Page 17 of Storm and Tempest (Brand of Justice #13)

Chapter Thirteen

L et’s go.

That was all she’d said in answer to his question. As if his world wasn’t currently tearing itself apart—and he knew he was next. That he wouldn’t be able to hang on much longer before it all just…fractured.

“Elliot is down there.” Amara led them down a hallway, past several of the lawyers from Hann, Anthony & Associates. Five, if he’d managed to spot them all, standing around in khakis and polo shirts like this was a private security convention.

A lawyer he recognized stood beside a plain door in this plain hallway, the building an office and warehouse in a business district on the west side of Phoenix. Outside in huge letters on the exterior of the building was a fading sign for a plumbing supply business—and yet no one worked here.

“Oliver.” The lawyer, Lisa Romeo, nodded.

“Ms. Romeo.” He returned her nod.

Sandra said, “Is he in there?”

Sandra raced ahead of Jax. He wanted to stop her so that he went first, but with guards all around, there likely wasn’t any danger.

Depending on Elliot’s condition.

The door beside her whipped open, and a man stood there, late twenties. Slender, wearing tan slacks and a white shirt that was untucked. He had two pens in his breast pocket and glasses on his nose. “Sandra!”

Jax realized he did recognize the guy. But instead of remembering when they’d conversed at the office, he didn’t think they’d actually spoken directly.

Elliot Adams had been present at some meetings Jax had led.

He was the forgettable kind, a guy who didn’t stick out—which made Jax wonder who else he hadn’t noticed because he was too preoccupied.

He might not be able to know everyone, but were there others who had slipped through the cracks?

Elliot and Sandra Adams collided in a hug, a mess of words exchanged between them.

Jax glanced at Amara, who had a blank look on her face, then stepped aside with Ms. Romeo.

“You look a lot better than you did the last time I saw you,” the lawyer told him.

That had been when they’d rescued him from those mafia guys, injured and barely conscious.

He chuckled. “Not surprising.”

The brother and sister stepped into the room, arms around each other and talking low with their heads together. Jax wanted the information they were sharing back and forth, not entirely sure whatever Amara had to say to him would be the truth.

Ramon and Zeyla stepped into the hall at the far end. Ramon lifted his chin, and Jax returned it.

“I need answers.” Jax glanced between Ms. Romeo and Amara. “Now. I need to know what’s going on.”

Bruce hadn’t come inside with them. He’d dropped Jax off and then taken the car so he could go do…

whatever it was he was going to do. Presumably follow the tracker to his former partner and then hopefully watch, or secure, Samuel Chistane.

But if Bruce killed the guy, it really wouldn’t be so surprising.

Jax wasn’t going to babysit the guy, but realized he needed to put a stipulation on things, so he sent Bruce a text.

Don’t kill him. We need information, remember?

It was as much a reminder to himself as it was to Kenna’s friend.

After all, it was Zeyla who had stopped Jax from yelling at Amara earlier.

She and Ramon had come in right after he yelled at her.

Now the anger in his gut was roiling. But every time he looked at Elliot and Sandra off to the side in a room—reunited—it wasn’t anger he felt.

It was jealousy. They had each other back.

What did he have?

He turned to Amara. “You know where she is.”

Kenna’s mother said, “That’s one of the few things I don’t know.”

Jax shook his head. “You work for Dominatus , don’t you? That means you all do.” He waved a hand, incorporating Ms. Romeo and Zeyla. “Am I wrong?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Amara hissed. “You think this is so black-and-white. We’re either good or evil. As if the world is so simple.” She shook her head.

“So I’m the na?ve one, and I guess you’re going to have to explain this all to me.

Because it looks like you ran an FBI agent off the road and then kidnapped him in order to allow those retired guys to take Kenna from me.

” He folded his arms. “So tell me why I shouldn’t call a team of agents here to tear this whole place apart. See what else you’re hiding.”

Ms. Romeo shifted. “Please don’t blow this safe house. She shouldn’t have brought you here, and we’ll clear out as soon as you’re gone. This place is burned with just you guys, but that doesn’t mean anyone needs to find out about it.”

Jax clenched down on his molars.

Amara slid a phone from her jacket pocket. The move, of course, put him on edge, just in case she was drawing a weapon from out of sight. Instead, she showed him the screen of her phone.

Jax grabbed the cell and looked closer. Kenna. “Where did you get this?”

