Page 121 of Every Which Way

Amara smoothed down the blanket over Kenna. “How areyou?”

“Answer my question first.”

“Your father always avoided the painful subject in favor of something else. Like working a case.”

Kenna pressed her lips together.

Amara sighed. “Thank you for sending your friends. I know you weren’t able to organize it, but they came to us because of you.”

“They’re good people.” She wanted to hug them, but she also needed more information. Answers. And Jax. Not necessarily in that order. Jax could come in anytime.

Her engagement ring glinted on her left hand, and she smiled at the sight of it. He must have fetched it, or had Maizie bring it as he’d said, while she was sleeping. He probably thought she wanted time alone with her mother.

“This isn’t over.” She had to say it. Out loud. “At best, we took down one part of their operation.”

“I pulled the plug on the Grand Master.” Her mother looked at her own hands on the rail, grasping the metal as if she needed to cling to it. “Before we left the cabin, I made sure he was dead.”

Kenna laid her hand on her mom’s. “That’s good.”

She lifted her gaze. “I’m sorry for what they did to you.”

The not knowing was terrifying her.

“I know they put something inside you.”

“A baby? Mom, did they impregnate me?” Her voice broke, but she got the words out. “I need to know.”

Amara shook her head. “I don’t know. It’s not the only thing they’re working on, researching, and building in those labs. They don’t just create the next generation and find a surrogate. They are into all kinds of genetic research.”

“So it could be a virus for all we know? I could be patient zero about to start a worldwide plague.”

Amara held her hand. “We don’t know, but we can run some tests.”

Kenna leaned back against the pillow and groaned. “This just gets better and better.”

“Have the doctors tested your blood?”

“For what? We have no idea what they should look for. It’s too early to tell if I’m pregnant.”

“Then have the doctor give you something to prevent pregnancy.”

Kenna let go of her mother’s hand. “I lost a baby once. I’m not killing one just because it didn’t show up as part of a plan.”

“So you’ll just do nothing and let this destroy your life?”

“I guess so.”

The door opened, and Jax glanced between them. “Is everything okay?”

Kenna pressed her lips together.

Amara said, “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“But you aren’t going to tell me how Zeyla is. And you say I avoid answering questions.” She had to take a breath. Try to settle her racing heart. Was she really pregnant? That might be better than any other alternative.

For now, it would be a “wait and see” exercise.Maybe it could be nothing, Lord. Can I ask for that?

Amara said, “She needs two transplants to be stabilized. Maizie is doing some of the legwork to get things moving along.”

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