Page 23 of Ignite
“I want to see him,” I blurted. “I have to make sure he is okay.”
The expression splashed across Axe’s face indicated he wasn’t thrilled with my need to see River. He looked at me like he couldn’t believe what I said.
“No way,” he said as he stood tall. “I will not risk putting you in danger. Niles is still out there. He is just as insane as Van. There is no telling what he might do.”
If Axe was trying to scare me, he succeeded. I, more than anyone, knew how dangerous Niles Harris was. But no way would I let my fear keep me hidden in the warehouse. My mom still needed me. I couldn’t live with myself if she took a turn for the worst and I wasn’t there.
In the back of my mind, I knew Axe was right. I hated being told what I could and couldn’t do. There had to be some way I could go to the hospital and keep safe at the same time. Davian andThe Societymen could protect me. I rose to my feet and waited a moment until I knew I wouldn’t fall back onto the bed. When I was confident that I wouldn’t, I walked over to where Axe stood.
Instead of asking him to turn around and look at me, I walked around his large frame until my face was inches from his. Placing my hand on his cheek, I waited for him to look at me. It was better to remain calm and not get angry. “I know you are worried about me, but if you and the rest of the guys are making sure nothing happens, then it would be stupid for Niles to do anything.”
We stood in silence for a second before Axe wrapped his arms around my waist. “I hate it when you look at me that way. How can I say ‘no’ to that face?”
Axe pulled me in close and held me tight. I turned my head and rested it on his broad chest. I loved how he held me, protected me, and loved me.
Before we could take our connection any further, a knock came at the door. Axe kissed the top of my head before releasing me from his embrace. “I bet that’s Davian. I better open the door.”
Curious to see if he was correct and Davian was on the other side, I kept my eyes on the door. When Axe opened the door, it was Patton standing on the other side. “Davian is waiting downstairs to talk to you. Is everything okay with Kenzi?”
Axe looked my way and gave me a smile. “Everything is good. Tell Davian I’ll be right there.”
Axe closed the door and walked back over to me. He didn’t seem worried, but regret was splashed across his face. “Why don’t you try to get some rest?”
The last thing I wanted was to rest. I had been asleep for hours and what I really wanted was something to eat. “I’m kind of hungry.”
“How about you stay here and I’ll make you something to eat.” Axe looked down at my feet and then brought his eyes to my face. “I don’t want any of the other guys seeing you dressed like this.”
He had a point. The nightgown River had put on me wasn’t exactly proper for wandering eyes. Instead of arguing with him, I nodded my head and walked back over to the bed. Before I crawled back into the bed, I looked over my shoulder and said, “Some vegetable soup and toast would be great.”
“Soup and toast it is,” he said, before leaving the room and closing the door.
I sunk down under the covers and adjusted my pillow. Thanks to the aspirin Axe had given me, my headache was almost gone. As I laid in bed, I couldn’t help but think about River.Was it wrong of me to still care about him?Van must have really hated his brother to shoot him. Maybe the reason River never told me about his relationship with Van and Niles was because he hated them and wanted nothing to do with him. Still, it was no excuse for not telling me the truth about Van and Niles being his brothers, not to mention Axe.
If I hadn’t lived through this myself, I would have thought it was just a bad dream. If there was one thing I had learned, it was to be careful of who I trusted.
~
I thought sleep was the last thing I needed until Axe came into the bedroom holding a tray with my soup and toast. The short nap I had taken while Axe talked to Davian was just enough to make my headache disappear.
When Axe placed the tray on the nightstand, the scent of the vegetable soup made my stomach dance for joy. I had never been so hungry as I was then. Pushing my body to a sitting position, I leaned my back against the headboard and waited for Axe to place the tray on my lap. The steam from the soup filled my senses as I took my first bite. Even though the soup was from a can, it tasted amazing.
As I continued to eat, I couldn’t help but moan and groan at the delicious flavor. Axe never took his eyes off me, nor said a word at the noise I was making. It was only after I lifted the bowl to my mouth and slurped the last of the broth that Axe laughed. “You really were hungry.”
I swiped my tongue along my bottom lip, letting him know just how hungry I was. “Is there any left?”
Axe had a beautiful laugh and I would never tire of it. Rising to his feet, he leaned over and kissed me on the lips as he took the bowl from my hand. “I’ll be right back.”
Even though I hated being looked after, I felt like a queen. His queen.
~20~
Axe
It was so nice seeing Kenzi back to her cheerful self. Me, not so much. After my talk with Davian, he made it very clear that he can’t have men defying his requests. I had defied him on more than one occasion. He made it very clear—three strikes, and I was out ofThe Society.The upside, Davian assured me, was that the charges against me were dropped. Felix confirmed it by showing up shortly after my conversation with Davian to let me know. In addition to having Kenzi back, I also had my life back.
As I headed back upstairs to get Kenzi another bowl of soup, West was sitting on one of the kitchen stools looking defeated. I took the empty bowl from the counter and looked at West. “What’s up? You look like you’ve lost your best friend.”
West pulled his phone from his pocket and brought it to life. After swiping the screen a few times, he handed his phone over to me. At first, I thought the image I was looking at wasn’t real and someone was playing with West. “Is this real?” I asked as I used my thumb and index finger to blow up the image. “This has to be some kind of joke.”
