Seattle, Washington, October 12
Derek glanced overhead at the banner that read “Light up the night” in bold neon letters. Beside him, Kenzie and Lucas hurried forward with the throng of people streaming through the gates of the Wildwood Music Festival. People streamed off a bus from Snoqualmie Valley Transportation. At least they wouldn’t be drinking and driving. He sniffed the air, catching a hint of marijuana. Correction, they wouldn’t be drugging and driving.
The grounds were a beacon of light in an otherwise increasingly darkening evening. The organizers pitched the music festival as an evening in the wilderness, located forty minutes east of Seattle in the heavily forested area of Carnation, Washington. Some people did scavenger hunts, while the less ambitious lounged on blankets, drinking canned beer or wine.
It was hard to rectify people partying in the woods, while less than two hours away fires burned out of control. Bass thumped from the stage, making the ground vibrate.
Kenzie winced. “Am I old if I want them to turn down the music so I can see better?”
Derek chuckled, though he agreed. The place was a hive of activity, with music, people and vendors strewn across the 575 acre park. Lucas strode beside him, alert. They would have brought Bodie, but the festival had a strict no dogs policy. They had also divested themselves of their prisoner, handing Tori over to an FBI agent in an unmarked car just outside of town. Now, Donovan and Rafferty’s teams waited on the outskirts of the park, anxiously awaiting word from Kenzie about what they would find within the festival grounds. With the DEA mole in custody, Derek had convinced Kenzie to trust both Donovan and Rafferty with the information about tonight’s bust. Plus, he wanted the good guys nearby.
“Glad to see your park ranger friend tracked you down,” said a woman in a hoodie to their right. Derek blinked, recognizing the young voice.
“Riley?” Kenzie asked in shock. “What are you doing here? I thought you never left the city.”
Riley lowered her dark sunglasses and gave a wink. “We’re city-adjacent. There’s a Peet’s Coffee less than a mile from here. Besides, you need me.” She grinned. “I’ve got the golden ticket.”
Derek wasn’t sure what he’d expected Kenzie’s secret weapon to look like, but it sure wasn’t petite, goth, and younger than his sister. Appearances can be deceiving. Look at how Tori had fooled them all. “What do you mean, golden ticket?” he hoped the skepticism in his voice wasn’t too thick.
Riley explained in a hushed tone. “After Kenzie told me about the raves that moved between different locations, I did some digging. And guess who knows the password for tonight’s special party?”
Derek pictured Zoe Mitchell’s tear-streaked face as she explained the drug raves roaming across Seattle, one step ahead of the law. How had Riley figured out the password?
“What is it?” Kenzie asked.
“Neon Nirvana.”
Kenzie frowned. “Weird. Will it work?”
Riley shrugged. “We won’t know until we try.”
“Let’s go see if it gets us in,” Lucas said.
Riley held up her hands. “Whoa, boys.” She pointed at Derek and Lucas. “You two look like cops.”
She looked at Kenzie, who was swimming in his flannel jacket. “And you look homeless. No offense.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I haven’t even seen a mirror in four days,” Kenzie said.
She still looked beautiful to him.
“These guys like to target high school kids,” Kenzie said. “I don’t think any of us can pass for that.”
Derek again remembered young Zoe with the bright blue streaks in her hair, crying in her mother’s arms over the death of her friend Carter.
“I can help with that too,” Riley said, gesturing to her backpack. “We’ll be right back.” She grabbed Kenzie’s hand and towed her toward the nearest restroom.
Once they had disappeared inside, Derek turned to Lucas. “Kind of pushy, isn’t she?”
“She reminds me of your sister,” Lucas mused.
Derek wasn’t sure if that was an insult or a compliment. “Do you think Kenzie is up to this after what she’s been through?”
Lucas winced. “Oof, man, do not say that out loud to her or you will get a lecture like you wouldn’t believe.”
Derek rubbed his stomach. Chief York’s ulcer might have been contagious. Or maybe that was just the effect of working with Hurricane Kenzie. “Hmmm, we do find ourselves surrounded by strong-willed women, don’t we?”
Lucas grinned. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Riley and Kenzie appeared ten minutes later. Kenzie’s hair was swept into a high ponytail and she wore thick eye liner and smoky purple eye shadow. Her lips glistened a tempting shade of red and he swore he smelled cherries when she approached. She wore a skintight t-shirt beneath a zip up black and purple flannel hoodie.
“Well? How do I look?” Kenzie asked, doing a little twirl. She captured one strand of hair and wound it around her index finger.
Like those jeans were molded to fit those perfect legs.
Lucas elbowed him as if he could read his thoughts. Derek shook his head. “Uh, disturbingly young.”
Riley’s makeup and clothes had taken an easy ten or more years off Kenzie’s age.
“You look perfect,” Riley said. “They won’t be able to take their eyes off you.”
“I guess it’s you and me then, Riley,” Kenzie said.
“I don’t like it. How are we going to know if you need us?” Derek said. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight.
Riley grinned. “I brought something for that, too.” She riffled through her backpack and brought out two sets of ear buds. One set was white and one was black. “These are connected to each other—white to black. Kenzie and I will wear a black ear bud, and you two can each have a white one. You’ll hear everything we hear, and vice versa.”
“Genius,” Kenzie said. “No one will look twice at an ear bud.”
They all inserted their respective ear buds and Kenzie and Riley walked off.
“Can you hear me?” Riley asked after several paces.
“Loud and clear. We won’t be far behind you,” Lucas said.
“Not too close. We don’t want anyone to know we’re together,” Kenzie said. Derek could hear her crystal clear through his device.
“But close enough to tackle the bad guys,” Riley said, a little nervously.
“Don’t worry, Kenzie is all the protection you need,” Lucas said. “She’s got a hell of a right hook.” He rubbed his jaw as if it pained in memory.
“More importantly, I’ve got a weapon again,” Kenzie said. Derek could hear her grin.
“That’s my backup,” Lucas said pointedly. “Don’t lose it.”
“I know, I know. The paperwork is a bitch,” Kenzie said.
Derek winced, recalling how his stomach had dropped as Tori had pointed Kenzie’s backup at him. The backup weapon she’d trusted him with. The knot in his stomach pulled taut as Kenzie and Riley disappeared into the crowd. He strained to glimpse her through the masses.
Kenzie had endured more trauma over the past few days than anyone. And though she was tough as nails, even the strongest steel could snap under enough strain. If she broke, he vowed to be there to catch her, whether she wanted him or not.