Page 125 of Love in Riverbend
There goes my chance at a reprieve.
We give Mr. Dunn our orders and head back up the stairs toward the apartment. Once inside, I stay out in the living room, making damn sure not to go back to Devan’s bedroom again. Taking a moment, I turn a full circle, curious what this place looked like before it was all boxed up.
“Justin,” Ricky calls, “get your ass in Marilyn’s room.”
I walk down the hallway, purposely not looking in the other bedroom.
“Fuck,” I mumble, seeing the tall dresser. “How did we miss that?”
“It was in the closet,” Marilyn says with a grin. “Sorry.”
Gritting my teeth, we remove the drawers, still filled with clothes. After Ricky and I carry the shell of the dresser down to the parking lot, we start shifting shit around inside the trailer to make room. Marilyn and Devan make two trips apiece carrying the drawers. We finally have it all settled when Jack drives up with our food.
“Our table is in the truck,” Marilyn says, tilting her head. “There’s a picnic table this way.” She takes the tray of large drinks and walks between two buildings.
Saying I’d rather eat alone is on the tip of my tongue, but then I see Devan turn the corner, headed back upstairs. Walking with Jack and Ricky, the three of us carry the food and follow Marilyn. I stop, taking in the scene. On the other side of the cookie-cutter box buildings is a pond, manicured grass, and trees. The picnic table is beneath the shade of a flowering tree. As I sit and unwrap my burger, I wonder where Devan went. As time passes, I wait for someone to bring her up. No one does.
Jack and Marilyn are laughing and talking about when the two girls moved into their freshman dorm room. Ricky is busy making sure he gets every French fry from the container. Taking a bite of my sandwich, I wait. This isn’t like me. I’m hungry, hangry even, yet why isn’t Devan down here eating? She must be hungry too.
I notice the box of nuggets and large fries sitting untouched, getting cold.
I can’t take it any longer. “Where is Devan?”
Ricky looks around as if he didn’t notice she was missing. Seeing as he’s on his second quarter pounder, he might not have noticed.
“I’ll go check on her,” Marilyn says.
Tossing my burger onto the open wrapper, I stand. “I’ll go.”
As I’m making my way back into the building, my mind starts with all kinds of crazy scenarios. We’ve left the damn door to their apartment open all morning. Maybe someone was in there when she got there. Their mission was to rob her, but she doesn’t have anything left up there. The thieves got angry. My thoughts go darker.
I’m running by the time I get to the second staircase and clenching my jaw so hard my teeth ache. Breathing heavily, I get to their apartment. The door is closed.
Fuck.
I reach for the handle, but it’s locked.
Someone has her inside.
What if she’s unconscious?
What if they’ve hurt her?
Making a fist, I pound on the door. “Devan, open up. Devan.” I call her name. I’m about to kick the damn door down when it opens from the inside.
Her smile is breathtaking. “Whoa, what’s the emergency?”
Standing tall, I look over her shoulder into the apartment. My heart is beating so fast, I’m surprised she can’t see it through my shirt. “Um, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” she says with a grin as she lifts a jar of mayo. “I had to dig in the cooler. I love dipping my fries in mayo.”
“That’s disgusting.”
“Have you tried it?”
“No,” I admit.
“Then don’t knock it.” She steps into the hallway and closes the door.
