Page 2 of Ignite
Silence fell over everything around me. It was as though I was inside a tiny bubble, and it was smothering my air by the second. I needed to get out of here. Before he could say another word. I chucked the cell he had given me in a nearby trash bin and headed toward the door. Relief consumed me when I saw the Uber I called was waiting by the curb. It was my ride to freedom or hell. I didn’t know which one, but at least I was away from the lies and from River.
Giving the driver the address to the apartment building, I stared ahead without looking back. This was my life, alone and betrayed. Why had every man I’ve ever loved broken my heart? More importantly, why did I let them?
~1~
Kenzi
In the span of 24 hours, my life went from wonderful to a complete nightmare. Looking back, the only person to blame was me. How could I have been so stupid to trust a man I barely knew?
As I slipped the key into the lock of my new home, it dawned on me that I had no way of getting in touch with anyone. I threw the only phone I had in the trash can just outside the entrance to the Triage building. I should have thought that through more. When I pushed open the door and took in my surroundings, at least I wasn’t looking at an empty apartment. With little to no money, there was no way I could afford to furnish my new digs.
The apartment was exactly as Burt Marsh had said. It was the nicest apartment I had ever seen, period. The furnishings appeared to be brand new. Every piece of furniture was unscratched and had no signs of wear upon them, as if they were never used. The light-colored couch and matching accent chairs had straight, clean lines and thin padding that made them appear simple but elegant. And the standing lamp near the tall window that was made of brushed nickel was a great addition. I could see myself siting on the couch with my feet propped up on the black coffee table watching the large screen TV mounted on the wall. It had to be at least 65 inches from one corner to the next.
Wanting to see more of the apartment, I placed my bag on the floor next to the couch to explore more of the place that was going to be my new home. As I continued to look around, I realized the kitchen was smaller than the one I had in Atlanta, but it was still nice, with stainless steel appliances and a breakfast bar with two wooden stools.
Everything about this space was perfect. After taking a quick look at the view the living room offered, I headed down the short hallway to the bedroom. The bedroom door was cracked and I could see that the sun brightened the room. This alone comforted me, knowing I would feel the warmth on my skin when I woke up in the morning. As I pushed the door open, the entire space came into view. Just like the kitchen and living area, this room was nicely decorated. The room was painted a bright yellow, and it reminded me of being in the eye of a storm of fireflies, or like a piece of the sun had fallen to earth and decided this would be its permanent home. This room would be my new happy place.
As I began walking toward the window, everything inside me shut down. The adrenaline flowing through my body subsided and reality finally settled in. I fell to the bed and defeat seeped in. The flood gates opened and instead of holding back every mixed feeling I had inside, I let it out. Instead of screaming, all I could do was cry. I didn’t have the strength to be angry. That little voice inside kept telling me I should have gone with my gut and kept my distance from River, but all I could think about was the life I had left behind and what we could have had. And to think that only moments ago I had been on top of the world with a beautiful view below me.
The tears I shed were for me and no one else. I wasn’t about to shed another tear for River. From this point on, the most important person in my life was me. Knowing that I couldn’t remain in this beautiful room forever, I thought about the things I needed to do. I had to come up with a plan, which included purchasing a new cell phone. Pushing from the bed, I headed back to the living room to grab my purse. Settling in would have to wait. I headed out of the apartment with a mission—cell first and groceries second.
~
Call me paranoid, but everywhere I went, I felt like someone was following me. My paranoia led me inside a dollar store to find some sort of disguise. As I looked around the small store, it wasn’t too hard finding something I could use since Halloween was next month and costumes were already displayed on both sides of the seasonal aisle. With my disguise in hand and a few groceries, which would get me by for a couple of days, I couldn’t help but smile when I noticed the locked cabinet behind the cashier. Until I could get a replacement phone, a Tracfone would give me a way of communicating.
When I left the store, I had spent more than I wanted, but at least I had a working cell phone with 500 minutes and a great disguise. I looked nothing like the scared, confused woman that entered the store. I was no longer blonde, but a confident brunette. The rhinestone sunglasses I chose hid my eyes perfectly, while the red over-the-top lipstick made my lips the main focal point on my face. I resembled a young Liz Taylor. Just the thought made me realize how much I missed watching her movies with my mom.
