Page 33 of Fire
“Hold on,” Davian said as he pushed from the table and stood. “We are going to find Kenzi before tomorrow. With all of us looking for her, one of us is bound to find her.”
I had to believe that he was right. Davian had never let me down, and I had to have faith he was right. “We don’t have much time,” I reminded him as I headed out of the computer room.
Davian and Patton were on my heels, their concern as genuine as mine. I got inside my truck and turned on the engine while Davian and Patton got inside the SUV parked next to me. The oversized garage door was open, and I was the first to leave the warehouse. As I looked in my rearview mirror, I saw the other SUVs close behind.
Seeing the burning building on the computer bumped my adrenaline up a notch causing me to put more pressure on the gas pedal. It was a good hour to Wilkerson’s cabin, and I didn’t have any time to spare. Whether or not the guys could keep up was the least of my concerns. With the tracking technology our vehicles were equipped with, they would have no problem finding me if they fell behind.
~25~
Kenzi
I kept my ear to the door and listened for any noise. I was beginning to think that River’s concern was nothing but an attempt to lock me back inside this room. I was torn between staying quiet and yelling for help. For now, I was safe, and staying quiet seemed like the better option.
Making myself comfortable on the bed, I stared at the door, willing it to open, hoping it would be River on the side. As I patiently waited, questions swirled in my head.
Why would Levi do this?
Was he so obsessed with me that he wanted me to himself?
What is his connection to Niles Harris and Van Wilkerson?
What is Axe’s connection to Van Wilkerson other than the service?”
Questions about what was really going on ran rampant in my mind. What if my kidnapping had nothing to do with me, but had to do with Axe? It was nuts, and being alone with my thoughts made me think crazy thoughts. Axe was sweet and didn’t know about Levi until I told him. On the other hand, they both knew Van Wilkerson. But how? Levi was never in the service. Maybe he had a run-in with Van Wilkerson when he was in Texas.
Ugh!Not knowing anything was so infuriating. There was one person that might help me answer these questions. Even though River hadn’t admitted that he knew Harris or Wilkerson, the way he acted said otherwise. River locked me in this room for one reason, and that was to keep me away from whoever was knocking at his front door. It had to be them coming for me. No one else was a threat.
Less than half an hour passed since I was locked in this room, at least I was pretty sure. There was no way to tell how long for sure. Frustrated that I had no sense of time, I looked over to the television and came up with a plan. Walking over to the armoire, I pulled out a random DVD and placed it in the DVD player. I took the empty case with me and headed back to the bed to turn on the television. Once the movie appeared on the screen, I took a seat on the bed. Having seen this movie a dozen times, I flipped over the DVD case and searched for the length of the movie. I hadn’t guessed thatHome Alonewas 103 minutes long. I never thought watching a movie would tell me what I needed to know.
Knowing everything that would happen next in the movie, I had seen enough ofHome Aloneand decided on a hot shower instead. By the time I had finished, the credits were moving up the screen. Before drying my hair, I plugged in another movie. It was another classic, lasting 143 minutes. Over an hour had passed, yet I was still locked inside the bedroom. Frustrated, I walked over to the door and tried the doorknob again, hoping that River had unlocked it. He hadn’t. I put my ear to the door, but I could hear nothing coming from the other side.What the hell was going on?
Drying my hair, I stilled when the bathroom door opened and River appeared. I turned off the dryer and placed it on the vanity—my sights on him through the mirror. A smile filled his expression as he stood in the doorway with his arms crossed at his chest. “The uninvited guests are gone.”
“Who was it?” I asked, combing through my half-dried hair.
“As I suspected. Trouble,” he answered as I continued to watch him through the reflection of the mirror.
River uncrossed his arms and walked toward me. Without warning, he took the brush I held in my hand and began combing my long mane. It was the sexiest thing I have ever experienced. Not even Axe had ever combed my hair for me.
“What do you mean trouble? Was it Harris and Wilkerson?” I turned to face him, and his green eyes scanned me from head to toe. I was only wearing the robe with the initials JMS embroidered in pink.
“This robe looks good on you,” he said, placing his hand on the collar and rubbing the soft material between his fingers. “Get dressed. We need to leave before they come back.”
River kissed the top of my head before placing the brush on the vanity. I was shell-shocked and couldn’t move.Why did he do that?When I turned to face the mirror, my face was flushed, and my body felt like it was on fire. I loved Axe, but something about this man was messing with my feelings.
After splashing water on my face, I removed the robe and put on the jeans and sweater back on. I walked over to the closet, remembering that I saw a pair of boots inside that appeared to be my size. When I slipped them on over my bare feet, the fit was perfect, so I zipped them up and headed out of the room.
River stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for me with a woman’s coat in his hands. As soon as I hit the last step, he held it open for me and waited for me to slip my arms inside. Turning to face him, I took hold of the zipper and began zipping it up. “So, where are we going?”
“Somewhere I know you will be safe.” River reached for my hands and pulled me toward him. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Kenzi.”
We stood in silence while River held me more than I held him. When our connection broke, the unanswered questions roaming in my head earlier emerged. “What do Harris and Wilkerson want with me?”
“I’ll answer any questions you have, but right now, we really need to go.” River took hold of my hand and led me to the front door.
He was much stronger and bigger than me, and fighting him would be a waste of time. I allowed him to lead me out the door, but he would answer my questions. The air was cooler than before and cut through me even with the heavy coat. River held tight to my hand as we walked down the steps leading away from the front door. The view from the front of the house was breathtaking. The logs used to build the home were large and layered one on top of another with precision. I wondered how long it took to find so many logs in the perfect length and width.
The land beyond the log home seemed to go on forever.How much of this land did River own?“Is this all yours?” I asked with amazement.
