Chapter 4
She wondered when he had started wearing it again.
"You okay now?
Do you need to go to the doctor?"
"Yah, I'm okay." Amiyah felt her shoulder brush against his waist.
"I already went."
"What did the doc say?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
"Nothing much.
He prescribed me some pain meds."
"You rest.
I'll cook dinner." Devin rolled up the sleeves of his grey shirt.
He took a knife from the dish stand and started chopping onions.
"Would you like onion soup?
That's the only vegan dish I know how to cook." He flashed her a dazzling smile.
Amiyah had an urge to fan herself as her cheeks got flushed red.He remembered.
"Are you still a vegan?" His grin dimmed slightly.
She nodded, not finding the voice to speak.
Quickly, she averted eyes to the laptop screen.
Her vision had become blurry.Why Devin, after all this time, why now?
❁❁❁
In Amiyah's checkered apron, Devin served a very hyper Alfredo and solemn Amiyah dinner.
He stood by Alfredo's chair and poured him a ladleful of onion soup.
"Yummy food, daddy." Alfredo bounced in his chair, nearly spilling the glass of orange juice.
"It's really nice, Devin." Amiyah gave him a half-hearted smile.
"Thank you."
"Oh, come on." He smiled broadly.
"Stop being so formal."
He came to Amiyah and served her some bread.
"Eat up, love.
You've gotten so thin."
And then, he quickly planted a soft kiss on her lips.
It was enough to make her toes curl.
"Ten more to go," She whispered to him.
Ice glazed Devin's eyes.
Alfredo grinned at his mother and then at his father.
"Daddy, you come for dinner every day?"
Amiyah's heart fell.
"No, Alfredo.
It isDaddy, will you come for dinner every day?"She corrected him, trying to buy Devin some time to answer.
Alfredo turned his hopeful gaze at Devin.
Big, green eyes watched him.
"Daddy, will you come for dinner every day?"
Devin ruffled his son's hair.
"If that's what you want,"
"Yes!" Alfredo shot up in his chair and jumped merrily around the dining table.
"Yes!
Yes!"
Amiyah gave Devin a disgusted look.
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
"I intend to keep this one." He picked up Alfredo's dishes.
"Whether you like it or not,"
❁❁❁
While Devin tucked Alfredo to bed, Amiyah scrubbed the dishes.
Angrily, muttering to herself, she poured a handful of dish soap onto the sponge.
"Who does he think he is?" She squeezed the froth onto the greasy plate.
Bubbles danced around her red tinted face.
"That bastar-"
She stopped mid-way as she felt a hand snake around on her wrist.
"I'll do the dishes." Devin wrapped his arm around her and stole the sponge from her hand.
Amiyah felt her pulse rise up.
He was so close, his front side pressed against her back.
She turned around.
Wrong move.
Her face was inches from his chest.
The front side of his shirt was stained with dish soap from her hands.
Devin lowered his neck to her hair.
Amiyah's eyes widened.
He breathed in her scent.
"Did you always smell thisgood?"
She paled significantly.Oh, dear lord.
What was happening?
"Tell me," Devin's wet hands trailed along her waist.
The sponge slipped out of Devin's hands.
He pushed Amiyah against him.
Their bodies were flush, her chest pressed against his.
"You're driving me insane, Amy." He planted soft kisses on her bare shoulder.
She drew in a sharp piece of air.
The lines between lust and love beginning to blur.
And then he passionately kissed her, Amiyah's back was pressed against the sink.
Her heart gave a painful thump inside her chest.
A blissful soared inside her as his fingers slid beneath her chiffon top.
"Not here," She gasped.
His strong arms swept her off her feet.
He carried her to his room, refusing to let their lips part.
Devin placed Amiyah on the bed.
He pushed her against the headboard.
Their hands roaming in places which hadn't been in explored in a while.
He moaned softly in her hair and as if coming to her senses, Amiyah jerked away from him.
She wrapped the blanket around her body.
"Must be nice to have two women at your service?"
Devin looked at her incredulously, feeling as though she had slapped him.
He ran a hand across his face, the haze in his mind deepening.
He couldn't get himself to think straight.
"What the hell are you talking about?" He got up from the bed.
The streetlights from the window danced off his bare chest.
"Forget it," She turned around but he caught her by the wrist and pushed her against the wall.
"I can't do that." He whispered.
When she didn't reply, he added the next part.
"No, I haven't slept with Greta.
If that is what you're asking me."
"You know, Devin, I know all your weakness.
You want me now because I'm letting you go."
"I'm curious.
Why all of the sudden you're ready to take Alfredo's custody?"
Amiyah smirked.
It chilled Devin to the core.
There was a dead light in her eyes, a lack of life.
"You don't love me anymore, do you?"
"No." He replied in a firm voice.I never stopped loving youhe thought.
"You won't forgive me, will you?"
He averted his eyes.
"You should go,"
She spared him one look before walking away the little dignity she had left.
Devin collapsed onto the bed.
His head in his hands, he groaned.
"You're a bloody idiot,Devin."
❁❁❁
Devin printed out the background verification papers of the elementary school's principal, Travis Oliver.
Tired green eyes scanned the page.
He hadn't slept a wink in last forty hours.
Since he couldn't sleep, he thought he might as well come to work.
That's the best part of working for the police, they don't put any time restrictions on you.
As Sargent Patrick said "It's about the quality, son not the quantity."
Devin weighted the thirty page stack in his hands.
The ADI service department had really outdone themselves this time.
He scanned the narrow print.
Nothing important came into view.
Then his gaze stopped at a certain block of information.
[Prevιoυѕ occυpαтιoɴѕ] Tαɴvιlle Prιѕoɴ cαѕe мαɴαɢer: yeαr 1989 тo 2000
Developмeɴтαl Tαɴvιlle Prιѕoɴ Pѕycнιαтrιc Depαrтмeɴт: yeαr 2005*-2010 (*eɴrolled ιɴ Moυɴт Fαll colleɢe ғroм 2000-2005)
PнD ιɴ edυcαтιoɴ oвтαιɴed: yeαr 2011-2013
Prιɴcιple oғ Keтpαl Eleмeɴтαry Scнool:
yeαr 2014- preