Page 28 of Ignite
When I took hold of Kenzi’s hand, her tension radiated through my body. “It will be okay.”
Kenzi looked up at me, and I could tell she wanted to cry. Her face was infused with worry, and rightly so. Just like Kenzi, I was worried about Margot’s mental health. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as we continued to follow the doctor.
When we got to the consultation room, we all took a seat at the round table. The silence was deafening until the doctor finally spoke. “We performed a neuropsychological test on your mom and we have concluded that she sustained a concussion during her accident. In most cases, the memory loss is temporary and will resolve on its own as the brain heals. However, you need to be prepared. In some cases, although rare, a concussion as severe as hers can cause permanent memory loss.”
“This would explain why she thought her bookstore was still around. She didn’t remember what happened to it.” Kenzi said, trying to understand her mom’s behavior. “Do you think she will get her memory back soon?” Kenzi asked as she looked toward the doctor.
“As I said, permanent memory loss is rare. I have every confidence that she will make a full recovery. It might not be today or even next week, but eventually she should regain it,” the doctor said confidently.
~
Kenzi remained quiet on the drive back to the warehouse. As we rode into town, she stared out the window while twisting a lock of her long blonde hair between her fingers. She didn’t seem to care that her visit with River was cut short. It killed me that she was in so much pain. Learning about her mom just added another weight on her shoulders.What could I do?No matter what, I was going to be by her side. I would be there to comfort her and help her get through this. Lost in my own thoughts, I knew that eventually Niles would contact River and ask him for help. But would River help him after everything that had happened? Whether or not Niles reached out to River, I wanted to be the first to know. Hurting Kenzi was Niles’s priority and I couldn’t let him get anywhere near her. If I left her at the warehouse, under the protection of the guys, I could keep an eye on River myself. The problem was that eventually, Kenzi would want to go home, back to the apartment.How could I keep her safe if I couldn’t go with her everywhere?Hopefully, I didn’t make a mistake by contacting West to watch over River instead of Patton. I had to start trusting West, and the best way to do that was to leave him with River and pray that he would contact me with any changes to his condition.
Maybe it was time to trust him. If I could get past the fact that he was Levi’s brother, we could work together to find Niles and put him away forever. River was a man who couldn’t be trusted, and I wanted to make sure someone was there the minute he got released. As long as he remained in Atlanta, I needed someone to watch his every move. West seemed like the best option.
We pulled up to the warehouse in silence. Not an easy feat for Kenzi. I couldn’t remember a time that she hadn’t voiced her opinion. I knew she was concerned about her mom regaining her memory.
Calvin and Marcus got out of the SUV, while Kenzi and I remained inside. I didn’t want to make a move without her and since she hadn’t made one to get out, I stayed seated. Reaching across the seat, I placed my hand on her thigh. “I know you’re worried about your mom, but you need to have faith that Margot will get her memory back.”
“It isn’t that, Axe. I know she will get it back, eventually. It’s just that I feel like everything that has happened over the past months is my fault.”
Kenzi was so far off base with her comment. No way in hell was any of this her fault. “You need to stop thinking like that. None of what has happened is because of you. Van and Niles are to blame for this. Not you.”
I pulled her in for a hug. Her body was warm and her scent calming. It felt so good to be close to her. I breathed in the scent of the herbal shampoo she used and nuzzled my hands through her soft hair. Her lips were on mine, kissing me hungrily. Once again, I felt myself being pulled in by her pain and falling into a whirlwind of emotions. The kiss was hurried and raw, like two teenagers that couldn’t control themselves. Everything about us was clumsy, but it was our clumsy that fit perfectly together. Kenzi brought her hands up over my chest and around my neck and opened her mouth for me. I gave her what she wanted by dipping my tongue inside. I stroked my tongue with hers, pulling it back and then dipping back inside.
A continuous tap on the window brought us back to the realization that we were making out in the back seat of the SUV. I let out a groan and rested my forehead against hers. “I think we better get out.”
Kenzi nodded her head and climbed off of me. When she opened the door, Davian was standing on the other side, shaking his head back and forth. Before saying anything, he waited until Kenzi was far enough away not to hear. “We have a problem.”
I slid across the seat and got out of the SUV. “What kind of problem?”
“Van. He has escaped police custody.”
~23~
River
I couldn’t believe my eyes. At first, I thought I was only dreaming, but when I felt Kenzi’s hand against my face, I knew she was standing before me. And when I saw her form silhouetted in the light from the hallway, her face riddled with concern and her eyes mournful, I felt like the air had been punched out of me. For a moment, all I could think about was her. My heart ached. All the pain I caused her surfaced—the lies I told—the secrets I kept. I wished I could go back in time and tell her everything about who I was.
I wasn’t sure why I thought she would come to the hospital alone after everything I had put her through. Axe was standing at the door. He loved Kenzi as much as I did, maybe even more. His eyes bored into mine like he was looking for any weakness he could exploit. I felt his hatred for me, but it was obvious he cared for Kenzi far more than I did. Also, it was obvious he’d rather be anywhere but here. He had nothing but contempt and disdain for me. When Axe took her arm and led her away, I could see the hurt on her face. It was as if she had finally realized what I meant to her and it was too much for Axe to take. Her emotions meant nothing to him.
Had I read her completely wrong?When Kenzi looked back at me, I saw regret in her eyes. It was then that I realized she saw me differently. It was no longer as a man she loved, but as one she felt sorry for. I wasn’t the same person she fell in love with and was supposed to marry.
Screw everything to hell. I would not lose her again. Somehow, I had to make her realize I was the one she loved and not Axe. I had to make her see that Axe was only a crutch to get past the anger she had toward me.
I placed my hands on the thin mattress and tried to rise from the bed. Sharp pain radiated through my gut and it felt like it was ripping in two. I had to get out of this bed. More importantly, I had to leave this hospital. Pressing my hand against my side, I swung my legs over the side of the bed as I wrenched with pain. I shuffled my feet against the linoleum floor and slowly made my way to the long cabinet doors next to the bathroom. Once there, I pulled the door open. A small white plastic bag with all my belongings rested on the top shelf of the cabinet. There was only one thing I was looking for as I pulled the blood-stained clothes from the bag. Tucked inside my suit coat’s inner pocket was my cell. If I was going to get out of here, I needed help. Even with less than 20 percent battery life, it had plenty of juice to make a call to Mark. Other than Brian, he was the only man who was part of my security team that I trusted. Between him and Brian, they would be able to get me out of here.
~
An hour later, Mark and Brian showed up in my room with a clean change of clothes. It was awkward having Mark help me get dressed, but if it meant I would get out of here, my awkwardness had to take a backseat. At least Mark was smart enough to bring my slip-on loafers instead of my laced ones. With his help, I was fully dressed in a matter of minutes and ready to get the hell out of the hospital.
While Mark helped me dress, Brian snagged a wheelchair from another room, which made my exit much easier than having to walk to the car. Before Brian pushed me out of the room, I grabbed the folder the nurse left for me, which contained a prescription for additional pain medication. While Brian pushed me down the hallway to the elevator, Mark went ahead of us to grab the car. The suite I had reserved at The Ritz was still a crime scene, but thankfully, the general manager arranged a different suite for me, comparable to the one I had reserved. Once there, the first thing was to take a shower and wash the smell of antiseptic off of my body.
The ride back to the hotel wasn’t as unbearable as I thought it would be. Sitting in the back seat, I could concentrate on something other than my pain. I opted to walk to my suite rather than have the hotel concierge commission a wheelchair. My ego had already been tarnished when Mark had to help me get dressed. I wasn’t about to show my weakness by being pushed to my room in a wheelchair. I headed a billion-dollar company, after all. How hard could it be to walk to the elevator and then to my suite? Enduring a little pain would only strengthen me.
I got to my suite without the help of a wheelchair. Setting my pride aside, I really should have opted for one. As I undressed for my much-needed shower, I noticed blood had seeped through the bandage covering my wound. I pulled the bandage away and inspected the area. It looked better than it felt. One staple had torn away from the skin, which caused my bleeding. I had no supplies to redress the wound, so I sent Mark to the nearest drugstore to get everything I needed, including my prescription.
Before he got to the suite door to leave, he looked my way. “Maybe you should have waited to leave the hospital. It’s only been a day since you were shot.”
