Page 4 of Fire
Now he had my attention. Taking the letter from his hand, I unfolded it and concentrated on the contents. I thought threatening letters with letters cut out from a magazine and then pasted onto a sheet of paper only happened in the movies. Each letter on the sheet of paper was carefully placed, which told me that whoever sent it was very meticulous. The message was very clear.
“I think we should have Patton look at this. Whoever sent this wanted to get your attention,” I said as I handed the letter back to Davian.
“Whoever sent this has more than my attention. I’ve made plans to meet with the team tonight at the warehouse. I hope to see you there.”
I kept my eyes on Davian as he walked back to his desk and picked up an envelope to place the letter inside. I moved my eyes to the envelope as he slid it inside. The only address on the envelope was that of The Regency’s. Strange, but also convenient.
What a way to celebrate a new house. Davian and Reyna didn’t deserve this, not after everything they had been through in the past year. The words in the letter played in my mind like a recording.
There is nowhere to hide. The truth will come out. The people in your circle will pay.
Scratching my head, I was about to ask Davian what the message meant when I heard laughter behind me.
Kenzi and Reyna walked into the study, with Delilah following close behind. Since they were the only two laughing, I assumed Delilah had said something funny. Kenzi must have read the expression on my face. Her smile disappeared instantly. Thankfully, she was smart enough not to say anything and instead stepped up to me and kissed me on the cheek and in the process, looped her arms through mine. I couldn’t help but remove my hands from my front pockets and pull her close. God, she smelled good. Like strawberries and vanilla. Kissing the top of her head, I asked, “What have you girls been up to that has you laughing?”
Lifting her head, causing our eyes to meet, Kenzi redirected them toward Reyna and Delilah. “We were talking about how gorgeous Davian and Reyna’s house is and if they have done the big nasty in every room yet.”
My right brow went up, amused by Kenzi’s explanation. Kenzi placed her hands on her hips and stared at me, defending herself. “I know what you’re thinking, Axe. And no, it wasn’t my idea. It was Delilah's.”
She would never admit it, but I was sure Kenzi brought it up. Her appetite for sex was unpredictable. Not that I minded. I just had a hard time keeping up with what she would do next. There was never a dull moment with her. How could I forget the first time we met? Little had I known that her long blonde hair and her sun-kissed skin would affect me the way they did. Like Reyna, she was stubborn and wanted to do things her way. Not all the time, but most of the time. In retrospect, she was also kind and would help anyone in a heartbeat. Hell, she would probably rescue a stray dog if it wasn’t for the no-pet rule in my apartment building.
Silence filled the study until everyone broke out into a belly laugh. The expression on Kenzi's face had everyone rolling. The tension that previously occupied the room between Davian and me faded, even though the threat still remained hidden in the envelope on his desk. Until we could figure out what that threat was, I kept it to myself. There was no need to worry Kenzi for no reason.
While we were all laughing, Mika entered the study, looking at Davian with a smile. “Lunch is ready, Davi. It is on the back patio as you requested.”
Mika was a gem. She was Davian’s housekeeper and had been a part of the danger caused by Rui Salko and his brother Crosby McCall. I didn’t know her as well as the other men ofThe Society,but I considered her family.How did I get so lucky to be surrounded by so many good people?If they learned who I was, I doubted I’d have a family left.
Cognizant that everyone had left the study, I followed suit and headed to the back patio. I had to admit that Davian and Reyna’s home was gorgeous. Even though I had been here once before, it still had the same effect on me. I could never afford to give Kenzi a home like this, but maybe someday, I could build her a house she would love.
I walked across the marble-covered floor in the foyer to the hallway leading to the back patio in awe of the enormity of the mansion. It would be easy for someone to get lost if they didn’t know the house's layout. I was thankful for the last meeting we had here. Davian had given me and the guys a tour of the place. He showed us where all the security cameras were, as well as the security room. Being the paranoid man that he was, Davian had a panic room installed in case he or Reyna was in danger. At first, I thought he might have gone a little overboard with the security, but after reading the letter sent to him, I wasn’t so sure.
When I opened the patio door, everyone was seated around the table, set for six. I thought it was nice of Davian to ask Mika to join us until Lorenzo stepped behind me. “Nice to see you again, Axe. How are things going?”
I turned to face Davian’s father and realized just how much he looked like Davian. “Nice to see you again as well, Mr. Cross.”
“Please call me Lorenzo,” he said as he placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “Looks like Mika has outdone herself again. I’m starved.”
We all sat around the table, filling our stomachs with the delicious food Mika prepared while engaging in light conversation. Beneath the conversation were secrets—mine and theirs. Mine being the motherlode of them all. I wondered how many secrets were kept other than mine. Was it the letter that had me wondering or the guilt of keeping my secret from them and Kenzi?
I looked around the table, smiled, and subconsciously played a game with myself, trying to guess what secrets each one of them held. Davian’s secrets were the easiest to figure out. I was sure he had a basket full of them. For starters, he framed Crosby by making it look like he killed his brother Rui Salko when, in actuality, it was Marcus who killed him. But that didn’t mean Crosby McCall was innocent. It was inevitable that he would rot in prison.
Kenzi and Reyna had the least number of secrets. Both were young with their whole lives ahead of them. Youth was in their favor, and neither one had secrets to keep yet. And just like Davian, Lorenzo had a basket full of secrets of his own. Hell, maybe even a closet full.
My little game was interrupted when Kenzi took hold of my hand resting on my lap. “Axe, what is going on with you?” she asked as she leaned over and whispered the question in my ear. “Davian asked you a question.”
I hadn’t heard his question or any of the conversation. “I’m sorry, Davian. What did you say?”
“I was wondering if you and Kenzi would like to go to New York with Reyna and me. It would be for the week,” Davian said, looking between Kenzi and me for a response.
The thought of leaving now would be a great distraction, but not wise. Davian himself requested a meeting withThe Societymen.Had I missed something?I sure as shit wasn’t sure where he was coming from. “Umm… yeah… I guess so. When?”
“Next weekend. There are a few things I need to take care of first.”
I had a few things to take care of myself, but he didn’t need to know that. “Sounds good to me. I’ve always wanted to go to the Big Apple.”
~4~
Kenzi
