As I was taking the last sip of my coffee, a black Audi like the one I was driving pulled up in front of the building. I kept my sights on the car and waited for someone to get out. The passenger sitting in front was the first to get out. He was a big guy wearing a dark suit that was stretched to the max. He was definitely built. I continued watching the car and saw another large man step out from the driver’s side.Who the hell were these guys?They both looked like linebackers for the Atlanta Falcons.
My heart started racing. Not because of the two men, but because of the action taking place near the back passenger door. My beautiful Kenzi exited the car, looking more gorgeous than ever. The blood pumped hard in my heart, making it ache. All I wanted to do was get out and run to her. She didn’t belong here. She belonged in Atlanta with me. There were plenty of law firms that would be more than happy to hire her. I never thought my heart could hurt more than it did. It was ripped in two when a dark-haired man stepped out of the car. The way Kenzi looked at him tore me to bits.Stevenson.When he leaned over and kissed her on the lips, what was left of my heart was ripped out. This man, Stevenson, was a dead man.
He was a lucky son-of-a-bitch because, instead of walking inside the building, he got in on the driver’s side and pulled away from the curb. My palms were sweaty as I gripped the steering wheel like I could actually squeeze the life from it. When the three of them entered the building, only then did I take my eyes off them, mostly Kenzi. I slammed my hand against the steering wheel. Not because I would have to get through the two men escorting Kenzi, but because she looked happy. There was nothing about her movements that said she was in distress. Davian was right, Stevenson had gotten to her and in a bad way.
I waited a few minutes to make my move. As I waited, I continued to watch the door. I should have thought my plan through more. Everyone who entered the building was in business attire. If I went inside, I would stick out like a sore thumb. I needed a wardrobe change and quick. Luckily for me, I parked right in front of a men’s clothing store. There definitely was a god.
~
Seventeen hundred dollars later, I was dressed like a business geek wearing a black suit. Thankfully, the clerk inside had an eye for fashion. She couldn’t have been more helpful. Angie was her name. Kind of cute.
Before I headed across the street, I deposited my street clothes in the back seat of the Audi and locked the door. When I entered the building, I could smell the scent of stuffy business executives, knowing they were pounding their calloused finger tips against the keys of their keyboards. If I had to guess, they had a stash of whiskey in their desk drawers to take the edge off their shitty day.
My leather Doc Martins echoed against the walls as I made my way to the directory. With the information I got from Davian earlier, and Kenzi’s mom, I searched for Saxton, Marsh, and Peters. They were on the twelfth floor. It wasn’t the worst possible scenario, but it would have been better if the law firm was on the main floor. I had to be careful. The last thing I wanted was to be caught by the linebackers.
When I turned to investigate any other exits to this building for a quick getaway, I spotted the two men who escorted Kenzi inside, sitting on a bench. I knew who they were, but they didn’t know who I was. At least I didn’t think so. Hell, for all I knew, Stevenson could have let them know about me and shown them my picture. Taking a chance, I proceeded toward them. When they looked up from their phones and we made eye contact, I said, “Nice day.”
The bigger of the two didn’t say a word and just nodded. I was completely wrong about my suspicion. Neither one knew me from Adam. Acting like I belonged in the building, I headed past the office in search of another escape.
When I got to the end of the wide hallway, there were only two ways to go. Either right or left. I looked to my right, seeing only more offices. Going left was my best bet. Passing the maintenance office and then a supply closet, I knew I was going in the right direction. Reaching the end of the hall, plain as day, was an exit sign. As far as I could tell, it wasn’t a fire exit, so there was no concern that an alarm would go off. When I pushed the door open, I found a garbage dumpster in the alley. I took in a breath of relief since I knew the alley led to the cross street from where I was parked.
I propped the door open with a piece of wood I found on the ground and headed down the alley. To ensure a safe escape, the Audi had to be nearby. Quickly, I got inside the car and drove it around the block. Parking it in the nearest parking spot by the alley, I paid the necessary parking fee and headed back down the alley to the open door.
