Following Me(36)

Bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, she watched the doors slide shut just as her tracker realized where she had gone. She didn’t get to see what his move was. Was he rushing down the stairs now? Would he beat her there? She didn’t know. She just didn’t know.

As the elevator slid down the shoot, Devon jumped up and down, wanting it to move faster, but of course, it took its sweet time. It was old equipment, and it wasn’t likely to listen to her pleas for help. Finally, it reached the bottom floor, and the doors dinged open. Devon didn’t think twice. Vaulting through the doors, she hoped that if the person had already made it to the bottom floor, he wouldn’t be expecting her to run straight at him.

Her burst of speed was unwarranted because her body collided with a soft white bed that came out of nowhere. She face-planted into the mattress, sending her legs flying behind her. Devon shouted out in surprise, trying to right herself.

As she did, she felt a hand grasp her arm and hold her in place. She kicked out and smashed into something solid. She heard the person grunt, but he never loosened his grip on her arm. Her face was shoved into the mattress, muffling her cries and tears. She wasn’t sure if she could breathe properly, but the person didn’t seem to care as he held her in place. Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to judge what the person would do to her.

“You thought you were safe,” the voice said, “but you’ll never be safe.”

TEARS WERE STREAMING down Devon’s face even before she woke up. She heard the television, and the bright light from the screen hit against her closed eyelids. She had the good sense to know that she wasn’t alone. Someone else was in the living room where she had fallen asleep after she had returned from work earlier that night. It was most likely Garrett since he was always up this late with her. She couldn’t face him like this.

A shuddering sob raked through her body. She wished that she had been able to hold it in, but it burst out of her unbidden.

She felt his eyes on her like she was back in her dream. While watching her, he was likely worried as he wondered why she was weeping in the middle of the living room when she had been fast asleep only a few minutes earlier.

Devon had thought the nightmares were gone. She had thought the dreams were in the past and that she had moved on. It had been weeks since she’d had one, and then this…

It was so close to reality. It was like her nightmares were getting closer and closer to the truth. The dream had felt so real. She remembered the feeling of exhaustion, the pride in a job well done, and wondering where Brennan was. But Brennan had walked her home earlier tonight, just like he had every night since she had started working there, since her mental breakdown on the street.

The words rang in her ears over and over again. “You thought you were safe, but you’ll never be safe.”

They were painful words that breached her subconscious on a regular basis. Who was she to think that she was safe? How could she believe that everything she had run from would just be back to normal when she returned?

Sitting up, Devon bent her legs up to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees. She couldn’t open her eyes and face Garrett. She didn’t know what he was thinking. He probably just thought she was a nutcase. She had told him that she was sleeping better, and now, here was proof that she wasn’t.

She heard the chair creak, and then footsteps crossed the carpet. The weight behind her shifted as Garrett sat down on the couch. He softly stroked her back a few times, and she cried harder at the comforting touch. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to. Nothing he could say would help. Nothing he could say would be better than the soft embrace as he pulled her into his arms. Devon leaned into his chest and let her tears stain the neck of his polo shirt. He rested one hand on the back of her head as he held her in place, letting the pain rush through her. At times, he would rock her back and forth while stroking her hair. Other times, he would place his chin on the top of her head and just hold her.

When it felt like all her tears were gone, Devon pulled back, and Garrett released her. Finally opening her eyes, she looked up at him and saw the worry on his face. It was far deeper than she had even anticipated. How could he even look at her? She was an ugly crier and probably looked red and splotchy with a swollen face and tear-battered cheeks.

“Are you all out of tears now?” he said, his thumbs wiping the streaks of tears from under her eyes.

As he asked the question, more tears welled in her eyes as she blinked up at him through her blurred vision.

“Hey now, it’s going to be alright.”

Devon shook her head and looked away from him. She couldn’t face him. She couldn’t bear for him to look at her like this. He was the only piece of sanity that she had been able to grasp on to recently. Hadley was so distant. Devon hadn’t been able to reach out to her at all. Even though she had still been physically present, she was no longer mentally there. Brennan was a dangerous circumstance to consider. He watched her too intensely, and she was sure that he hadn’t forgotten their kiss. He kept his distance because he knew about Reid. But for how long? Garrett had been her rock, her only sense of normalcy.

“I thought you said you were sleeping better,” he said accusingly.

Devon swallowed hard, trying to find her voice. After that terrible nightmare, she wasn’t sure she could even think straight. “I thought I was, too,” she said, her voice hoarse.