Page 18 of Burned

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“I’ve missed you too. Everyone has been so worried sick about you. Axe is going crazy with worry.” As sincere as she was, I didn’t care how worried Axe was.

“Let’s not talk about Axe. I want to talk about you. How have you been? There is so much I want to tell you.” I said, pushing the conversation in a different direction.

“I’m fine. Everyone is fine. What is going on, Kenzi? Where are you at? Davian and the guys are in Chicago looking for you.”

My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach. It shouldn’t have surprised me that Davian would come looking for me. “I can’t tell you, Reyna. Please tell Davian and the guys to go back to Atlanta. They are wasting their time. My home is in Chicago now, with River.”

“Who? What are you talking about? Your home is here with Axe and us.”

“There is no more Axe. I have found someone who actually cares about me. Axe is a lying snake. I hate him. I never want to see him again.” My blood was boiling, and I felt like I was yelling at my friend. This conversation was headed in the wrong direction. I had to switch gears. “I was going to tell you, but I didn’t have the chance. A top law firm hired me. I will start next week. Working for Saxton, Marsh, and Peters is a dream come true.”

“So, you’re never coming back to Atlanta? What about your mom? What about you friends? You can’t just forget about all of us.”

I could hear the hurt in Reyna’s voice. I would never forget her or my mom. “I’ll come back to Atlanta to visit, just not now. The things going on in Atlanta aren’t good for me. When things settle, I promise I’ll come see you.”

“Who are you going to go see?” River’s voice sounded behind me.

Without saying goodbye to Reyna, I turned to face him. The glare I was hit with, I knew all too well. I had to come up with an explanation, and fast. “My mom. I called her to make sure she was okay.”

Before he could question my answer, I walked over to the patio door where he was standing and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I cooked dinner. I hope you and Gretta are hungry.”

Placing a kiss on my forehead, he whispered against my skin, “I’m going to trust that you are telling me the truth. You don’t want to find out what would happen if you aren’t. Now how about that dinner.”

Shit.I was totally screwed.

~14~

Axe

“You won’t like what I’m about to tell you,” Davian said hesitantly. “Kenzi wants nothing to do with you. I have a feeling that River has convinced her that you were responsible for the explosion at the bookstore.”

“Fuck. We need to get her away from him. He has totally brainwashed her.” I was beside myself. If I could only talk to her face to face, she would see that I had nothing to do with the destruction of her mom’s bookstore.

“Hang in there, Axe. We aren’t leaving Chicago without her.”

As reassuring as it was, I couldn’t sit and wait for that to happen. I had to get Kenzi myself. I had five days before I had to check in with my parole officer—the stipulation for my release since the courts were backed up with hearings. There had to be a way that I could leave Atlanta with no one knowing. I still had the Audi and there was no chance of it being reported stolen, at least not for a while.

In the back of my mind, I kept hearing Davian’s words.“I thought I told you to stay put. Please don’t do anything stupid.”If I was smart, I would follow his advice, but then again, he didn’t love Kenzi the way I did. She was my life. I was going crazy without her.

Packing a small bag, I went against Davian’s wishes and headed out the door to the parked Audi. With the information Davian shared with me, I knew enough to find Kenzi. Once I was in Chicago, all I had to do was wait until Monday, when she would begin her new job at Saxton, Marsh, and Peters. If I planned it just right, we would be back here the day before my parole meeting.

I threw my duffle bag in the back seat when my cell rang. There were only three numbers I knew by heart. Kenzi’s, Margot’s being the second, and Davian’s. The number displayed on my new cell wasn’t for either of them. I hesitated for a moment before I slid my index finger across the screen. “Whoever you are, you better not be wasting my time.”

“I think you’ll want to talk to me.”

“What the hell do you want, McBride?” I cursed as I started the Audi and backed out of the parking spot.

“Kenzi is in danger. Wilkerson and Harris are going to use Gretta in exchange for Kenzi. Once they have her, they are going to kill her.”

Even though I didn’t trust Levi McBride, I could tell he was genuinely concerned. It was all the more reason to get to Chicago and get Kenzi away from Stevenson. “Motherfucker. Where are they?”

“In Chicago. I haven’t heard from them about the exchange, which means it hasn’t happened yet. You have to do something, Axe. As much as I hate you, I still love Kenzi.”

When I ended the call, I made a call to Davian. He and the guys were already in Chicago and could get to Kenzi faster than I could.

Adding my cell to the Bluetooth feature, I pulled up Davian’s number and waited for him to answer. Within two rings, I heard his voice. “We only spoke an hour ago. Tell me you didn’t do something stupid.”

“No, but I’m about to. I just got a call from Levi McBride,” I cursed as I turned onto the freeway. “Wilkerson and Harris took Stevenson’s housekeeper for a reason. They are going to exchange her life for Kenzi’s. You have to get to her before that happens.”