Page 42 of Every Which Way

“He took care of you.”

“He lied to me.” She wasn’t going to resolve the point with this woman. Maybe she’d been holding on to some things recently, and they’d just spilled out. Fears she’d harbored and hadn’t even had the notion to say aloud. “But yes, he did take care of me. Funny how things seem different when you look back.”

“I don’t need help to find my daughter, and Roxanne only wants to use you to get tome.”

“What is her name?”

Amara stared at her. “Zeyla.”

Kenna repeated the name in her head.Zeyla.“Thanks for the heads-up about Roxanne. It was helpful. It didn’t stop her from trying to kidnap Maizie, but it helped.”

Amara said, “She would’ve kept her to force you to find Zeyla.”

“I was already going to find Zeyla. And the man.” Wasn’t that a good thing? Despite her words, this woman surely wanted help to find her daughter.

Amara made a face that indicated she didn’t think much of the man. “She’d have forced you to find her…faster.”

“Tell me how to take down the company.”

Amara laughed, but it had a hollow sound. “You can’t take them down. All we are is a nuisance, and that only barely.” Her British accent, softer earlier, grew in strength now. “None of us can take them down.”

“Okay, so how about all of us working together?”

Behind her, she heard Maizie whisper, “Okay.” Talking to Ramon on the phone, or so Kenna assumed.

Amara shook her head. “We do what we can. It has to be enough.”

Behind her, a pickup truck pulled over on the road, kicking up a cloud of dirt as it came to a sliding stop at the back of the ambulance.

“Your friend, I presume.”

Maizie said, “His name is Ramon.” She didn’t sound nervous. She sounded determined to stand up for herself, even if it was only because Kenna stood in front of her, and it was the two of them against the world right now.

Amara smiled slightly. “I know who he is. You both have some interesting…friends.”

He jumped out of the driver’s seat, immediately confronted by the male EMT. “Kenna!” He had his gun out and a thunderous expression on his face.

“We’re good,” she called out. Assuming these people were going to let her and Maizie go, however, and that remained to be seen. “As long as we’re free to go.”

Amara took a step to the side, leaving the way open for her to get out with Maizie. She grabbed the teen’s hand and the backpack, and Maizie brought her ice pack. They stepped carefully out of the ambulance, and then she looked at her mother, not really knowing what to say.

Amara said, “Don’t interfere. You’ll just get hurt.”

Kenna led Maizie to Ramon and slid into the pickup between them. Huddled on the bench seat, Maizie held her hand.

The teen put her head on Kenna’s shoulder. “Sorry.”

Kenna shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.” But a tear slipped down from the corner of her eye.

She closed her eyes and let Ramon drive, knowing he wanted a rundown of what had just happened but determined to give herself some time first. For once, she didn’t need to process it. She felt almost numb about the whole thing.

Ramon pulled up at the curb in front of a hospital. He left the engine running and came around to open her door. “Maizie?”

The girl stirred, moaning.

“Picking you up, okay, kiddo?” He slid his arm under her knees and behind her back, then drew her out. To Kenna, he said, “Slide over and drive. Call Stairns.” He stepped back. “I’ve got this.”

She nodded and found her phone on the seat and the backpack on the floor.

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