Page 70
Story: One More Chance
“I wasn’t going to interrupt…whatever you were doing.”
“I work for you. Isn’t that the deal? You call me, and I come.”
“We’re all supposed to have a healthy work-life balance.”
Ramon stared at her. “Sure seems like you have that.” He looked at Jax. “That’s why we’re having a meeting when you’re injured rather than having you rest.”
She shifted on the sofa and leaned against Jax, winding her arm around his elbow. He put his hand on her leg, so she tucked her knees up on his lap. “I’m resting.”
Jax chuckled under her cheek.
She glanced at Bruce. “You worked Terri Fleming’s case with me. Did you know the law firm Hann, Anthony, and Associates represented her after the police took her in? They were also connected to her business prior to us taking her case.”
Bruce lowered his beer bottle before taking another sip. “The intel I got was that the law firm is connected to a lot of businesses in town, but if they’re about taking down Buzard and his operation, then they aren’t our enemy. They’re our friends.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Kenna needed to think for a second.
Jax said, “How did you find out about the law firm in the first place?”
She would much rather be talking about the kids and how to find them, but the two officers who had removed them from the medical center were both dead. No one else had seen the kids after they left. Even so, she was going to send Bruce or Ramon after any kind of lead they could get if Maizie didn’t come up with anything from scrubbing local traffic cams—a long shot, and it could take days to find something, but the alternative was having no leads at all.
Bruce said, “Amara sent me their information.”
“You talk to her?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “She’s been busy with Zeyla, helping her recover from what was done to her.”
Kenna’s cousin—or sister, depending on how she wanted to look at it—had suffered whenDominatusremoved several of her organs to illegally transplant them into their people who needed the healthy tissue. Amara had texted her a few times. They hadn’t exactly had a happy reunion, and Kenna had seen Zeyla before she was transferred to the secure rehab facility, but Kenna hadn’t ever spoken to her as she’d been unconscious at the time.
“Amara knows I would help them, right?”
Bruce said, “She knows you just got married.”
So she’d left Kenna alone rather than asking for help? Ramon had taken off as well, leaving her to enjoy her newlywed phase. Bruce had stuck around as a bodyguard of sorts.
She had zero problem with spending as much time with Jax as possible, but it also felt like her team had deserted her. And it felt as if her mother didn’t really want Kenna in her life. Amara was technically her aunt, but that probably didn’t have anything to do with it. Kenna being targeted by Doctor Buzard might be the real issue. Maybe Amara simply didn’t want Zeyla anywhere near anyone connected toDominatus. Even if it was only that Kenna had found herself on their radar.
Jax asked, “Who is taking Nicola Santorini, and who is finding those kids?”
Ramon lifted one hand. “Kids.”
“Fine.” Bruce glanced at him. “I’ll go after the doctor. Even though she kicked you out of the office, and she’s connected to a Mafia family.”
“Why do you think I’m taking the kids? I’m not tangling with the Mafia.” Ramon shook his head.
“Those kids have no one else. The Mafia just don’t want to get their hands dirty with the police and the FBI watching. They’d rather have Kenna do it because they think Jax will give her a pass for whatever she does since they’re married.”
That might not be true, but it was a nice idea. If it didn’t mean she was breaking the law.
“Thanks for that.” Kenna shot Ramon a look. “The Santorini family wants me to find Nicola for them because she’s part of their family, and I’m connected to them from a guy I knew in Vegas. It’s a whole thing.”
And it felt a lot like being shoved up against a wall. They’d blame her if she didn’t succeed or give her zero credit for finding Nicola if she did. Either way, she got nothing, and they walked away with no responsibility.
“She pulled away from the family, didn’t she?” Ramon shrugged. “Either they want her back in the fold, or they want to punish her for pulling away.”
“Maybe they just care about her.” She shifted a little so she could talk only to Jax. “What about Dana?”
“You’re worried about her? She’s in a secure facility.” Jax spoke softly, his face close to hers. “I’ll make some calls. Send a couple of agents to reinterview her under the guise of possibly opening a federal case into kidnappings like Nicola’s and make sure she’s all right.”
