Page 39 of Every Which Way

Kenna ran her hand over Maizie’s forehead and the top of her head.

The teen said, “I figured you’d be telling the police you want in on the investigation now.”

She shook her head. “Not when that just happened. Roxanne paid that couple to shoot at us and to tell us what she wanted us to know. Probably lies. We can talk about this later.” Questions about what Roxanne had said to Maizie could wait.

“She told me to drive. So I did.”

Kenna smiled. “I really should teach you.”

“I wanna drive the RV.”

“Yeah…we can talk about that later, too.”

The EMT chuckled. “That usually means no.”

Maizie lifted the ice pack. “I don’t really wanna drive it, so it’s fine.”

Kenna shook her head. She glanced at the front slider window that had been shut. “How far is it to the hospital?”

“Not far.”

“Okay. How far is not far?”

He said nothing.

Kenna kept Maizie in view and scooted to the window. It wouldn’t slide open. She knocked on the panel. “How much farther?”

The ambulance bumped over something, and they all swayed. Maizie nearly rolled off the bed. Kenna slid her phone out so she could dial Ramon.

The EMT pulled a gun out and held it pointed at her. She reached for her own weapon.

He said, “Don’t. Hands where I can see them.”

She held her hands up, using her phone to call Ramon.

“Put the phone down.”

It connected. “Fine.” She lowered it to the floor with the call connected. “Where are we going? Because it certainly isn’t the hospital.”

He stared at her.

“Put down that gun. Even if you’re not an EMT, you’re still not gonna shoot me.” Too many people wanted her to find that missing couple.

The ambulance bumped something again, pulling onto a road that was far less paved. The vehicle shifted and jolted. Kenna held Maizie steady, kicking her phone away from the man. They’d probably disabled GPS in the ambulance if they were smart, so she didn’t figure anyone would be looking for it.

“Who says I’m not going to shoot you?”

Kenna shot him a look. “If you wanted us dead, you’d have killed us already.” But that didn’t tell her who he was or why this was happening.

“Unless we’re taking you somewhere so we can kill you without making a mess in the bus.”

“Then why didn’t Roxanne take care of us? Save you the trouble.”

“All part of an elaborate plan.”

“Right.” More likely, he wasn’t with Roxanne. So what did that mean? That he was part of some other group or maybe the resistance. “Whose plan? Yours?” She scoffed, as if she didn’t think much of him. Sometimes, that induced a person to share more than they meant to just to defend themselves.

He was about to speak when the ambulance jerked to a stop.

---