Page 21 of Fire
As I entered the elevator, the thought of finding out why Levi had been in Texas for the past five years surfaced. Another person needed to be added to that list. Van Wilkerson had a past, and I bet his was just as dark as Levi’s.
When the elevator stopped on the mezzanine, I headed toward Reyna’s office. I had no idea if Van Wilkerson remained in the lobby, headed to the bar, or just left. At this point, I didn’t care. My only care was getting to Reyna’s office.
Reyna was typing away on her keyboard when I entered her office. Sitting behind a desk looked good on her. It was evident that she enjoyed the position Davian had given her. Even though her dream of owning her own company hadn’t come true, she did have fifty percent ownership in The Regency. It was a wedding gift from Davian.
I tapped lightly on Reyna’s door and stepped across the threshold. “Good morning, my friend. Are you terribly busy?”
“Kenzi. This is a surprise. I’m never too busy for my best friend.” Reyna’s smile greeted me as she looked at the two coffees I held in my hands. “I hope one of those is for me.”
“Of course, it is, silly.” I held out the hot cup of coffee and waited for Reyna to take it before taking a seat in front of her elegant desk.
Crossing one leg over the other, I lowered my head and focused on the five-inch black heel on my right foot. “So, what brings you here?” Reyna asked, bringing my sight to her desk.
“I think Axe is hiding something about Levi.” I met her eyes, seeing nothing but confusion behind them.
“And?” Reyna replied hesitantly.
“And I want you to help me find out what that something could be.” With the access Davian gave Reyna to his computer software, I knew she would be the one person who could help.
“We better get to work then.” Reyna picked up her laptop and brought it around to the front of her desk. “Let’s see what Levi McBride is hiding.”
~
When I parked my car in front of the apartment building, I was more frustrated than when I left. Reyna and I couldn’t find any information on Levi that we didn’t already know. Finding any helpful information on Van Wilkerson was also a failed attempt. However, it wasn’t a complete waste of time when we did a search on Niles Harris. The information we found proved to be helpful. Niles Harris, aka Dice, was a very busy man. He had his hands in everything from illegal gambling to drug running. There were also criminal implications of arson. Even though he was never formally charged, he was still a person of interest in several unresolved explosions in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Houston. Reyna and I found it odd that Levi was in Texas during the Houston explosions. It might just be a coincidence, but it might not.
Still, I wasn’t about to give up. The three of them were tied together somehow. But Axe and his relationship with Van Wilkerson bothered me more than anything. Even though nothing we found out on Mr. Wilkerson stood out, I didn’t trust him. I truly believed that his relationship with Axe went beyond helping Axe get into the army.
If I wanted to find out the truth, I needed to go straight to the source. Pulling my cell from my purse, I pulled the unknown number that Levi called from and pressed the green phone icon.
“Mac. You are the last person I expected to hear from. Is everything okay?” Levi asked. Even though I hated him for what he did, his concern seemed genuine.
“I need to talk to you. Can we meet?”
“I’m at home. Do you know where the Shady Tree Apartments are?”
“I’ll find it.”
“I live on the top floor, apartment E. What is this about, Mac?” he asked, seemingly concerned, but only because he was nervous.
“You’ll know soon enough. I’m leaving now. I should be there in fifteen minutes.” No way did I want to have this conversation over the phone. I wanted to be face-to-face when he tried lying to me.
After putting Shady Tree in my phone’s GPS, I placed my car in reverse and backed out of my parking spot. As I drove away, concern over meeting Levi settled in. I had to do this. I was tempted to call Axe, but he would surely be pissed at me for going to see Levi. He would undoubtedly talk me out of seeing him.
When I pulled up to the Shady Tree Apartment building, I couldn’t believe my eyes. This place was a dump. How could anyone live here, let alone Levi? I was hesitant to leave my car parked outside this building, but what choice did I have? I had to talk to Levi and get some answers.
Before I could exit my car, Levi was there and opening the door. His blue gaze was on me as he pulled my door open. The way he was looking at me made me regret my decision to meet him at his place instead of in public. When he offered me his hand, I reluctantly placed my palm in his. “I didn’t think you would show up.”
“Why wouldn’t I? I was the one who called you, remember?” I said, pulling my hand free.
“Come on. Let’s get inside before it starts to downpour.” Levi looked up, and the clouds began to rumble.
It had been cloudy all day, but the sky looked like it would let loose any minute. I hit the lock button on my key fob and followed Levi inside the rundown apartment building. When we entered the building, I couldn’t help but notice the peeling paint plastering the walls and the missing linoleum tiles lining the floor. This building was a health hazard and should have been condemned long ago. If a person wanted to stay under the radar, this would be the place to stay, which explained why Levi chose to live here.
Safely reaching the top floor, Levi pushed open the door with the letter ‘E’ painted on it. As I stepped inside his apartment and looked around, it wasn’t any better than the entrance. The owner of this building should really consider tearing it down or getting a new super.
I searched for a safe place to sit and found a chair in the small kitchen. It looked sturdy enough for me to sit on. Placing my purse on my lap, I looked up to find Levi leaning against the wall near the door. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, I’m good,” I said bluntly. The sooner I got the information I needed, the quicker I could leave. “What do you know about Niles Harris and blowing up buildings?”