“I work for you. Isn’t that the deal? You call me, and I come.”
“We’re all supposed to have a healthy work-life balance.”
Ramon stared at her. “Sure seems like you have that.” He looked at Jax. “That’s why we’re having a meeting when you’re injured rather than having you rest.”
She shifted on the sofa and leaned against Jax, winding her arm around his elbow. He put his hand on her leg, so she tucked her knees up on his lap. “I’m resting.”
Jax chuckled under her cheek.
She glanced at Bruce. “You worked Terri Fleming’s case with me. Did you know the law firm Hann, Anthony, and Associates represented her after the police took her in? They were also connected to her business prior to us taking her case.”
Bruce lowered his beer bottle before taking another sip. “The intel I got was that the law firm is connected to a lot of businesses in town, but if they’re about taking down Buzard and his operation, then they aren’t our enemy. They’re our friends.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Kenna needed to think for a second.
Jax said, “How did you find out about the law firm in the first place?”
She would much rather be talking about the kids and how to find them, but the two officers who had removed them from the medical center were both dead. No one else had seen the kids after they left. Even so, she was going to send Bruce or Ramon after any kind of lead they could get if Maizie didn’t come up with anything from scrubbing local traffic cams—a long shot, and it could take days to find something, but the alternative was having no leads at all.
Bruce said, “Amara sent me their information.”
“You talk to her?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “She’s been busy with Zeyla, helping her recover from what was done to her.”
Kenna’s cousin—or sister, depending on how she wanted to look at it—had suffered whenDominatusremoved several of her organs to illegally transplant them into their people who needed the healthy tissue. Amara had texted her a few times. They hadn’t exactly had a happy reunion, and Kenna had seen Zeyla before she was transferred to the secure rehab facility, but Kenna hadn’t ever spoken to her as she’d been unconscious at the time.
“Amara knows I would help them, right?”
Bruce said, “She knows you just got married.”
So she’d left Kenna alone rather than asking for help? Ramon had taken off as well, leaving her to enjoy her newlywed phase. Bruce had stuck around as a bodyguard of sorts.
She had zero problem with spending as much time with Jax as possible, but it also felt like her team had deserted her. And it felt as if her mother didn’t really want Kenna in her life. Amara was technically her aunt, but that probably didn’t have anything to do with it. Kenna being targeted by Doctor Buzard might be the real issue. Maybe Amara simply didn’t want Zeyla anywhere near anyone connected toDominatus. Even if it was only that Kenna had found herself on their radar.
Jax asked, “Who is taking Nicola Santorini, and who is finding those kids?”
Ramon lifted one hand. “Kids.”
“Fine.” Bruce glanced at him. “I’ll go after the doctor. Even though she kicked you out of the office, and she’s connected to a Mafia family.”
“Why do you think I’m taking the kids? I’m not tangling with the Mafia.” Ramon shook his head.
“Those kids have no one else. The Mafia just don’t want to get their hands dirty with the police and the FBI watching. They’d rather have Kenna do it because they think Jax will give her a pass for whatever she does since they’re married.”
That might not be true, but it was a nice idea. If it didn’t mean she was breaking the law.
“Thanks for that.” Kenna shot Ramon a look. “The Santorini family wants me to find Nicola for them because she’s part of their family, and I’m connected to them from a guy I knew in Vegas. It’s a whole thing.”
And it felt a lot like being shoved up against a wall. They’d blame her if she didn’t succeed or give her zero credit for finding Nicola if she did. Either way, she got nothing, and they walked away with no responsibility.
“She pulled away from the family, didn’t she?” Ramon shrugged. “Either they want her back in the fold, or they want to punish her for pulling away.”
“Maybe they just care about her.” She shifted a little so she could talk only to Jax. “What about Dana?”
“You’re worried about her? She’s in a secure facility.” Jax spoke softly, his face close to hers. “I’ll make some calls. Send a couple of agents to reinterview her under the guise of possibly opening a federal case into kidnappings like Nicola’s and make sure she’s all right.”
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