Page 19 of Burned

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“Settle down, Axe.” Davian began. “I know Stevenson enough to know that he wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I’m sure she is safe. Let me make a few calls and find out what is going on. In the meantime, stay put and don’t do anything stupid.”

Those were Davian’s famous last words before he ended the call. Little did he know, I was already doing something stupid. Kenzi’s life was more important to me than the consequences I would face if my parole officer found out I left Atlanta. It was a good ten-hour drive to Chicago and if I only stopped for gas and food, I could arrive there before midnight. One full day to prepare for her rescue was more than enough time to save her. We would be on our way back to Atlanta before Stevenson even knew she was gone.

~

When I pulled into Chicago, I kept my eyes peeled for the cheapest motel I could find. The Lucky Saddle Motel looked to be the best option. With the vacancy sign blinking like it was on its last watt, I turned off and parked in front of the office. It was shortly after midnight when I turned off the engine and stepped out of the car.

From what I could see through the window, there wasn’t anyone manning the front desk. When I tried to open the door, it was locked. The last thing I wanted was to spend the night in the back seat of the Audi. As comfortable as it was to drive, sleeping in the back seat with my large frame was a definite no-go.

Taking a chance that someone would hear, I knocked on the window three times and waited for someone to appear. Evidently, the office manager was a heavy sleeper, or my knock wasn’t loud enough. I was about to knock on the door when I noticed a round button next to the doorframe.How could I have missed it?Maybe because it was the same color brown as the siding. Pressing my thumb against the button, I held it there and watched for someone to appear. There was no way the walls to this rundown motel could be so thick that the manager couldn’t hear the buzzer.

I was right about the walls not being thick. A man wearing a dingy robe appeared from behind a closed door. “All right. Jesus Christ, I’m coming already.”

When the door to the office opened, I started questioning my decision to pull into this place. Not only was the man unkempt, so was the lobby of the office. The carpet must have been at least seventy years old. It was covered with layers of grime, with not so much as a vacuum ran across it.

Interrupting my inspection of the place, the old man said, “Are you just going to stand there or do you want a room?”

If I wasn’t so damn tired, I would have left and gone somewhere else. “Yeah, I need a room for the night.”

“It will cost you eighty bucks. Sheets are clean, and there is an additional charge of ten bucks for a towel. Too many thieves around here.”

This guy had to be crazy. If it would have been any other time, I would have told him where he could stick the room and the towel. “I’ll take it.”

I carefully followed him to the front desk, avoiding the grimier parts of the carpet. I felt like I was walking across a river with only stepping stones to take me to the other side. It was that disgusting, even for me. It was no wonder he had a vacancy. No one in their right mind would stay here.

Once he handed me the key, I was out of there. Waiting for him to find the right key was ten minutes too long. I handed him a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change,” I said, knowing he needed the extra cash more than I did.

Like it made any sense, he held the hundred up to the light before handing me a towel. “I expect the towel to be returned to the office and discarded in that tub.”

I moved my eyes to where he pointed and shook my head in disbelief. For a man worried about thieves stealing his towels, it looked like none of the guests cared too much about taking them. The tub was overflowing with dirty towels, with most of them on the floor.

The room I was given was only a few feet from the office. There were only two other vehicles parked in the lot, which told me either the old crow didn’t trust me or the other rooms hadn’t been clean. The way he sneered at me; my guess was that he didn’t trust me.

When I unlocked the door and pushed it open, I had to remember I was here for only one night. Clean sheets, my ass. The bedspread was so filthy there was no way of telling what color it actually was. Just like the office carpet, the carpet in the room was old, caked with grime.Who in their right mind would stay here?

Before I crashed on the bed, I pulled away the bedspread and threw it over the only chair in the room. To my surprise, the sheets appeared clean. Too exhausted to do anything but sleep, I sat down on the edge of the bed and removed my boots. Leaving the sheets where they were since they were the only thing clean in the room, I stretched my body on the bed and closed my eyes. I got the feeling it was going to be a short night.

~

Just as I suspected, the night was brief. I finally fell asleep around 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. came too quickly. I was beyond exhausted, but I had to get out of bed if I wanted to save Kenzi with no disruptions or interference from Stevenson. Kenzi was supposed to start tomorrow, so my plan was to go to the law firm today and get a feel for the layout of the building. It was better for me to take her from inside the building instead of on the street. Stevenson wasn’t dumb and more than likely had someone making sure Kenzi was safe. The only problem I foresaw was Kenzi putting up a fight. God only knew what bullshit Stevenson told her about me. Once we were alone and I could talk to her, she would see that it was all lies. I would finally have my Kenzi back.

~15~

Kenzi

After our fight the night before, River insisted on taking me shopping. Spending the day with him was one of the best days I’d had in a long time. It was just what I needed to get my mind off Axe and what Reyna had said about him. River took me to all the classy boutiques, where I found some pant suits, dresses, and shoes that weren’t too pretentious and professional enough to wear to work. When I suggested we go to Victoria’s Secret, River surprised me by choosing some sexy bras and panties for me to wear. The ladies at the shop were more than willing to help us, but only because they were all goggling over him, giving him more attention than needed.

After we had done all the shopping possible, with River spending an enormous amount of money on me, we spent the rest of the day taking in the sights of Chicago. Our first stop was the Art Institute. River insisted that no one could live in Chicago without seeing the art displays showcasing Chicago’s history. As amazing as that was, nothing was more amazing than taking a guided tour of the Chicago River. We sat on the top deck, since it gave us an unobstructed view of all the buildings and amazing architecture. In my opinion, it was the only way to see Chicago.

Once the guide was finished, I thought we would head back to the penthouse when River said, “There is one more place I want to take you. No one comes to Chicago without eating an authentic deep-dish pizza.”

“I’ve had deep-dish pizza before,” I replied. “In college, having pizza was a regular meal for Reyna and me.”

“Not like this. Once you eat at Uno’s, you’ll never want to have pizza anywhere else.”

True to his word, the pizza was amazing. I was so stuffed I could hardly walk. River must have been feeling the same pain because instead of leaving for home, he proposed we tour old Chicago to let our stomachs settle. As we walked, River gave me a brief history of some of the old businesses we passed. Having grown up in Atlanta, it amazed me how much he knew about Chicago. After stopping at a small ice cream shop, we headed back to River’s car while we enjoyed our ice cream cone as we walked. I didn’t think I had any room in my belly for any more food, but this ice cream was amazing. It was another must-have, according to River. If he kept this up, I might not fit into all the clothes that he so graciously bought me. Once I got my first paycheck, I would pay him back even if he didn’t want me to.

~