Chapter Ninety-Five

Lena and Kenzie were being pulled toward a different ambulance than the one Dane, Angel, and Colton were in. The paramedics wanted to take Kenzie in to be checked over, and Lena wanted that, too.

Her daughter wouldn’t leave her side and was clinging to her arm in a way that made Lena wonder if they would be spending every minute of their lives together from now on. At the moment, that prospect sounded pretty damn good to her.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” she asked for probably the hundredth time in the last forty-five minutes.

Kenzie nodded against Lena’s side but didn’t speak.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner. That I couldn’t get you away from the mean man until now.”

“He wasn’t mean, Mama,” Kenzie said in a small voice. “He was nice. He always had candy.”

Lena decided not to argue with the candy litmus test for the time being. For now, she would just be happy that Viktor hadn’t mistreated her child. Despite his horrific plans for her future.

“Does anything hurt?” Lena asked while taking in the large bump on Kenzie’s forehead from the fall.

“It hurts here,” Kenzie said pointing to the wrist where Viktor had gripped and dragged her.

Lena lifted it tenderly and gave it a kiss. “Okay. When we get to the hospital, the doctors will take a look. They’ll make it all better.”

“I missed you, Mama.”

If Kenzie had wanted to say the one thing that would make Lena’s heart break the most, she’d chosen her words well. She’d thought having Kenzie ask when she was coming to get her was difficult. This was unbearable.

“Oh, baby, I’ve missed you so much.” She didn’t want to squeeze Kenzie too tightly. Not until she’d been seen by a doctor and Lena was sure everything on the inside was fine. But she couldn’t resist giving her a long hug.

“Daddy said he was taking me away for a fun trip, but when I asked if you were coming, he said you didn’t want to because you were mad at me.”

Lena had to school her face not to give away her explosive feelings over that lie. “Of course I’m not mad at you. Not at all.”

The subject had come up numerous times during their video chats. It had been difficult to convince Kenzie she wasn’t angry when she also hadn’t shown up to take her home. Lena understood why she might still be worried about it.

At the hospital, it took forever for Kenzie to be seen and released with a clean bill of health. Thankfully, her wrist wasn’t broken or sprained, just bruised.

“Can we go home now?” Kenzie asked.

Lena wanted to cry. She didn’t have the heart to tell her daughter that they no longer had a home. Or that she only had four hundred dollars in the bank. Thanks to Viktor, her entire life had been put on hold.

She shuddered as she thought of the man. She’d actually killed him. She’d done it to protect her daughter, and she knew if faced with the same situation, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. But still, she had taken someone’s life.

“We’ll leave in a minute, but first I want to check in on the friend who helped me find you.” She hoisted her daughter up on her hip even though, at six, she was way too old to be carried. Surely, some spoiling would make them both feel better.

Kenzie’s leg pushed at the gun tucked in her jeans. Lena adjusted her little body and kissed Kenzie’s hair. It was so nice to have her close. She never wanted to let her go.

They went to information and waited while a surly-looking receptionist made a number of adjustments to the contents of her desk before looking at Lena with her brow raised. “Yes?”

“Hi. I’m looking for Dane Ryan.”

The woman studied her monitor for a few seconds and looked at her. “Are you family?”

“No. But I—”

“I’m sorry. I can’t tell you if he’s a patient unless you’re family.”

“I already know he’s a patient here. He came in with a gunshot wound. I just need to know where he’s been moved.”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Fine. I’ll just wait over here.” She pointed in the direction of the waiting room.

“Mama, I want to go home,” Kenzie said against her neck.

“I know, baby, but I can’t get into the house where we’re visiting since I don’t have a key. And my friend is hurt, so we’re just going to sit here until he comes out. You can sleep if you want.”

“I’m not tired.” Of course Kenzie would never admit to being tired, even as her eyelids sagged. Lena knew it would be no more than ten minutes before she was out like a light.

As her daughter snuggled in her lap, Lena watched for any sign of Angel, Colton, or Garrett. They were probably with Dane.

She prayed he was okay. He’d been talking as he was loaded into the ambulance, but what if something had happened afterward?

“Excuse me, ma’am. Did you say you were waiting for a patient named Dane Ryan?”

Lena looked up into the eyes of the biggest police officer she’d ever seen. “Uh. Yes?” The last word came out sounding like a question.

“Were you involved in the shooting at the marina?” he asked.

Lena swallowed, not sure what to say. What were they telling the police? Was it still a secret? She’d waited too long. The officer frowned and moved on to another question.

“Can I see some ID?” he asked.

“Uh. I’m sorry, I don’t have it.” Her real ID had been taken, along with her personal phone and credit cards by Viktor. Her new ID was back at the house, which she didn’t have access to at the moment.

“I wanna go home,” Kenzie complained, and when she shifted her foot, she dislodged the gun that had been tucked into Lena’s waistband. The nine-millimeter fell between the gap in the seats and clattered to the floor.

The officer’s eyes widened slightly and he let out a sigh. “Ma’am, I think you’d better come with me.”