Page 13 of Burned

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River deepened the kiss by taking hold of my hips and lifting me across the middle console until I was sitting on his lap. I was so enslaved by our connection, enjoying every inch of his mouth, that I hadn’t noticed that he had moved the seat back until it wouldn’t go any further.

“You feel so good,” River breathed. “All I want to do is worship every inch of you.”

It didn’t matter that we were in the parking lot of FoodSmart or that anyone walking to their car could see us. I wanted to feel him, too. Adjusting my position, I straddled his lap and began undoing the buckle on his belt. I couldn’t believe what was about to happen or the fact that I wanted it to. With no guilt in sight, I pull down his zipper and pulled free his erection, which was more prominent than a few moments ago.

River heightened my desire for him by sliding his hand beneath my skirt. He pulled my panties to the side only to find how wet I was for him. “This is going to be quick, but when we get back to the penthouse, be prepared. I plan on taking my time.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but those words made me wetter than I already was. River entered me with no mercy and it felt like heaven. I grabbed the seat near his head and rested my arms on his shoulders. Our bodies were in sync as I moved my body with his. Feeling every inch of him inside me, there was nothing but us. Everyone around us became non-existent. It was ecstasy to its fullest.

Just as he said, our release was quick. Neither one of us moved, holding on to each other with complete bliss. It was only after we heard a car door slam that we realized we were no longer alone. Laughing together as we pulled and tugged to right our clothes, my only thought was continuing this when we got home.

~10~

Axe

My head hurt like a son-of-a-bitch when I came to. As I took in my surroundings, I saw Van had taken me to what appeared to be a gardening shed. As I looked around the shed, I tried to forget about the pounding in my head and concentrate on what I could use to get free. My hands were bound behind my back, and with my legs restrained at the ankles with duct tape, it would be hard to take a better look around. It was times like these that I wished I were a woman and had the dexterity to stand without the use of my hands.

There was only one way I could stand, and that was with the help of the stool I spotted under the workbench. Rolling onto my back, I slowly made my way toward the bench by bending my legs and using them to push my upper body along the floor. It took some doing, but I finally reached the bench and use the stool as a brace to pull my body to a standing position.

As I looked around, I realized there were tools missing based on the empty hooks hanging on the pegboard. All I needed was something sharp to cut through the tape. Van wasn’t very smart. In the corner of the shed, hidden behind three leaf rakes, was a shovel. All I had to do was hop over to it without falling on my ass.

By the time I reached the corner of the shed, I was totally out of breath. The pounding in my head became worse and my focus became disorientated. If I wanted to get out of here, I had to man up. Using everything I had, I slowly turned my body so I could grab the rakes and move them. When I could take hold of the shovel, I crept my hands down the shaft until I could feel the cold metal. I was clueless on what to do next since I had no way of securing the shovel so I could move my hands along the sharp edge. Taking a moment to think, I went down on my knees and straddled the shovel. If I squeezed my knees together, I could keep the shovel in place.

The sharp edge of the shovel was in the right position to glide my bound hands along the edge. My knees hurt like hell, but if I wanted to get out of here, I had to keep going. All I needed was a tear wide enough to move my hands. I kept working my hands against the shovel until I could move my hands enough to tear the tape. When I finally freed my hands, I worked the tape around my ankles. My head was ready to explode, but at least I was no longer restrained and could search for the housekeeper and make sure she was safe.

I grabbed the shovel, since it was the only suitable tool to protect myself, and slowly opened the door. I stepped outside the shed and kept my ears open for any sounds. Nightfall was approaching, but I could still see the house from where I was standing. I was near the rear of it, close to the four-car garage. I kept my sights on it as I made my way across the plush grass. As I got closer, it seemed odd that there weren’t any lights on. There was just one reason the house would be dark and that would be because no one was inside. It also meant that Van either took the housekeeper when he left or she was lying dead somewhere on the floor.

When I reached the house, I went to the back patio door only to find it locked. My only other option was the front door. I took everything I learned in the military and kept my body pressed against the thick logs as I made my way around the side to the front. With darkness settling in, I realized I was clueless as to how long I had been in the shed.

