Page 34 of Burned
“There is something you need to know. CMW Holding is suing Axe for the destruction of the building. They want $1.5 billion from him.”
I could hear her sobs on the other end. “Oh, no. What have I done? I think I’ve made a terrible mistake, Kenzi.”
“What did you do that is so terrible?”
“I signed over the deed to the bookstore. There was nothing left of it from the explosion. The man from the holding company said he would forgive the loan. He said I could keep the insurance money. I thought I was doing the right thing.”
“It’s not your fault. Somehow, I need to prove that Axe is innocent,” I said, trying my best to remain calm. Whatever it took, I had to find the evidence proving Axe’s innocence.
I ended the call with my mom and looked down at the files that were staring back at me. With the information my mom shared, paying off the lien to the bookstore was a no-go. If I wanted to clear Axe, the first place to start was with Van Wilkerson and Niles Harris.
Only one person knew them more than I did. I told Axe that I would never contact him again and for him to do the same. But this was an emergency. Taking the receiver from the cradle, I picked up the file with Axe’s name on it and searched for his number. This, by far, was the hardest call I would ever have to make.
~25~
Axe
I rose from the couch with a kink in my neck. As I sat on the edge of the couch, I snapped my head to the right and then the left. My eyes fell to the leather recliner where Patton slept, only to find the chair vacant.
Before rising to my feet, I looked at my watch. Three hours had passed and still I felt like I hadn’t slept at all. I needed my soft bed, but I also needed to find out more about Stevenson’s mom. Seeing no sign of Patton or the guys, I headed down the stairs to the computer room.
As I suspected, all of them were busy at their workstation, typing away. I had all the faith in the world that one of them would come up with something without my help. So instead of joining them, I opted for a good shower and a change of clothes.
Walking over to Paton’s station, I got his attention. “I’m going to take off to grab a shower and clean clothes. If you find anything before I come back, call me.”
“Will do,” Patton said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Grab some more coffee on your way back. This is the last of it.” He held up his cup before taking another sip and placing it on the table.
How long have these guys been at it?
I looked over to where the coffeepot was sitting and rolled my eyes. Sure enough, the pot was empty and so was the can that had been thrown in the trash.
I had been inside the warehouse for the past twelve hours and it felt good to feel the warmth on my face when I opened the door. The sun reflected against a clear sky and already I could feel the humidity cling to my t-shirt. It was a sure sign that it was going to be another hot day.
When I opened the door to my truck, some of that humid air had been trapped inside. Before taking off, I started the engine and turned up the air. It was only when the inside reached a comfortable temperature of seventy-two degrees that I backed up and drove down the alley.
It was a long 20 minutes to my apartment building; therefore, I didn’t want to waste any more time than I had to with taking a shower and stopping at the store for coffee. Even though I had entered my apartment without Kenzi greeting me more than once, I still couldn’t get used to her not being here. I missed her so much. If I wanted her back, I had to find the truth about Stevenson. The only way to do that was to get my ass back to the warehouse and resume my search on him.
Stripping down to my skivvies, I was about to hop in the shower when a knock came at my door.It never fails.Instead of putting my clothes back on, I wrapped a towel around my waist and tucked in the end at my waist. The person was relentless and continued to knock.
“Hold on,” I said, perturbed as hell. “I’m coming.”
When I opened the door, a man wearing a gray suit greeted me. He was holding a white envelope and before I could ask who the hell he was, he handed me the envelope. “You’ve been served.”
“Wait, what the hell is this?” I asked as he walked away.
“Everything you need to know is inside.”
Holding my towel in place with one hand and the envelope in the other, I pushed the door closed with my shoulder. When the door was secured, I let the towel drop so I could open the envelope. My court hearing on the explosion charge would be coming up soon, but these papers showed something entirely different. CMW Holding Company was suing me.Who the fuck are they?
I continued to read the document until my eyes stopped at the amount I was being sued for. Whoever CMW Holding was, they were crazy if they thought for a minute that I had $1.5 billion. I didn’t have time for this shit, so I threw the envelope and the lawsuit on the table and headed back to the bedroom to take a shower. Being sued was the last thing I needed to be added to the pile of shit I was dealing with. Certainly, Davian and the attorney he hired for me could sort this out.
My shower was quick, yet satisfying. I had to get back to the warehouse. On the way there, I needed to call Davian and let him know what was going on. Grabbing the summons, I stuffed it in the envelope and headed for the door. My hand was on the doorknob when my cell rang. I was about to let it go to voice mail since I didn’t have time for solicitors, but something inside told me to answer it with all the shit going on.
Holding my phone to my ear, I said, “Hello,” as I walked out of my apartment.
“Axe. It’s Kenzi. I wouldn’t have called, but there is something you need to know.”
Hearing her voice, although for the wrong reason, was like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. “God, it’s good to hear your voice.” I wanted to tell her how much I missed her, but held back my feelings. “If you are talking about the lawsuit, I already know. I just got served. Did you know about this?”
