Page 18 of Ignite
After the doctor left, I could see that my mom was just as concerned as I was. Thankfully Axe stepped in with an answer. “I know you and Kenzi are concerned about your safety once you are released. I want to assure you, Margot, that we have a plan in place.” Axe stepped up to the bed and stood beside me. He took hold of my mom’s hand. “Davian and Reyna are working on a suite for you at The Regency with everything you need. They have also arranged for all your therapy to take place at the hotel as an added precaution.”
I took hold of Axe’s hand and gave it a light squeeze as I looked down at my mom. “You will be safe, Mom. All of us will make certain nothing happens to you.”
My mom nodded and began eating the dinner we had brought her. I was worried that her situation and release might have caused her loss of appetite. All it took was a little reassurance to calm her enough so she could eat.
Once my mom had food in her stomach, it was no surprise that she fell asleep. As much as I wanted to stay by her side, I was exhausted. She was safe since there was an officer on standby near the ICU nurses' station and another just outside the ICU doors. Calvin was also around, making sure there wasn’t anyone suspicious lurking around.
When we got to the revolving door, I saw Marcus standing next to the Escalade, waiting for us. When we flew into Atlanta, we came straight to the hospital without stopping at Axe’s to get his truck, so it made sense that Marcus would be out front. As we approached the Escalade, Marcus had his arms crossed over his chest, which caused his shirt sleeves to tighten and showcase his massive biceps.
It was raining, and the drops lit up like silver when they hit the streetlights. As I got into the SUV,I remembered the ride to the hospital earlier today and what a mess I was. I had so many people who cared about me—not only Reyna, but also Axe, Davian, and the other guys. There were my family.
Marcus rounded the front of the Escalade and got behind the wheel. As he pulled away from the curb, I remembered leaving my purse back in my mom’s room. “Wait. I forgot my purse.”
Marcus pulled the SUV over to the side and opened the door. Before I got out, I leaned over and kissed Axe. “I’ll be right back.”
Making it through the revolving door, I hurried to get to the elevator. The door of an unoccupied elevator slid open, so I slipped inside the car. As I pressed the button to the third floor, a masculine hand reached inside the small opening and caused the door to reopen. A man wearing a hoodie and pushing a wheelchair entered the elevator. He must have also been in a hurry. As he maneuvered the wheelchair inside the car, I focused on the panel and pushed the button to the third floor again. When I turned to face him, his head was lowered and I couldn’t see his face. I should have paid more attention to him. His hand came around my head and he placed a rag over my mouth. I was trapped with no way of escaping him. I had lost the strength to fight back. As everything spun around me, I realized what was going on. The lights above began to blur until everything went black.
~16~
Axe
I looked down at my cell to check the time. Kenzi should have been back by now. In my head, I calculated the time for her to get to Margot’s room, grab her purse, and be back at the SUV. Too much time had passed. I pulled up her number, hoping that she had found her purse. Her cell rang several times before going to voicemail. Was there a need for concern? Hell, yeah. Something was very wrong.
I reached for the latch on my door and pushed it open. As I got out, I looked at Marcus. “I’m going to see what’s taking Kenzi so long.”
As I headed inside the hospital, I instinctively looked around the lobby. I wasn’t sure who I was looking for. Instead of waiting for an elevator to become available, I decided the quickest way to Margot’s room was by taking the stairs.
I reached the ICU floor in record time by taking the steps two at a time. I pushed the button to open the ICU door and waited for the electronic door to open. When they finally did, I wasted no time heading toward Margot’s room. Margot was just as we left her, resting comfortably. As I looked around the room, my eyes fell on the chair next to Margot’s bed. Kenzi’s purse was dangling from the back of the chair. Certainly, she had to be here somewhere.
I grabbed Kenzi’s purse and headed to the nurses' station to learn if they had seen her. When I found out neither one of the nurses saw her, I yanked my cell from my pocket as I headed out of the intensive care unit. I could search the hospital for her, but I knew it would be a waste. Someone got to Kenzi and took her. There was only one person who could have done it. Van Wilkerson was behind this.
Placing my phone to my ear, I waited for Davian to answer. “Davian, Kenzi is gone. I think Van Wilkerson had one of his men at the hospital ready to take her.”
“Are you sure?” Davian blew out a long breath into his phone.
“We were ready to leave the hospital when Kenzi remembered she left her purse in Margot’s room. When she didn’t return to the vehicle, I went inside to look for her. Her purse was still hanging on the chair. I’m telling you, Wilkerson did this.”
“We will find her, Axe.”
~
Davian and I waited outside the director’s office for her to finish up with a client. When Davian and I could enter her office, Davian was the first to greet her. “Ms. Wilson. Thank you so much for seeing us.”
“I hope you know what a risk I’m taking by letting you review the hospital’s security footage, Mr. Cross. Under normal circumstances, I would have told you, ‘No,’ but since you are a major contributor to the hospital, I’ve decided to make an exception,” the director stated as she rounded her desk toward the office door. “Call me when you have finished.”
Davian angled the computer monitor toward us as we stood at her desk. We found the surveillance video that was time-stamped at the approximate time Kenzi entered the hospital.We rewound the footage to when Kenzi had entered, then advanced it when she headed to the elevator. When she got on the elevator, Davian backed it up and examined everyone’s faces. As we searched each face for something familiar, I could hear my breathing pick up, and my heart pounding harder. The hospital’s security system was impeccable and allowed us to watch Kenzi’s every move from when she entered the hospital to when she was taken. When a man stopped the door using his arm, I lunged for the keyboard and tucked my finger against the arrow key to rewind it to just before he had stopped the elevator. A man wearing a hoodie stepped inside the elevator, pushing a wheelchair in front of him.
As we watched the video, it was clear that the man who took her knew about the cameras in the elevator. He kept his head lowered, hiding his identity as he held a white cloth over Kenzi’s mouth. When she began to collapse, he lifted her from the floor and carefully placed her in the wheelchair. When the door to the elevator opened, he was more focused on her and not hiding his face.
I couldn’t take my eyes off his face. My fist flew back and slammed against a display case behind us. Papers flew everywhere, and shards of glass broke under my hand. “I can’t fucking believe this shit!” I stopped the footage and rewound it back to where he had picked her up. Stopping it, I knew who the man was. “He’s been in Atlanta all along,” I cursed.
Davian's eyes met the screen, staring at the man’s face—his expression as surprised as mine. “I’ll be damned.”
Governing my temper, I took deep breaths in and out until I finally calmed down. I wanted to hit something. My hatred for the man on the screen grew by the minute. Pulling my cell from my pocket, I dialed his number. “You are a dead man, Stevenson,” I seethed as my message went to voicemail.
As we left the director’s office, Davian tried to calm me down. Stevenson had taken Kenzi. We watched him push her off the elevator, down the hall, past the lobby, and take her through the Emergency Room doors.
I had no idea where he would take her. Taking her to his Atlanta home would be stupid. It would also be stupid for him to take her out of Atlanta. I should have never trusted him. He had lied about his brothers and had been working with them all along. I tried calling Stevenson one more time with no response.Where the hell was he, and where could he have taken Kenzi?
