Following Me by Linde, K.A. (best books to read in your 20s .txt) 📗

If someone was coming after her,she didn’t have the luxury of time to wait out a train.  She needed to actnow.  Biting down on her lip, she decided to make a move.  She sprinted downthe platform to the opposite end where the elevator stood.  Her fingerrepeatedly mashed the down button.  She could hear the rhythmic rise of themachine as it took its time approaching the top floor.  Devon cursed itsslowness.  Even if she made it inside before the person reached her, herpursuer might be able to get to the bottom floor before the elevator.

Her head whipped around and sawthat the person had made it up the flight of stairs.  Devon didn’t have anotherchoice.  She bolted into the elevator as soon as it opened and slammed her handdown on the button to close the door.

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

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

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

As she did, she felt a hand graspher arm and hold her in place.  She kicked out and smashed into somethingsolid.  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.  Shewasn’t sure if she could breathe properly, but the person didn’t seem to careas he held her in place.  Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to judgewhat the person would do to her.

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

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

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

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

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

It was so close to reality.  Itwas like her nightmares were getting closer and closer to the truth.  The dreamhad felt so real.  She remembered the feeling of exhaustion, the pride in a jobwell done, and wondering where Brennan was.  But Brennan had walked her homeearlier tonight, just like he had every night since she had started workingthere, since her mental breakdown on the street.

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

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

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

She heard the chair creak, andthen footsteps crossed the carpet.  The weight behind her shifted as Garrettsat down on the couch.  He softly stroked her back a few times, and she criedharder 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 thesoft embrace as he pulled her into his arms.  Devon leaned into his chest andlet her tears stain the neck of his polo shirt.  He rested one hand on the backof her head as he held her in place, letting the pain rush through her.  Attimes, 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 tearswere gone, Devon pulled back, and Garrett released her.  Finally opening hereyes, she looked up at him and saw the worry on his face.  It was far deeperthan she had even anticipated.  How could he even look at her?  She wasan ugly crier and probably looked red and splotchy with a swollen face andtear-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, moretears welled in her eyes as she blinked up at him through her blurred vision.

“Hey now, it’s going to bealright.”

Devon shook her head and lookedaway from him.  She couldn’t face him.  She couldn’t bear for him to look ather like this.  He was the only piece of sanity that she had been able to graspon to recently.  Hadley was