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She cleared her throat. “In case you don’t remember, I’m Beth Potter.”
“Right. Ms. Potter.” Kenna nodded. “I thought Terri Fleming was going to be here?”
She heard a commotion in the hall behind her. Ramon strode into the room, muttering. Kenna asked, “Where’s Bruce?”
“Right behind me.” Ramon dragged out a chair and slumped into it.
“Problem?”
Ramon said, “Nothing an apology won’t fix.”
Ms. Potter seemed a little flustered at Ramon’s appearance. Because she was only five-one, and he was a much taller, broad-shouldered Hispanic man who looked like he’d worked for a cartel for years—because he had—and still had that edge to him.
“Oh,” she said. “Well, I’m sure whatever happened, there’s been some kind of misunderstanding.” She looked at Kenna. “Ms. Fleming should be here shortly.”
“We don’t have time to waste,” Kenna said.
She had people to save and no idea where to start looking. A wild-goose chase wasn’t a good use of her time. Nor was lying on the bathroom floor and crying.
Her head was pounding. She refused to even think about Jax and what kind of situation he was in right now.
She couldn’t do anything to change it, so wallowing wasn’t going to help.
Actually, she could change it by finding Doctor Santorini, Marcus Buzard, and any of the other missing people.
Her phone rang. The screen saidSpecial Agent Herron. Kenna didn’t pick up. She had already sent the woman an explanation text and mentioned that she had nothing more to say until she’d figured out how to get Jax back. Probably, the FBI wanted to help her, but the risk they wanted to hold her responsible was far too high.
Ramon huffed. He probably thought she was referring to him and whatever had happened on the way over, but she wasn’t. Just these lawyers, giving her half answers and constantly leading her where they wanted her to be.
Because they all worked forDominatus.
She pulled out a chair and slumped into it, sitting next to Ramon. She reached over and squeezed his forearm.
“Ow.”
She frowned at him.
“Don’t worry about it.” He ran his hands down his face. “I’m supposed to be reassuring you, not the other way around.” He paused for a second, like it made his point more effectively, then said, “We’re gonna get him back.”
“I know we are.” If she said more than that, she’d start thinking about Jax again. Thinking would lead to crying, and then where would she be?
This was a case to solve.
She could try and think of it like any other, but that wasn’t ever going to be true, so she didn’t bother.
She looked at Ms. Potter, who had sat at the table again. Ruffling papers while they all waited.
Kenna asked, “How many of them do you think are resistance?” She spoke loudly enough Beth would’ve heard her, but it still sounded like she might be talking only to Ramon. Trying to have a private conversation.
The young lawyer stiffened.
“I figure at least one. Otherwise, I’d be dead by now. All of us, probably.” She leaned toward Ramon a little more. “They can’t have been working on this for long because Doctor Buzard hasn’t been found yet.”
“Maybe they want you to find him just like the Santinos,” Ramon said. “Get you to do their dirty work for them. If we’re lucky, they’ll keep Bruce until we’re done.”
She glanced at him, wondering if that was for real or if he was being sarcastic, and she spotted a gleam of humor in his gaze. She hadn’t seen that in a long time. Not that their lives were conducive to much laughter, especially lately. She was happy. Kenna wasn’t going to say otherwise since she finally had the life she’d been after for a long time.
But the kind of carefree laughter that came with no worries?