My cell wasn’t on my person, which meant it was inside or Wilkerson had taken it. As I approached the front door, I saw a light from the dining room was on. There were no other cars around, and even my truck was nowhere to be seen. I had no way of protecting myself other than the shovel I gripped in my hand. My 9mm was in my glove box and damn if I didn't wish I had it now. The only thing left was to pray that Wilkerson and Harris weren’t inside.

Pressing my body against the house, I turned my head to take a quick look inside the window where the light was shining. As far as I could tell, there was no one sitting at the table or milling around. I had to treat this as a good sign. Maybe they left.

As I pushed the door lever down, I took in a deep breath. It was only after I found the door unlocked that I released the lungful of air I held in. I could have called out for Wilkerson and Harris, but I wasn’t stupid. The last thing I wanted was to end up back in the shed.

Before I entered the house, I listened for any noise. Nothing. My gut told me they were gone. Still, I had to check. If the housekeeper was hurt and I did nothing, I would never forgive myself. Then again, if she was dead, I was pretty much fucked.

~

After I searched the house, I came up empty. Not only were Wilkerson and Harris gone, but so was the housekeeper. My cell was nowhere to be found and the land line had been cut. It was just my luck. Not only did I have no way to contact anyone, I also had no way out of here. Scratching my head, because I had no plan, I headed to the garage and prayed that there was at least one vehicle that I could hot wire. Hopefully, Stevenson had a thing for old cars.

Things were turning my way when I opened the door to the garage and found a 1970 Ford in mint condition parked in one stall. Even better than that was a glass case, locked, of course, with three sets of keys hanging on hooks. It took no dummy to know that they belonged to the Ford, Audi, and Corvette. I had to hand it to Stevenson. At least he had good taste in vehicles.

Using my elbow, I broke the glass to the key cabinet and grabbed the key to the Audi. I thought my Tundra had all the bells and whistles when I bought it, but the technology that went into this car was insane.

The display came up after I started the engine. I had been out for over 24 hours, which pissed me off. Reaching above my head, I pressed the pre-programed button to the garage door and waited until it opened far enough for me to drive out of the garage. Call it a force of habit, but I pressed the button again on the visor and looked back in the rearview mirror and watched the garage door slowly lower. Some habits never die.

As I drove through the gate, I wished I had my cell. Since I didn’t find in anywhere in the house, I could only presume that Wilkerson took it with him when they left. If I had to guess, he saw that our conversation was being recorded, and he wasted no time erasing it, leaving me without the evidence I needed to clear my name. Hopefully, my cell went to sleep to save the battery, and caused my phone to lock.

When I got to Atlanta, I headed to the warehouse. Without the use of a cell, I had to get word to Davian. By now, he should have landed in Chicago to search for Kenzi. If, by chance, Wilkerson accessed my phone and read the text messages between me and Davian, he would know where Kenzi was. Just the thought of him hurting her made my stomach turn. God, how I hated not being able to save her. I should be the one in Chicago. I should be the first person she saw. God, how I missed her.

Pulling up to the warehouse without seeing a car parked out front wasn’t unusual. Normally Davian’s Mercedes would be out front, but he was in Chicago. I took advantage by parking in his spot in front of the large garage door. The inside of the warehouse was quiet when I opened the heavy metal entrance door. Davian took Marcus, Calvin, and Patton with him when he left, leaving Tyler, Mitch, Stone, and Zach behind. I headed to the computer room, where I was sure the guys would be. To my surprise, none of the guys were working away on the computers. It was late, so maybe they were sleeping.

I started up the stairs to see if I could find them when I heard some noise coming from the kitchen. When I reached the top step, Stone was standing there, holding a plate with a sandwich and chips.

Looking at the sandwich and then at him, I asked, “Where is everyone?”

Taking a bite of his sandwich first, Stone replied with a full mouth, “Zach and Tyler left for the night and Mitch is passed out on the bed. He went out for a few, but must have had a few too many.”