Page 4 of Every Which Way

Or so everyone believed.

This was no time to get distracted thinking about that unpublished novel right now or the questions it had given her when she read it. Namely, where her mother was. If she was alive.

Why hadn’t she made contact?

Kenna shook off the thoughts and paced around the server room.

“Okay, got it,” Maizie said.

“I’ll pack up.” That was Stairns.

Ramon said, “There’s an exit door at the end of the hall, Kenna.”

She went to the door. “Meet you downstairs.” Kenna slowly eased the door open and looked at the end of the hall.

The young man stood there in heated conversation with the woman. “No.” He tugged his arm from her grasp. “Don’t touch me.”

She bristled with aggression, every muscle in her body tight.

Kenna didn’t like the look of it.

“It’s over.” The young man walked off.

Kenna said a quick prayer for him, that he’d be safe and make even more changes to his life that would bring him peace. That the woman wouldn’t retaliate.

She stepped out.

The woman whirled around only to find Kenna in the hall. “This is allyourfault.”

Kenna faced her. “Excuse me?”

“Putting ideas in his head!”

“About what? Not being a victim?” She was going to play dumb until this woman incriminated herself. “About having a choice tonotbe in a situation?”

The woman blustered, stuttering but not actually saying anything.

“Why would he feel the need to break it off with you after hearing that? Is there something your manager needs to know about your relationship?”

People started to gather at the end of the hall, witnessing the intense conversation between Kenna and this woman.

Kenna lifted her chin.

The other woman came at her, those long talon nails bared. Kenna planted her foot, turned her upper body, and slammed her shoulder into the woman. She yelped, knocked back. Kenna hadn’t even laid a hand on her. She just blocked the woman’s attempt to…what? Claw her eyes out?

The other woman stumbled back.

“Don’t touch me.” Kenna stood her ground. “You don’t have my permission. I’m not going to be another one of your victims.”

Someone behind the woman started to applaud. Then others joined in, most of whom had been in the seminar.

Before the woman could turn to see the result of her actions, Kenna said, “We’re done here.”

She walked to the exit and pushed her way through to the stairs. At the last second, she spotted the young man at the end of the hall, barely visible by the corner of the wall.

She thought she saw him mouth,Thank you. But she didn’t stick around long enough to find out. “Stairns, we’re leaving.”

He responded over comms. “On my way.”

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