Ramon moved to him and looked at the screen over his shoulder. “That looks like a hospital bed. She isn’t secured to it.”

Kenna was tucked in on the screen, under blankets. Fast asleep—or unconscious. No IVs, and no monitors attached to her taking readings of her vitals.

“Is she alive or—” The question caught in his throat.

“I’m making sure of it.” Amara took the phone.

Jax didn’t want to give it back. “Send me that image. And any more that you have.” He saw her expression pinch a little. “You have more?”

Amara’s lips pressed into a thin line. “I have three others.”

Ramon started to move by him.

Jax slammed a hand on the guy’s chest. “If you kill her, we don’t get information.”

As much as he wanted to rage at Amara right now, he was also surprised to find himself the voice of reason with Ramon.

He was still processing the fact she’d been receiving images of Kenna. “I can’t believe you never told me you have images of her.”

His gut burned.

Amara stood there, looking a little guilty at least. But not much.

Ramon’s body tensed. “I can’t believe you never told us . You think we wouldn’t want to know about Kenna?” His voice rose in volume. “You’re a piece of work.”

“Ramon.” Jax had to get answers, not just go around and around with accusations.

His friend said, “I don’t think you understand what I can do to get information. She might wish she was dead.”

“But we aren’t going to do that.” Jax could guess well enough what the guy meant.

Having worked for a cartel in Mexico for years, Ramon was a wildcard at best, and thankfully they were on the same side in this.

But if Ramon committed a crime, Jax couldn’t exactly ignore it, even if he had turned over his badge.

“Maybe don’t incriminate yourself in front of an FBI agent. ”

“I thought you were suspended.” Amara eyed him. “Or did you quit?”

Jax didn’t back down. “And I thought you wanted Kenna back with her family, but I guess I was wrong.”

Amara’s expression hardened. “She’s alive because of me.”

Ramon shifted, standing behind Jax’s right shoulder. “Explain.”

Jax lifted his brows.

“Fine,” Amara said. “I made it obvious enough that it was me who ran Elliot off the road. Foolishly I thought you might like to know that Kenna is alive. That I didn’t kill Agent Adams, and I thought you’d know I am on your side.”

“Where is she?” Jax asked.

“I have no idea.”

Jax shook his head. “Not good enough.”

“She’s alive. Even if you did find her, which is impossible because no one has any idea where she was taken, then she dies. They’ll kill her if you even start to get close. You stay away and she lives. Got it?”

“We aren’t going to agree on this.” It was how Amara had worked her whole life, or at least Kenna’s whole life.

Staying away in order to protect Kenna. But that hadn’t been what she needed, because Jax and Kenna had talked about it at length.

Amara did what she wanted. Nothing could change what had already happened.

Kenna had needed this woman in her life so she could have a mother. Not a memory, or a headstone for a dead woman. But did Amara stop long enough to realize that?

No, she hadn’t.

“I’m going to get her back whether you help me or not.” Jax wasn’t backing down. Ever. “Why didn’t you at least tell me you were being coerced into working for them in order to keep her alive?”

Ms. Romeo hadn’t moved or said anything.

He figured she was acting as counsel—but he didn’t know who she was representing here.

Amara didn’t seem to need anyone to tell her what to say or not say so as not to incriminate herself.

Zeyla remained quiet as well. Ramon might know more about where she was at with all this, given they’d spoken at the house.

Otherwise, she kept to herself. Another enigma it would take time to figure out.

Amara said, “Would you be inclined to admit it if someone had you over a barrel and you had no way out?”

“Except it seems like everyone apart from us knows, because no one else here is surprised to discover you’re aware of Kenna’s condition.” He motioned between himself and Ramon. “First off, how about you explain better what happened with Elliot.”

He should be furious with her, but grief was like a wave that dampened the fire of his anger and put it out.

He wanted to demand to see more pictures of Kenna.

She’s alive. He needed to tuck that thought close to his heart so he could save the feeling.

If Amara sent the images to him, Maizie would see them. She would know that Kenna was alive.

The search for her would be renewed, because Maizie wasn’t going to let images get past her without a thorough analysis of the elements in the image—and where they’d come from. Now that the information was out, they might get a real lead.

Amara said, “ Dominatus knew that Elliot was going after those men to find out what happened to Kenna.”

She paused long enough he said, “We already know he was a scapegoat. No one at the FBI knows he’s gone. They all think he transferred, and the computer system is conveniently missing any record of him.”