I exited the store, keeping my head down as I walked through the streets. The apartment building belonging to the law firm was only a few blocks away. Even walking past the people who were more interested in getting home after work than me, I still didn’t feel safe. Instead of walking the rest of the way, I flagged down the first cabbie I saw and asked him to drive me around for a bit. He found it to be an odd request, but since he was getting an extra $20 out of it, he didn’t ask questions.
About 15 minutes later, I instructed the driver to pull up in front of the Richmond Apartment Building. The second he came to a full stop, I paid him and quickly got out of the car. It was only when I was safely inside my apartment that I released the breath I had been holding.Paranoia was still knocking in the back of my mind as I deadbolted the door. I had been through so much these past weeks, and I wasn’t about to take any chances. Putting the shopping bags on the kitchen counter, I removed my wig and walked to the large window in the living room. My paranoia dissipated when I saw no one was waiting outside, ready to swoop me up. I wasn’t sure if this was good or bad. I could only think about what could happen once I fell asleep.
Thinking this way was insane. Closing out the rest of the world and my thoughts, I pulled the vertical blinds closed and stepped away from the window, returning to the kitchen to retrieve my Tracfone. There were very few numbers that I knew by heart; my mom’s and Reyna’s were among them. Dialing Reyna first, I pulled out the bar stool and took a seat.
“Zi, are you okay? Are you safe?” Reyna answered with concern.
“How did you even know it was me calling?” I questioned, since it could have been anyone.
“Instinct. I have been trying to call you for the past four hours,” she began. “Axe has been too. He went totally ballistic when I told him I couldn’t get a hold of you.”
It didn’t surprise me that Axe would be worried, since he was the one who told me about River and to get to a safe place until he could get here. Getting in touch with Axe was why I called Reyna first instead of my mom.
“I need you to get in touch with Axe and let him know I’m okay. Can you call him and give him this number?”
“Of course.” Silence filled the air, and I could sense Reyna's hesitancy. “Zi. Please allow Axe to keep you safe. I know you two aren’t on the best of terms. Just give him another chance. He really loves you.”
“Just have him call me.”
I hung up with Reyna, more confused than ever. The things she said filled my mind. I was torn between doing what was right or what my heart was telling me to do. Axe and I had shared so much together. Through everything, he never stopped making sure I was safe. Even with the ordeal that Reyna went through with her father and Rui Salko, he was always by my side, checking every door I walked through, accompanying me wherever I went just to make sure I was safe. But the fact remained: He lied to me.
Exhausted and frustrated, I pushed from the couch and walked to the kitchen. Instead of driving myself crazy with letting Axe back into my life, I unload the three bags of groceries I purchased. As I emptied the bags, I wished I had stopped to purchase a bottle of wine.
Lo and behold, it was as if someone above felt my turmoil, because when I opened the cupboard beside the dishwasher, staring at me like the light of day, two bottles of red wine were inside with an attached card on one bottle. Grabbing the bottle of wine with the small envelope secured with a twisty around the neck, I ran my finger beneath the seal and pulled out the card. It was from Saxton, Marsh, and Peters.
As I read the card welcoming me to the firm, I wondered if the same card was left for all the junior partners who took advantage of the housing the firm provided. Smiling at the warm welcome, I placed the card on the counter and I poured myself a glass full of the wine. Before I could take a sip, there was a knock at the door.
The unexpected knock caused me to drop the glass, shattering it to pieces. When I looked down, wine had stained my clothes and shoes, spreading out in front of me. The door of the cabinet where I had found the wine was covered in wine as well. Frantically, I hurried and grabbed the roll of paper towels from its holder and began wiping the white-washed cabinet door before the wine stained it.
Whoever was at the door was persistent and the fear it might be River seeped in. He knew the firm offered housing to its junior partners. With his resources, it wouldn’t take long to find out where I was. My chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. I had to tell myself that River wasn’t standing on the other side. There was no reason he would think I would come here unless he screened my calls and saw my call to Burt.How could I have been so stupid?
