in Jax’s direction. “I’m glad no one is hurt.” Thank You. “God protected us.”
It hadn’t taken more than an hour to get things squared away with the police so they could leave the scene. They weren’t happy that Jax didn’t want more than a cursory assessment from the ambulance crew but couldn’t argue with his legal right to be miserable at home instead of at the hospital.
“Jax is laid up in bed.” Zeyla shook her head. “How is that protected?”
“He was wearing a vest. I wasn’t hit. Simon is dead, not either of us.” She could go on, but that pretty much covered it and she was tired. Kenna flipped the footrest of the recliner up and sighed. “Tell me what else is going on. You drew the short straw and got protection?”
Zeyla made a face. “I volunteered.” She rolled her eyes. “Everyone flipped when Maizie said you called 911, and the report was multiple gunshot victims. One deceased.”
Kenna winced. “Sorry you all were worried.”
She’d wanted to call them all and explain, but the cop wouldn’t allow her to use her phone. When she’d finally looked, she had so many missed calls and notifications it had been overwhelming. She’d sent a quick text on the group thread with everyone and drove Jax back to the RV park.
Zeyla grabbed a can of soda. “Nothing to be sorry for. Like I said, good riddance.”
Kenna stared at her, marveling that this woman appeared so tough and no-nonsense but cared about all of them the same way. She’d known it was possible that deep down Zeyla loved them all like family. It was just that her cousin didn’t show affection the way most people did.
Zeyla had been groomed as an operative, targeted by the enemy, trained for war, and likely hadn’t known peace and family during her growing up years.
She was also the biological daughter of the man Kenna considered her father, Malcom Banbury.
As far as she was concerned, that made her more of a sister than cousin.
Kenna smiled. “Thanks for coming here.”
Zeyla waved. “Whatever. No big deal.”
“I want to get everything unhooked and get on the road.”
“You’re leaving?” When Kenna nodded, she said, “Good idea. We’ve got this.” Then paused. “Well, the others have it. I’m with you.”
At any other time, Kenna would reassure Zeyla that it was possible something interesting might happen, but now she hoped it was boring. “Can you go outside and unhook everything?” She explained how it worked enough Zeyla would get the gist.
“I’ll do that.” Zeyla nodded. “You wanna leave soon?”
“As soon as we’re good to go, I’ll drive. Might be after I sleep a bit, but I’d rather be ready.”
“Did you get anything from the president yet? Maizie hasn’t called me back, but I’m hoping when she does, we’ll have what we need.” Zeyla sipped her soda.
Kenna shook her head. “Once Petyr wakes up and explains what I asked for, it shouldn’t be long. But we can’t count on it, I don’t think. Not with everything that’s happened tonight.”
“Hopefully, you will before Ramon and Bruce have to figure out how to get in that military facility. They’re doing reconnaissance, but it’s hard to see more than the exterior of all the buildings.
If your stuff from the president comes through, they’ll be able to walk on base. At least, we hope so.”
“Us, too.” Fatigue washed over her. She’d have to balance pushing through and resting for the sake of all the stress on her body lately. The exertion. Still, she wasn’t the one with a giant bruise on her chest. She was the one who’d been protected.
For the sake of letting Jax rest, she could drive, and she would worry about being tired later. “I’m ready to get out of here.”
Zeyla jogged her knee up and down, her weight braced on her straight leg. “What about the general? Can we tell the FBI that one of the lawyers is hiding on the base, get them to raid it?”
“You’d need physical evidence, or they won’t go in hard.”
“We need SWAT teams with rifles and helicopters that swoop down. They all rappel to the ground and karate chop everyone down there.”
“Have you thought about applying for one of those teams?”
“MSI asked me.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I’m good with you guys.”
Kenna lifted her fingers. “I’m not trying to get rid of you. I’m just thinking about life after Dominatus.”
Zeyla stared at Kenna for a second, then shook her head. “I’ve never actually thought about life after they’re done.” She looked down at her boots, then back up at Kenna. “I have no idea what I’ll do.”
