Page 39 of Long Road Home

“I regret telling you the story.” He sucked down some warm lemonade.

“As if I was going to let you get away with not explaining why you have all those scars.”

The kids had gone to bed, but they’d still been hanging in the pool that day a few weeks ago. Laney’s husband was a surgeon, and she was a nurse. Neither of them had blinked at the scars on his chest and back since he got back from Mexico, but they had demanded the story.

Since then, it had been regularly pouring out of him. Apparently, he needed someone to talk to. But with the frustration of wanting to be near Kenna and not being able to go, he was a little worried that when they met, Laney might not like her.

Laney said, “Don’t you have secret friends who can find out who it is?”

Jax smiled. He’d explained about Maizie, but never once used her name. “Pretty sure she hacked my phone a while back, so I’d be surprised if she isn’t already running it. But it’s a risk, with her history. She might know him.”

His boss had the guys in the office running the image against Walker’s known associates. What he needed was forMaizie to look in Kenna’s just in case she had ever run across the guy before.

“And if Kenna’s in trouble, you’ll be there?”

He glanced at Laney, curious about her tone.

“I know you say she’s worth it. But she hasn’t come here to meet us,” Laney said, as though she wanted to give Kenna the once-over and check out who her big brother was interested in. “But it’s complicated. And she’s busy, and you’re busy.” She waved a hand. “Whatever.”

Jax chuckled. If he didn’t get them to meet each other soon, he was pretty sure Laney would pack up the kids and her husband in their high-end SUV and go track Kenna down. But if it happened at the wrong time, everyone would be in danger.

“I just hope I can help her and that no one else dies.”

She tipped her head to the side. “You’ve always been a good guy. That’s the problem.”

“I don’t want to talk about Cayleigh.”

“Does Kenna even know about her?”

Jax winced. “She knows I have an ex-wife. If she remembers that. It was back in Salt Lake City when I told her. But I don’t know if she’s thought about it, and it’s not like Cayleigh is an issue.”

Laney’s brows rose.

“What?”

She burst out laughing. “You’re such a guy.” She waved a hand, still chuckling. “Catch your killer. I’ll worry about Cayleigh, and I’ll let you know if it becomes an issue.”

He grinned around the rim of his glass. “Thanks?”

She shoved his shoulder. After a minute of quiet, she said, “Is Kenna really okay?”

He should’ve known she would be worried about awoman she’d never met. Simply because Jax cared about her. “Bump on the head. Knocked out.”

She grabbed her phone from under the towel, where it was out of the sun. “I’ll send you a list of things she needs to watch out for.”

“Thanks, Sis.”

“You’re—”

His phone ringing again cut her off. It was Maizie.

Jax answered it. “What’s up, kid?”

“I know who he is.”

Jax shot up. He kissed his sister’s forehead and headed for the house. Then his car. “Who?” He closed the patio door and strode through the house.

Maizie made a slight moan sound through the phone.

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