“I’m going to go pop open a bottle. You ladies get back to your Millionaire Matchmaker. I’m cooking dinner tonight since I’m actually home at a decent hour, and then we’re going out to celebrate Devon’s arrival.” He picked up the bag from the table and pulled out a bottle. “Red okay with you, Dev?”
He’s already using my nickname like he knows me. How the hell does Hadley always get this lucky? Devon wondered.
“Red is perfect,” she answered.
When he left for the kitchen, Hadley grabbed her arm, pulling her close on the couch. “Isn’t he incredible?” Hadley swooned.
“He might be too good. He brought home wine, and he’s making dinner? Is this guy for real?” Devon asked, nudging Hadley in the ribs.
“Totally for real, and he’s been like this for the past five months,” she said, sighing contentedly. “It’s like hitting a gold mine as far as boyfriends go.”
Devon couldn’t agree more. Her friend seemed truly, very happy with Garrett, and Garrett seemed to adore her. Any man who greeted a woman by picking her up and kissing her senseless was alright on Devon’s list.
Plus, he was pretty easy on the eyes. He was tall, really tall, which was nice since Hadley was on the taller side. He had broad shoulders, a friendly smile, and the cutest dimples. His brown hair was short but styled professionally. He’d had on a black suit when he walked in, but he had since changed into dark jeans and a green button-up rolled up to his elbows to cook in. He seemed comfortable in his skin and in his affection toward Hadley. Devon liked that about him.
THE TRIO SPENT the evening lost in debates about which match was going to be successful on Millionaire Matchmaker while downing glass after glass of the expensive red wine Garrett had brought back with him. To accompany the wine, dinner consisted of a perfectly cooked chicken marsala with spaghetti and garlic bread. As they laughed and joked during the meal, Devon felt the tension and anxiety of the last semester melt away from her.
Each day had been a battle to keep going, and in this moment, she felt lucky because she was here with her friend. She had made it through the day.
DEVON TURNED THE corner, looking over her shoulder. As she wound through unfamiliar streets, she was surprised to find each one deserted. Where are all the people?
She was still walking, but her pace was rapidly increasing. She hated being lost, especially at night. She remembered a similar experience she’d had in a new city. The driving directions had been all wrong, and her GPS hadn’t directed her properly. She had freaked out and pulled over to figure out where she was supposed to be going. The overpowering feeling of utter insecurity and danger had made her stomach tighten and tense.
She hadn’t been in real danger, but it sure had felt like it.
And it felt like it now.
Devon swallowed hard, pushing her blonde hair off her face, as she walked faster and faster, hoping to find something that would trigger a memory of some sort. She tried to recall where she was or what she was doing, but it just wouldn’t come to her. Panic rose in her chest, causing her heart to flutter faster, as sweat began to bead on the back of her neck.
She glanced over her shoulder again, feeling eyes on the back of her head, but no one was there. She was all alone. How could she be all alone? Surely, someone else had to be around.
Against her better judgment, Devon went up to the first building and tried the door. It didn’t budge. She did the same to the next door and the next one after that, but they were all locked up tight. She pushed her shoulder against another door to no avail. She wasn’t in some crime show. There was no way she would try to kick her way through a door. The longer she stood and tried to find a way into a building, the more she felt like someone was watching her, stalking her movements. As she banged on a door, her throat seized, keeping her from screaming for help.
Someone please answer the door! she screamed in her head.
No one came to the door. Nothing moved, not even the wind.
Tears welled in her eyes as desperation kindled in her gut. She moved on from the doors, knowing she was having no luck here. Her walk turned into a jog, and the sounds of footsteps behind her fueled her on to a full run.
The only problem was she didn’t have a clue where she was going. She knew she could run for only so long before exhaustion overtook her. How long did she have before they caught up to her?
Keeping up her fast pace was tiring, and she felt herself slowing, but she could tell from the patter of feet behind her that her pursuer was catching up to her. Tears streamed openly down her face, and she did nothing to stop them. She had a terrible, terrible feeling about this.
When she turned a corner, she saw a light on in the building directly in front of her. Angling straight for it, she gained a burst of speed. It felt like she was running toward the light at the end of the tunnel.
Devon yanked at the front door, and it mercifully opened. She didn’t wait to see if the person behind her was still following her. When she stepped inside, light streamed in all around her, and loud party music filled the room. People were dancing in every inch of space, but no one stopped to look at her.
As she closed the door behind her, the lights dimmed, and flashes of color bounced off the walls. She reached for the first person she could, but he brushed her off. Every person she tried to speak with after that ignored her completely. It was like she wasn’t even there. Pushing her way through the room, her head was spinning as the volume of the music seemed to increase tenfold.
What is happening to me? she thought.
Then, she felt the eyes on the back of her head again. She turned around in a circle, looking for the source, but she found only a sea of other people. If she had thought she hated feeling isolated in a deserted city, then she hated being invisible in a sea of people even more.
She pushed people out of the way, shoving them like they were rag dolls, until her arms were screaming in pain at her. She couldn’t move fast enough. Her feet were giving out, and her arms were failing her. She couldn’t escape.
When Devon looked back to see if the person was still pursuing her, she saw a single figure walking directly toward her, but the person was indistinguishable from the dark surroundings. Turning around, she rushed forward with one last bit of effort. She propelled herself through a set of double doors, stepping into a stark white bedroom that blinded her.
Just when she reached the other side, she felt a person grab a hold of her arm.
DEVON AWOKE WITH a start, gasping for breath. Her hands clenched into the quilt, her chest heaved up and down, and her body racked with tremors. A cold sweat had drenched through her thin T-shirt, and she shook as the chilly air sank into her skin.
Where the hell was she?
Anxiously, she looked around the dark room, searching the unfamiliar space. Whose bed was she in? And why didn’t she recognize this place at all?
Taking a deep breath, she tried to return to reality. She took another breath, calming her still racing heart, and it came back to her. St. Louis. The train. Hadley. She was staying at Hadley’s place with Hadley’s boyfriend. They’d had dinner and wine. They had gone out drinking afterward, and she had fallen into bed drunk.
Her stomach grumbled angrily at the memory, and her head throbbed against her scalp. Great. Hangover.