Page 97 of Dust and Ashes

“I got you.” She wasn’t going to let go or allow those men to run them off the road. But she needed help. “Give me your phone.”

He only grunted.

Kenna held on to the wheel, all her attention on the road ahead of them. “We’re not gonna make this unless we get help.”

He groaned but reached with his right hand and dug out a phone from under his leg. He thumbed the home button and gave it to her unlocked. “Redial.”

The number wasn’t saved. She prayed it was Navarro, even if he was the last person she wanted to ask help from.

Then Kenna’s mind clicked a piece into place. She’d left her phone with Jax.

She didn’t want to speak to Navarro.

She wanted to talk to Jax.

“Lord Jesus.” Kenna prayed he still had her phone—and he was conscious and able to answer. She picked the number out digit by digit, praying she remembered right while switching her attention from the road to the phone with each number. “Let this be you.” She bit her lip and wedged the phone between her ear and shoulder, pulling her neck at an odd angle.Please.

“This better be Kenna.”

“Jax?” She managed to gasp out his name. He sounded good. A whole lot better than the last time she’d seen him. But would he be able to help? She didn’t want to only be calling him because…

“You need help.”

“You could say that.” She winced. “But you’re in the hospital.” She bit her lip. “Can one of the agents there—”

“I’m up. And they’re not the ones who will be helping you.”

Her throat clogged.

“You called me. Not them.” She heard him moving around. “What do you need?”

“You probably shouldn’t be up.” A tear rolled down her face. She was only being selfish, asking an injured man for help. But she didn’t want anyone else.

“Kenna, where are you?”

“We’re in town in a truck with a camper shell.” And the bed of the truck was full of money. “The weather is bad. I don’t know if you’ll want to—”

“Don’t tell me what I want.”

She pressed her lips together. “We’re being pursued by Kart and a group of men, including Elliot Preston. I don’t think they’re feds, but they dressed like them. I have no idea.”

“I see.” He paused. “You’re on speaker now. Tell me again where you are.”

“In the middle of town, heading west. And if I don’t get this truck to Navarro, Maizie and Stairns are dead.”

“Okay.” His voice took on a grim tone. “We’re mobile.”

“Are you well enough for that?” She didn’t want him to overexert himself and end up more injured than he was.

“My head is pounding, but I’m not alone and you won’t be either.”

Ramon was with her, but she figured that wasn’t what he meant. Warmth spread through her middle because he knew what she cared about. He cared about the same thing. “Jax…” She barely knew what to say.

“I know.” Car doors slammed on his end of the line, and he grunted.

He wasn’t okay. He was going to push through so he could be here to help her.

She wasn’t going to argue with the wisdom of it, since she would do exactly the same thing if it were her. They both knew it.

---