Page 14 of Every Which Way

“I’m okay.” Maizie stood up. She glanced at the three nonteam members in the room and said, “I tripped.”

Ramon looked back at Kenna. Guilt. Determination. Fear.

“We’re good now.” She nodded. “Thanks to you.”

He went to the door.

“Not so fast!” Akira eyed him like a specimen, walking over and drawing a tape measure apart. She held it across his chest from shoulder to shoulder and muttered something in a language Kenna didn’t speak. “I have the perfect suit for you.”

Ramon shook his head. “I don’t wear suits.”

“You model for me. I have just the thing that will change your mind.” She reached for his shoulder and stroked a hand down his arm. “I can be very persuasive.”

Kenna pressed her lips together and glanced at Maizie. The teen’s eyes practically bugged out of her head, making Kenna laugh aloud. “I mean…he could stay.”

Ramon ducked over to the door and flung it open. “I’ll be outside.”

The door slammed shut.

Akira said, “Shame.”

“Yes, it is,” Adrielle said. “That was exciting.”

Behind her, Laney had the same expression on her face as Maizie had just a moment ago. If only Kenna could hide in the dresses like the teen had done. Or run out and catch up to that woman. Find a case. Search for a killer. Locate a missing child.

Something.

Anything.

It wasn’t that she was necessarily avoiding the inevitable—her wedding and all that was going into it—but surely, there were more important things to be done right now.

“Why didn’t you hear what she had to say?” Adrielle asked. “That woman.”

Because she was supposed to be able to go a day without a major case landing in her lap? Or was it that she’d been addicted to the rush of helping people for a long time? It had been a compulsion, doing what she believed she was put on this earth to do.

“You don’t have to tell us. It’s not really our business,” Laney said.

Adrielle looked like she wanted it to be her business.

“Apparently, I’m supposed to have healthy boundaries.” Kenna looked at the closest dress, but there was way too much lace. “If I keep getting pulled away to solve cases, Jax and I aren’t ever going to get married.”

There would always be a reason to put it off. Making it happen was more of a challenge than maintaining the status quo—even with all the ways her life had changed in the past few years. Plus, it sounded good that she’d rather be here than running down a dank hallway chasing a murderer.

At least this wedding thing only happened once in her life.

Then she could get back to work.

“Healthy boundaries are good,” Maizie said. “But we’re gonna find out what she wanted later, right?”

Kenna nodded, aware of Laney striking up a conversation with her mom and Akira.

Maizie leaned over and whispered. “You think she’s one of their assets?”

“She didn’t try to kill us.”

Maizie said, “Someone from the resistance?”

“That would be my guess.” Kenna shrugged, keeping her voice low when she said, “I don’t know how to tell the difference yet.”

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