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I press my palms into my eye sockets.
I hate that damn girl and her stupid dog.
I want to hate that damn girl and her stupid dog.
Why in the hell do I love that damn girl and her stupid dog?
My vision is fucked from the booze. Somehow I manage to text Ramos and tell him what I want to see.
In less than a minute, the video pops up and I can’t tap the link fast enough.
Beautiful Addie stands in her room, angrily swiping at tears on her gorgeous cheeks. I can’t help but smile from her resilience. Crying makes her so pissed.
She strips out of her clothes and drags over her cheap ass backpack, yanking out her old shit. I’ll never understand her.
Once she’s dressed, she heads out with Pete. Until she stops. What the fuck?
She spins around and picks up the pajamas and lingerie, and then stuffs them in the basket in the bathroom. Always unwilling to leave a mess. When she doesn’t move, I zoom in to see what she’s looking at for so long.
Blue pops on the screen once the image becomes clear.
The toothbrush.
The god damn fucking two-dollar toothbrush she was too shy to ask for.
She never asked for anything.
Hell, she barely accepted what I gave her. And now I accused her of using me for my money because I’m a stupid, spiteful bastard when I’m pissed.
My hands shake so violently I almost drop the damn phone trying to text Baxter.
Find her.
I’ve fucked up. But I will fix this.
I haul ass around my desk generating a breeze that blows some of the cash into the air before fluttering down to the floor. I don’t give a rats ass about the money or the mess.
All I want is her.
Addie
I glance around. Heat shimmers in waves off the asphalt. Nobody’s outside when it’s this miserable. So, no one sees me yank off the yellow police tape crossing the back door. The knob turns in my hand, and I stride inside like I belong here. Fake it until you make it, right?
The stifling temperature steals my breath. Dang. Without the air conditioning, the house feels like a roaring furnace. While Pete snarfs up the food that spilled from when that idiot kidnapped me, I go around and open all the windows. At least there’s a breeze, and I’m not gasping for oxygen anymore.
The door to Devin’s bedroom is closed. I shove an old dresser in front of the entryway, coughing from the dust that stirs up from pushing the bureau across the floor. I doubt his body remains in there, but you never know.
Besides this is only temporary.
I just need a place for Pete to stay for a few hours while I go to the library to look up job postings on one of their computers. Then I’ll go to the Goodwill to get an outfit for an interview. I hate using the money for Pete’s food on clothes but surely, I’ll land something quickly and with a regular paycheck coming in he’ll always be fed.
I grab a plastic bowl from the stack on the counter, fill it with water, and plop down next to him. The nasty linoleum is at least cooler than the even nastier carpet. He rests his head on my thigh, and I stroke his silky fur. “That’s a good plan we came up with, isn’t it?”
An agreeable bark confirms my proclamation before his eyes slip shut. We’re both exhausted from walking for the past three hours in the morning sun. I let him sleep while I keep busy.
Without any lingering threats, I can take a real shower. Although I have to clean the stall first or the effort will be wasted. I check in every kitchen cabinet and the hallway closet. Not a single spray bottle or wipe anywhere. God, Devin was gross.
A half-empty container of his bodywash sits on the back of the toilet in a grimy basket. I guess he won’t be needing that anymore.
