Page 95 of Hushed

Getting bumped into in New York is nothing new, but something about it made her uneasy. It was probably everything that had happened in the last few days, but she was on edge as she walked into the apartment and set the tests on the coffee table.

It was early, and Gage was out late, but she wanted to talk to him, so she made her way back to her bedroom and laid on the bed and hovered over his number. She hated the idea of waking him. But if he knew she’d wanted to talk to him and didn’t call, he might be upset.

Chewing on her lip, she opened their text message thread and messaged him.

KENZIE:You awake?

His response was to call her.

“Morning, little imp. Why are you awake so early?”

She told him a bit about Maggie’s situation, and how she walked to the drug store that morning.

“Where was your security while you were on your morning stroll?”

“They followed me but kept their distance.”

“Good. Did you sleep at all last night?”

She shifted against the pillows and let herself relax. It was interesting that just hearing his voice soothed her. She didn’t consider herself a clingy girlfriend.

“We talked late, but yes, I got several hours of sleep.”

“Good girl. What is your plan until your flight this afternoon?”

“We’ll see how Maggie is feeling when she wakes up. I really want that place shut down, Gage. When you first started talking about it, I was uneasy. It seems like borrowing trouble, but they are clearly predatory people that need to not be in business.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.”

She wanted to change the subject, because thoughts of The Cage and the awful things happening there were making her queasy, so she asked, “How was the rest of the party last night?”

He launched into a story about a couple named Ripley and Olivia playing in the outdoor play space, and she smiled as she listened to him talk.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to play with you. I really like your club,” she said when he was finished.

“It is a pretty special place.”

When they said goodbye, she headed into the living room and saw that Maggie had gotten up and taken the bag of tests with her to the bathroom.

She opened a can of Coke Zero and rummaged in her fridge for something remotely healthy to eat. Lately she’d been surviving on take out, and snacks, and it wasn’t sustainable. She settled on a string cheese and leaned against her counter to eat it while she waited for Maggie.

When she came out a few minutes later, she was crying, and Kenzie rushed to her. “Guess I’m gonna be a mommy,” Maggie said against her chest.

“You don’t have to be a mom unless you want to, Mags. We can take you to a clinic if you don’t want to have your rapist’s baby.”

Maggie stood up and shook her head. “I don’t know yet. It all feels like too much to think about right now. But I do think I’ll take that therapist’s phone number.”

Kenzie sent her friend the information via text and motioned for the kitchen. “Are you hungry?”

Maggie shook her head. “No. But I would like some water.”

Kenzie gave her a glass, and waited quietly, sensing that she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

Finally, her friend blew out a long breath. “I’ve gotta go to work soon. Do you mind if I stay here again tonight?”

Kenzie hugged her again. “You can stay as long as you need. I’m supposed to fly back to D.C. tonight, but I can cancel, or come right back. We’ll figure it out.”

“Don’t cancel your trip. If you don’t mind me crashing here, that would be great. Go see your new man. It seems like he makes you happy.”

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