Page 29 of Ignite
He was probably right, but I wasn’t about to let him know. “Just get the supplies.”
The minute the door closed behind him, I yelled, “Fuck!” Not because of the pain, but because I hated relying on others to take care of me.
I re-secured the blood-stained bandage and pulled down my shirt. Until I had the supplies I needed, my shower would have to wait. Therefore, I needed something to ease the throbbing in my side. The Ritz’s guest services department got an A+ for stocking the suite with the finest Scotch money could buy—per my request. It wasn’t as good as the pain medication I received at the hospital, but it was better than taking nothing.
After twisting the lids off two Dalmore mini bottles and pouring them over ice, I took my half-full tumbler with me to the couch and carefully took a seat. The smooth amber liquid coated my throat as I drank a third of it down. I let my head fall against the back of the couch as I thought about Kenzi’s visit. I had to believe that she still had feelings for me. Her eyes didn’t lie, and what I saw was how much she still cared for me. In my heart, I believed Axe was the reason she couldn’t show me more of how she felt.
I downed the rest of my Scotch and was ready to get another mini when a knock came at the door. Thank God. Mark was back with my medical supplies and pain medication. Setting my empty glass on the end table, I pushed from the couch with little to no pain.
When I opened the door for Mark, it wasn’t him at all. The one man I thought I would never see again stood before me. Davian Cross looked every bit as arrogant as he had all those years ago. He might have looked like a cool and confident bastard, but I knew better. He was an idiot who had ruined my life.Dammit!I hoped that after our last encounter, I would nail him to the wall. But that hope was stupid. He was too powerful. Even after destroying my life and taking Joselyn’s life, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he got his pound of flesh. Mine.
Blocking his entrance to the suite, I looked him in the eyes. “What the hell do you want? Haven’t you done enough already?”
His eyes fell to my side, where the blood had made its way not only through the bandage but through my white shirt. “We need to talk,” he said as his eyes drifted back to mine. “You should really have that looked at.”
Davian pushed his way past me and entered the suite. When I closed the door and turned to face him, he was already making himself right at home by helping himself to a drink. “Didn’t your mom ever teach you any manners?”
“Your brother, Van, has escaped. I’m afraid he is going to make another attempt to kill Kenzi.” Davian downed his drink and placed his glass on the antique sideboard. “I want you to reach out to him.”
Was he serious? “Why the hell would I do that? Need I remind you that he shot me?”
“I know how you feel about Kenzi. I’m sure you want to keep her out of harm’s way. The only way to do that is to contact your brother and draw him out of hiding.”
I cared for Kenzi more than anything, and I would risk my own life a million times over to keep her safe. I wasn’t sure if drawing Van out was the answer or if he would even show himself, knowing he was a wanted man. He wasn’t stupid and he could spot a setup a mile away. He tried to get to Kenzi once before, and I wasn’t sure if money would stop him from pursuing her this time around. Either way, Kenzi's life was at stake, and maybe I needed to put my feelings for Davian and Axe behind me. At least for now.
“If I’m going to do this, it will be on my terms.” I looked at Davian and stood my ground to get the truth once and for all. “What really happened to Joselyn, and why were you chasing her?”
Davian seemed surprised by my question and pulled another mini bottle of Scotch from the sideboard. I kept my eyes on him as he poured the Scotch into the crystal tumbler. Downing half, he turned to me. “What happened to the money? It was never recovered during the investigation into your father’s death.”
Davian was fishing. There was no way he could have known that I had taken the money. As far as the police knew, my father had doubled-crossed his drug connection, and in the end, it cost him his life. “I don’t know what you’re getting at, but it was determined that the whereabouts of the drug money died with my father. You still haven’t answered my question.”
“When Joselyn died, it not only affected you, it affected me. I didn’t want the information she found to ruin two lives—hers and yours. I know what you did and your part in Clyde’s death.” Davian downed the rest of his drink. “I followed her, hoping I would reach her before she confronted you about what she found.”
“You’re lying.” I wasn’t about to believe this bullshit. “Joselyn found something on you, not me. You didn’t want her to reach me because it would ruin your little empire. You killed her.”
“Somehow, I knew you would say that.” Davian reached inside his suit jacket and pulled out a flash drive and held it out to me. “I was going to use this in exchange for your help, but I’m willing to put the past behind us once and for all so we can work together for what is right.”
I took the flash drive from his hand and stared down at it. “What is this?”
“The truth,” Davian said as he made his way to the door.
Turning his way, I held the drive between my fingers. “Why are you doing this? Why now?”
Davian stopped with his hand on the door handle and looked over his shoulder. “To prove to you I am not man you think I am. And to stop the animosity you have against me.”
~24~
Axe
Learning about Van’s escape caused us to double up on the protection for not only Margot, but for Kenzi as well. Even with that, I still couldn’t believe that Van escaped. There were three policemen watching him at all times. The only conclusion was that he had help from the inside. At least that was the explanation we got from Davian’s friend at the Atlanta PD.
Quickly turning my attention to how I was going to tell Kenzi about Van’s escape, I headed upstairs to give her the news—news that would leave her terrified, especially with her mom still in the hospital. When I got to the top of the stairs, I cringed inside, knowing what I was about to tell her would cause her to take action. Knowing how unstable Van was and the fact that Niles was still loose, Davian arranged for Margot to be transferred to The Regency, where he could haveThe Societymen keep a better eye on her. Hopefully, once I told Kenzi of Davian’s plan, she would have the reassurance needed to stay put.
I was about to walk down the hallway leading to the bedrooms when I noticed Kenzi sitting on the couch. The television was on, but the sound was off. I knew she hadn’t been watching and her thoughts were somewhere else. Her attention shifted to me when my cell rang. It was Davian. Hopefully, he had some good news.
“Davian,” I said, standing at the edge of the couch with Kenzi’s eyes on me.
“River left the hospital, but I tracked him down at The Ritz. I spoke to him about his brother, Van.”