“I highly recommend kicking in doors and saving people.” She glanced toward the rear of the RV. “And marriage. And children.”
“Maybe.” Zeyla pushed off the seat and straightened, her expressiveness shutting down over something Kenna had said. “I’ll go unhook the rig. Did I say that right?”
“Yes, you said it right.” Kenna smiled, the shutdown in her cousin gone now. At least as far as Kenna referred to it, Zeyla was correct. Then again, she didn’t even know whether she was right. She just lived her life.
She laid a hand over the baby. Look where it brought me.
God had been with her every step, whether she knew Him at the time or not. He was with her now. Tonight. Every moment. In it all. No matter what happened.
She closed her eyes and prayed in the quiet while Jax rested and her sister got them going on their way. When the door snapped shut with Zeyla inside, Kenna opened her eyes. The flinch was just a reaction, the fear that would always be there. Because life could be scary.
“Ramon is on the phone.” Zeyla handed over her cell.
Kenna’s was near enough she could reach it, but she took Zeyla’s and held it to her ear. “Hey, what’s the latest?”
“Chopper and a bunch of guys took off a short while ago. Other than that, it’s been pretty quiet. Maizie isn’t answering her phone.” Ramon sounded frustrated. “We need a way on this base, or we’ll never get her access to their system.”
She needed to check in with Maizie. Make sure everything was all right. “As much as I love the idea of exposing him all over the internet, are we sure the world is ready to learn it?”
Zeyla crumbled her empty soda can. “Who cares. Do it anyway.”
Ramon spoke, too, but Kenna was too distracted by Zeyla to hear what he said.
Kenna still fought the need to run as far from Dominatus as she could.
At the same time, there were more innocents to save from them.
Her family members were willing and ready to put their lives on the line while she couldn’t.
Jax was laid up. Which meant she was the boss, whether she’d intended things that way or not.
All of their futures hung on what they could accomplish, and the price they’d have to pay to do it.
Ramon said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to sneak into this place.”
“We need video evidence enough to send to the FBI.” Kenna chewed on that. “Imagine you stumbled across this place. What would you think it is?”
“Militia.” Ramon didn’t hesitate.
“Okay, so we call it in. Anonymous tip. There’s a militia in that abandoned military base.
Maybe you saw them loading barrels onto a truck that pulled out.
People walking around in Tyvek suits with face masks.
Some kind of chemical warfare. Just enough to get the FBI to come and take a look around before they realize the evidence was AI generated. ”
No doubt Kenna and her people would get in trouble once the ruse was discovered, but would it get the result? And would they all stay out of jail?
Maybe the president could pardon them. Tell everyone they’d had good intentions, and that law enforcement wanted people to report real suspicious activity. Revamp the whole “see something, say something” campaign.
It could work.
But when had she started thinking about everything like a politician?
Zeyla shoved open the door and poked her head out into the early morning light. “Helicopter going over.” She ducked back in, shaking her head. “I’m becoming paranoid.”
Kenna blew out a breath. “Far as I can tell, a little paranoia is helpful.”
“What’s going on there?” Ramon asked.
“Just a helicopter. Sit tight and take some photos and video. See what Maizie can do with a little augmentation to get us something actionable for the FBI. Someone needs to realize there’s a bunch of people using that military base.
And it’s not the military.” At least not officially.
“And find out if Stairns has any contacts in the military police.”
“Got it.” Ramon hung up.
Kenna handed Zeyla’s phone back. “I’ll call the president and nudge about those passes. We’ve got to keep working all our options until we get a result.” She dialed the number the president had called her from.
“I’m gonna check what’s going on outside.” Zeyla pocketed her phone.
The sound of a helicopter overhead hadn’t retreated. In fact, it had grown louder, as though the craft was above them.
Zeyla pushed the door open. Someone with a black gloved hand grabbed the door and pulled it the rest of the way. Zeyla was grabbed and tossed out of the RV by her arm.
“Hey!” Kenna pushed the footrest of the chair in as men in black stormed into her home.
Her phone fell to the floor, the call connected.
Kenna screamed, “Help us!”