Page 9 of Burned
I had two sets of dinnerware in hand and placed them next to the breakfast casserole on the outdoor coffee table. While River went back for the carafe filled with coffee, I began dishing our plates. I was so hungry that I couldn’t wait for River to come back before digging in. River really was an amazing cook. The flavor was out of this world. I wasn’t sure if my tongue liked the sweet seasonings or the spicy ones better. The dish had a perfect combination of both. River’s cooking reminded me of Axe’s, which reminded me of how much I missed him. Instantly, I was no longer hungry. The thought of what Axe might or might not have done caused my stomach to churn.
When River returned, he knew from my expression that something was wrong. “Kenzi, is the casserole that bad?”
River placed the carafe of coffee on the table and sat next to me. His eyes fell to my plate, revealing that I had eaten most of the casserole. He had to know that wasn’t his cooking. “Your casserole is amazing,” I reassured him. “I was just thinking about Axe. How could he do such a horrible thing?”
River took my plate from me and set it on the table. He took my hands in his and pulled me closer. The last thing I wanted to show was how vulnerable I was. I had to stay strong until I could figure out a way to get in touch with Axe and find out if he really did what my mom said. I wasn’t sure how I could do that, but I had to find a way.
River released me, causing me to switch my focus to him. “No one knows why people do the things that they do,” he began. “Maybe Axe thought it was the only way to get you back.” River cleared his throat and twisted his body toward me. “Since we’re on the subject of Axe, this is as good a time as any to go over some ground rules.”
“If you’re worrying that I’m going to contact Axe, don’t.” It was a lie, but I had to make sure River didn’t have any trust concerns with me.
“That is a concern, but I’m more concerned about your safety.” The tension in his voice was clearly evident. “Foremost, I need to know where you are at all times. That is why I have purchased you a cell with a tracker. I also had it cloned to mine, so I can monitor all the calls you make and receive.”
“Don’t you trust me?” I grumbled, even though I wasn’t surprised.
“Trust has nothing to do with it. It’s your willpower that I am having a problem with.”
“I have willpower.” I did, and he had no right to say otherwise. “If by some chance Axe gets my number, there isn’t anything I have to say to him.” That was another lie. I had a bucket full of questions I wanted to ask him. The first being, why?
~7~
Axe
It felt so good to be back home, in my own bathroom, without having to take a shower with other men watching. I never thought that freedom could be so blissful. If I wanted to keep it that way, I needed to find evidence against Wilkerson to clear my name.
As I stood under the hot spray, my mind began working on a plan. I knew I couldn’t leave Atlanta and go to Chicago, but it didn’t mean that I couldn’t find the proof I needed by visiting River Stevenson’s housekeeper. As much as I would rather go to Chicago, I had to trust Davian andThe Societyto find Kenzi and bring her home safely.
Turning off the water, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stepped into my bedroom. Going commando, I slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. By the time I left my apartment, I felt pretty confident that I would get the information I needed once I talked to the housekeeper. The last time I spoke to her didn’t go so well. If I wanted to get her to tell me everything, I had to use a different approach. Most importantly, I needed to keep my cool and not blow up.
I glanced down at my watch and estimated the time I would arrive at Stevenson’s home. Breaking no traffic laws, I should arrive there in just under two hours, which would put me there a little after four. God, how I hated not being there now.
Afternoon traffic was heavier than usual, pushing my arrival time to Stevenson’s home closer to five. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky and I wished I was spending this day with Kenzi instead of dealing with the load of shit dumped on me. Weaving in and out of traffic to make up for lost time, I looked out my rearview mirror to see the city I loved so much behind me. The further I drove away from Atlanta, the more anxious I became. Thoughts of questions that needed to be asked ran over and over in my mind every passing mile. Davian wasn’t very forthcoming about how he knew Mr. Stevenson, so my first question to the housekeeper was to find out what made Stevenson tick.
As long as the drive was, I was finally at my destination. The last time I was here, the gates to the property were open, allowing for easy access. This time, I wasn’t so lucky. Seeing the closed gate made me regret how I left things with the housekeeper. Given her first impression of me, acting like a dick, I wasn’t sure if she would open the gate at all.
Without hesitation, I pressed the button to the intercom and patiently waited for someone to come over the speaker. I thought I was fucked until a male voice came over the line. It was a voice I could never forget.
“Well, well. Look who’s here. I never in a million years expected to see you here.” Wilkerson commented, cocky as ever.
“What the fuck, Wilkerson? Where is Stevenson’s housekeeper?”
“Oh, Gretta? She’s tied up at the moment.” His laugh was annoying as hell and making my blood boil.
“What did you do to her?”
“Don’t get your Jockeys in a bind. She is fine. She is in the kitchen preparing dinner.”
I didn’t believe one word coming out of his mouth. “Let me in. We need to talk.”
The gate slowly slid open and before it came to a stop, I pulled my truck through when I had enough room. I wasted no time and in less than a minute I was out of my truck, heading toward the front door. Manners went out the door and, in my mind, there was no need to knock, especially after finding the door unlocked.
I stormed inside the log home and yelled, “Where are you, Wilkerson?”
All I wanted was to find him and beat the living hell out of him for everything he put me through. When he didn’t respond to my call out, I yelled again. “Where are you, you motherfucking chickenshit asshole?”
I walked into the dining room, finding the lowlife coward sitting at the table looking like the arrogant bastard he was. The grin he had on his face was all I needed to walk over to where he sat, pick him up from his chair by the neck and slam my fisted hand into his face. His head snapped backward, throwing him off balance, which gave me another opportunity to punch him in the gut. Wilkerson righted himself, staring me in the eye with a shit-eating grin on his face. “You can hit me all you want, but it won’t change the fact that you will never see your precious girlfriend ever again.”
“That’s where you are wrong. I know you don’t have Kenzi anymore, and I know exactly where she is.” I might have been stretching the truth, but if I had to guesshewas clueless as to where Kenzi was. “I know you caused the explosion atBooks-n-Things.”