When I was safely back inside, though the linebackers were unaware that I had left, I took another look at the layout of the main floor. Smiling to myself, I realized the elevator was out of view from where they were seated. They were still looking at their phones. Now, I had a plan. I would take Kenzi down one floor using the stairs and then get on the elevator. It would be a quick exit to the side door. If everything worked correctly, I would have her and be on our way back to Atlanta before anyone knew she was gone.
Jumping on the elevator, I hit the eleventh floor. I wasn’t sure if the elevator opened up to the reception of Saxton, Marsh, and Peters, so it was better to be safe than caught. At least this way, I could find the staircase and head up the one floor with no surprises.
When the elevator door slid open, I was glad to find that I wasn’t greeted by a receptionist. Instead, all I saw was more of the same from the main floor. As I walked along the marble flooring, I read the names on the offices that were lined up on each side of the long, wide corridor. The way to the staircase wasn’t hard to find, since the exit sign hung high on the wall and extended out from the door. When I got to the top of the stairs, the layout of the twelfth floor was almost like that of the eleventh. The only difference was that the law firm took up the entire left side of the building.
This was the part where I had to remain patient if I wanted my plan to work. Worst-case scenario, I would have to wait four hours until Kenzi went to lunch before I could save her. Best case would be that she had to use the restroom and I could save her sooner. Either way, I had to stay out of sight.
As I waited, I found myself looking at my watch every couple of minutes. Only thirty minutes had gone by. It seemed like an eternity. While blowing out a breath of frustration, the vibration of my cell alerted me to an incoming call. Removing my cell from my pants pocket, I looked down at the screen. If I ignored the call, Davian would know something was up.
Swiping my index finger across the screen, I held the cell to my ear. “What’s up, Davian?”
“What’s up, is you. What the hell are you doing in Chicago? Are you trying to be put back in jail or just plain stupid?”
Shit.I was screwed. How did he find out I was in Chicago? Scratching my head, I had to tell him the truth. “I’m sorry, Davian, that I went against your wishes, but I couldn’t let Wilkerson and Harris use Stevenson’s housekeeper as bait to get to Kenzi. I love her and couldn’t let that happen. If I don’t get to her first, she’s as good as dead. I am not about to let her die because of me and the mistake I made 15 years ago.”
“I understand, but you need to trust me. We have everything under control. You need to get your ass back to Atlanta before you PO finds out that you left.”
It was clear that Davian was concerned about me. There was no way in hell I was leaving Chicago without Kenzi. “No can do. I’m not leaving without Kenzi.”
“Damn it, Riley.” Davian cursed.
Before he could say another word, I ended the call and turned off my phone. I would have to deal with him later. Right now, getting Kenzi and bringing her home was my only concern.
Tension was building fast, and after the call from Davian, even faster. Gathering my composure, I walked over to the door and looked through the small rectangular window for any movement. There she was. My beautiful Kenzi. Before I had my hand on the door, I felt a tight grip on my shoulder. When I turned around, to my surprise, Davian was behind me. “We got this, Axe.”
~17~
Kenzi
I couldn’t believe how fast the time went. It was already noon and almost everyone was heading out for lunch. Brock, a third-year junior partner, invited me to go to lunch with him and three others. There were still a few things I wanted to finish, so I had to pass. A look of disappointment spread across his face, but to make him feel better, I promised to take him up on his offer tomorrow.
After making a few necessary adjustments to a subpoena that needed to be filed with the court, I headed out of my office for a quick trip to the bathroom and then to lunch. When I got to the reception area, Milly was still at her desk, talking with someone on the phone. I waved to her and made an eating gesture so she would know that I was going to lunch.
As I headed to the restroom, I got this eerie feeling that I was being watched. I had never questioned my gut feeling. My gut was right. When I turned around, Davian was walking toward me from the stairwell. I could have tried to get away from him, but with four-inch stilettos, I wouldn’t have gotten very far.