Page 2 of Fire
“Okay, babe. Are you ready to go?”
“Almost. I just want to touch up my make-up.”
In my opinion, Kenzi was gorgeous just the way she was. “Take your time, babe. I have to make a quick call.”
Stepping out of the bedroom to the kitchen, I knew I should have taken care of this the first time. I dialed Van’s number to tell him to find someone else. After one ring, he picked up. “Van, I’m out. Find someone else,” I said, pacing the room like a scared kid.
“Are you sure you want to do that, Riley? Half a million is a lot of money. I’m sure your hot little girlfriend would enjoy spending it for you.”
“Leave my girlfriend out of this.”How the hell did he know about Kenzi?
“Do the job. Show up at the meeting tomorrow, and I will keep our little agreement to myself,” Van hung up before I could say another word. He made it clear that if I screwed with him, he would screw with me.
I was fucked. I would fight for Kenzi at all costs, even if it meant eliminating the threat. I should never have accepted his generosity thirteen years ago. Two tours in Iraq as a Delta Force should have been enough, but not for Wilkerson. The minute I set foot on American soil, he got in touch with me, just as he promised. Even though I was still the government's property, he made sure I paid him back. His recommending me for the EOD training program began to make sense. He wanted to make sure I learned everything possible about making and deploying explosives. I was the answer to his illegal side job.
“Who was that?” Kenzi’s soft steps hadn’t alerted me when she entered the kitchen. “And, leave me out of what?”
She couldn’t know the truth behind my comment, so I lied. “A bet between the guys.” Conjuring up a quick BS story, I swiveled the barstool in her direction to answer her next question before she had time to ask. “The guys bet me a case of beer that you would have my place redecorated within a month with all kinds of girly shit when you found out that I bought most of my stuff from a second-hand store. So, I told them to leave you out of it.”
Kenzi’s laugh was the cutest thing ever, and brought a smile to my face. “The guys don’t know that I used to climb trees and play in the mud when I was a kid.” Forcing herself between my legs, she wrapped her arms around my neck and interlocked her fingers. “Besides, I don’t have girly shit. My things are very womanly and tasteful.”
I could vouch for that. When she first moved in with me, she brought an abstract painting of colored smoke floating in a vase full of water. There was nothing girly about it. We both decided it would look great above my king-sized bed. Besides purchasing new bedding from IKEA to match the painting, Kenzi hadn’t changed anything in my apartment. She loved it just the way it was. If she added a few things of her own or replaced some of my stuff with hers down the road, I wouldn’t care. The only thing that mattered was making her happy and, of course, protecting her from all things evil.Van Wilkerson.
Replacing her words with a few of my own, I placed my mouth over hers. Wrapping my arms around her tiny waist, I pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. If I had my way, I would whisk her back to my bed instead of going to Davian and Reyna’s housewarming party. The love those two had for each other was unmistakable—something I could see happening between Kenzi and me. Even though I could never afford to build a mansion like Davian had built for Reyna, I wanted to build a home for Kenzi. I hadn’t brought up the subject of marriage, but the love I had for her was as pure as gold. My relationship with Van would end after this job. It had to if I wanted a life with Kenzi.
Just as I began to enjoy having Kenzi pressed against my body, she broke the kiss and pushed away from between my legs. “We better get going. We don’t want to be late.”
“How about we skip the party and stay here instead? We could have our own party in the bedroom.”
Kenzi slapped my arm, not at all amused by my comment. “Reyna would kill me if I didn’t attend her housewarming party. She has been talking about showing me the new house for weeks.”
Kenzi and Reyna’s friendship went deeper than friendships should. Reyna wouldn’t kill Kenzi, but she would be pissed if Kenzi didn’t show up. Instead of arguing with her, I released my hold and allowed her to move away. Rising to my feet, I waited for Kenzi to grab her purse before heading out.
I had barely opened the passenger door for Kenzi when my cell phone rang. I didn’t have to look at the screen to know who was calling. So instead of answering, I let the call go to voice mail. Van Wilkerson was getting on my nerves, not to mention he had the worst timing. When he called again, seconds later, I knew he wouldn’t quit until I answered. Avoiding the risk of Van calling again, I powered off my cell and stuck it in my pocket. The last thing I needed was for Kenzi to ask why I wasn’t answering my phone. Undoubtedly, Van would call again, repeatedly, until I responded to his call.
Kenzi’s eyes were fixed on me with an annoyed stare when I got behind the wheel. Doing my best to ignore her, I placed the key in the ignition and turned on the engine. I put the truck into drive and said, “Damn solicitors,” hoping that would appease her curiosity.
Kenzi only smiled back, even though she knew I was bullshitting. It was written all over her face. Questioning me would be a lost cause, so instead of saying a word, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned her head toward the passenger window. Her reaction reminded me of what an ass I was. I should be telling her the truth about my past and Van Wilkerson. But that meant losing her for good.What woman in her right mind would have anything to do with a man who stole the livelihood of others only so high-profile companies could fill their pockets, not giving a shit about anything besides the value of a dollar?
Consumed with anger, I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. I had forgotten that Kenzi was in the vehicle until she placed her hand on my thigh. “Is everything okay? Something has you pissed off.”
If she only knew the truth behind my anger. Blowing out a breath of air, once again, I lied. “I think I forgot to turn the coffee maker off.”
Bad lie.
“You are so full of shit. What is going on, Axe? You’ve been acting strange ever since we left the apartment.” Kenzi’s grip on my thigh increased, making me aware of her irritation. “No more bullshit.”
It would be a death sentence if I told her the truth. I pulled to the side of the road, made a U-turn, and headed back to my apartment. “We’ve gotta go back. I don’t want to ruin another coffee pot.”
~2~
Kenzi
Saying I was frustrated with Axe and how he was acting was an understatement. As we headed back to the apartment to make sure Axe had “shut off the coffeepot,” as he said, he got reticent. I don’t mean in the ‘I’m listening to music’ sense. He became unnervingly silent. This was so not him. In all the months I had known Axe, he had never given up the chance to sing along with the radio when a song he recognized came on. Granted, he was a horrible singer, and I wished he would remain silent, but it was unlike him not to rock out with the radio or even carry on an adult conversation. Something was up with him, and before the day ended, I was going to get it out of him.
Davian and Reyna's beautiful home came into view once we drove past the tree-lined driveway. A lot of work had gone into building the house. Even the landscaping was done to perfection. With the grand entrance and the breathless architecture of the mansion, I would have thought we were in Hollywood instead of Atlanta. The pillars stood tall at the entrance and were wrapped with white stones of various sizes. I would bet my life that Reyna had a say in every stone that was chosen.
Axe stopped at the front entrance and put the truck into park.‘Gone with the Wind’came to mind at the elaborate staircase leading to the front door. I got out of the truck and took in my surroundings. Determined to find out if the interior of Reyna's home was just as perfect as the exterior, I headed up the steps. Before I placed my foot on the first step, Axe took hold of my hand and squeezed it lightly. It was his way of letting me know he was there.
