Page 1 of Burned
Prologue
Last Chapter of Fire
Axe
With all the men ofThe Societylooking for Kenzi, I thought for sure they would find her. The tree I marked before I went for help turned out to lead nowhere. I was sure with eight of us looking, we would find her. The only clue we had was the blanket left behind and the footprints outside the window of the old cabin. The bra wire I found could have belonged to a number of women. God only knows how many women Niles Harris and Van Wilkerson kidnapped and brought here. Smelling her scent might have been my imagination.
I couldn’t give up. I had to believe that my instincts wouldn’t fail me. Just when I was about to turn back and retrace my steps, I noticed a road up ahead. The guys had gone off in another direction, and cell service was nonexistent. Jogging up the hill, I reached the road and pulled out my cell once more to check it for any bars. One bar was better than none, so I pulled up Davian’s number and prayed that the call would go through.
“Where are you at, Axe?” Davian asked.
“I’m about a mile east of the river. I found another road. If I leave my phone on, you can track my location.”
“Stay where you are. I’ll send Stone back to get a vehicle. If there is another road, he will find it.” I wanted to take off, hoping Davian and the men would catch up to me, but instead I stayed put.
Kicking up the rocks as I paced back and forth, I felt time was wasting away. Soon it would be dark and much harder to find Kenzi. The silence was driving me crazy. It gave me too much time to think about all the bad things that could have happened to her. Looking back, I never should have left her alone. I should have never underestimated Levi. For that matter, I should have never underestimated Harris, either. I hated to think about it, but the possibility of finding her dead played in my head over and over. I had to stop those thoughts. Wilkerson would be stupid to kill her before he got what he wanted. Time was ticking away, bringing the deadline to do as he asked closer and closer. If I didn’t place the explosives atBooks-n-Thingsin twelve hours, Kenzi would be dead.
“Axe. Any sight of Stone and the SUV?” Davian yelled behind me as he climbed up the bank and joined me on the dirt road.
“Nothing yet. Which direction is he coming from?” I answered as I looked to my left and then my right.
Davian held his phone away from his body and looked down at the screen. “According to this, he should be coming from that way.” Davian lifted his arm and pointed in the direction behind me.
We both stared down the road and waited for the SUV.
Come on, Stone, hurry it up.It felt like hours, but it had only been 15 minutes since Davian showed up. If Stone didn’t show up soon, I was tempted to head down the road on foot. Just as I was ready to take off, I saw headlights coming our way. Stone stopped the SUV a few feet in front of us. Davian walked up to the front passenger door and got in while I got in the back seat behind him.
Stone t-boned the road before turning around and heading back the way he came. “I saw another road a few miles back. It looks like it belongs to someone,” he said, concentrating on the road. “There is a log archway in front of the road, and the gates were left open.”
I wasn’t familiar with this area but knew there had to be other homes out here besides Wilkerson’s. Keeping my eyes on the road, I watched for the archway that Stone mentioned. Even though it was dark, it was hard to miss. The archway with the open gates was on the right side of the road.
Stone cautiously drove the SUV through the gate and slowly headed down the road. The road, I hoped, would lead us to Kenzi. The road was well maintained and, hopefully, whoever owned this property was home.
When we got to the end of the long drive, a large log home came into view. The lights in the house were on, and when we got out of the SUV, motion lights were activated, signaling our arrival. This house was too upscale for Wilkerson, and if he owned it by some slim chance, no way would he let us get this close.
“What do you think, Davian? Do you think this is some sort of trap?” I asked, looking around the property and seeing only darkness.
“I don’t think so. I might know who owns this house. There’s only one way to find out,” Davian replied as he walked up the steps with Stone and me close behind.
Davian took the initiative and knocked lightly on the door. I looked around in the darkness while we waited for someone to answer. Davian, Stone, and I stood patiently like statues in front of the door, hoping that someone would open it. When the door opened, I placed my hand on my firearm holstered at my side. I wanted to be ready for any surprises.
An elderly woman opened the door and looked at the three of us with confusion. “Hello, can I help you? Mr. Stevenson didn’t say he was expecting any guests.”
The old woman didn’t harbor any threat, so I removed my hand and let it hang to my side. “Is Mr. Stevenson home? We would like to speak with him,” I said, moving out from behind Davian.
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Stevenson isn’t here. He and the young lady left about two hours ago.”
My heart fell to my gut, and a small sense of relief washed over me. “Do you know where they went?” My eyes were fixed on the woman for any sign of deceit.
“He never tells me where he is going. He is a very private man.” The woman stepped away from the door. “If you’d like, you can wait for him. I’m not sure how long he will be, though.”
I wanted to see for myself if Kenzi was here or not. With no hesitation, I was the first to step past the woman to look around. Nothing indicated Kenzi was here, but I had to be sure. The only way to do that was to look around. “Do you mind if I use your restroom? It has been a long drive.”
“Of course. There is a bathroom at the top of the stairs. It is the first door on the left.”
Tipping my head with a smile, I walked up the stairs while Davian and Stone remained with the old woman. Reaching the top of the stairs, I found several doors. I didn’t bother with the first door on the left since it was a bathroom, at least according to the woman. Instead, I walked down the long hallway and began opening the other doors. The first three doors I opened were bedrooms that appeared to be untouched. There were only two doors left. I held my breath, not sure what I would find. As I turned the knob to the first door and pushed it open, a masculine scent filled my senses. I flipped on the light and found what I assumed was Stevenson’s bedroom. I looked around the room for a few minutes, checking the closet and the bathroom for any evidence that Kenzi had stayed here.
Closing the door, I headed to the last room. The door was slightly open. It was nothing like Stevenson’s bedroom. The scent was feminine. When I switched on the light, I found a large unmade bed with a white robe sprawled across the foot. It was clear a woman had recently occupied this room. I walked past the bed and pushed open the bathroom door. A used white towel lay piled on the floor, and an assortment of feminine products was spread across the vanity.
