Page 68 of Now or Never
“Sorry.”
He turned the heat down on what he was making. “Don’t ever apologize for that.” He slid his arms around her and kissed her like he needed to make a statement. She couldn’t begin to understand what the statement was—all she knew was that he made it well.
Kenna took a moment to revel in everything she wanted being right here in her arms. No matter what happened in the outside world she had this, right now. Everything out there could be burning to the ground for all she cared. Well, except for her family. But she sort of forgot about them in this moment and wasn’t sure she was prepared to apologize for thinking about her husband only.
In this kiss she forgot about everything but Jax and the baby between them—the child they’d made together. That kind of made the moment sweeter. The evidence of what they meant to each other in the form of a person they would share forever.
Kenna drew back, breathless. “I think you made your point.”
“Good.” Jax didn’t pull away. “The answer is yes, always.”
“I want an update, but Bible first.” A nap had turned into a quiet dinner, and that had turned into a movie and an early bedtime. When the phone hadn’t rung through any of it, she’d wondered if Jax told the rest of their family to leave the two of them alone but didn’t ask. Instead, she just decided to enjoy the quiet evening.
Sure, the fate of the world was at stake. But she was pregnant.
Kenna slid into the booth, and Jax set a mug in front of her. “Hot chocolate.”
She tugged it over and sipped, flipped her phone right side up, and opened the app that she used to listen to the Bible. She hit Play on the psalm of the day, chapter91, and checked the quick view on her notifications just to make sure it was just updates, and nothing crazy had happened.
Then she sat back in the seat and let the words wash over her.
After a few verses, Jax joined in, saying, “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.”
Kenna closed her eyes and prayed through the words, asking for that kind of protection. The Lord, her refuge, would be where she lived. Her dwelling place.
Not physically, but spiritually she would be with Him. Secure in a place where she was protected and where this baby was safe, because God had set angels over them.
She’d never heard that before, and even if she understood how it worked or she didn’t, she found comfort in it. It was the reassurance her heart needed to face the day.
Jax set a plate in front of her. Sausage and potato with a fried egg on top, along with plenty of “greens” because he seemed to think they were a necessity.
“My hero.”
He laughed. “You won’t starve.”
Too many memories clouded Kenna’s mind. She closed her eyes as Jax prayed for their food. He asked for protection and that the whole team would find favor in their work. When she opened her eyes the memories from that platform didn’t seem as strong. After she took a bite and swallowed, she said, “Okay, give me the updates.”
“They’re probably all on your phone. In the group chats.” He smiled, squirting ketchup beside his potatoes. “So, you can read it all for yourself, but I’ll hit the highlights and catch you up.” As Jolene hopped up on the seat beside her and curled up to lick her paw, he continued, “Zeyla spent most of the night following that nurse.” His expression betrayed how he felt about one of Kenna’s captors, even if she was lower-level staff on the platform. “No ghost sightings, and word is, she’s still alive. On the move. Keeping a low profile.”
“Zeyla’s still on her?”
“She’s getting bored, so I doubt it will last long,” Jax said. “Meanwhile, Ramon was here all night, watching the perimeter. He had his computer, so he just monitored things from the car and worked through what Maizie sent him. When I woke up, I relieved him, and he went to get some sleep.”
“Did he find anything?”
“A couple of places near enough they’re worth checking out. He was working on how we can do that when they’re secure facilities.”
Kenna had a few ideas, most of which she didn’t even like, so she knew he wouldn’t either. “The president might be able to get us enough access we can talk the rest of the way in.”
“Weas in the team in general, orweas in me and my pregnant wife?”
Kenna scrunched up her nose, because she knew which she preferred. She drank her hot chocolate instead of answering.
Sure, she wanted to be the one to work the case. She might not usually prefer to be the one who sat in the car, or hung back, but right now she really was fine with it. Either way, the situation was in God’s hands. Whether it was her out in front, with her family around her, or if Ramon and Zeyla took the lead and faced the danger head on. The team would get a result regardless—especially if they all worked together.
“What about the name of the person behind this?” Kenna asked. “Do we know that?”
Jax shook his head. “It still keeps coming back as Schnell.”
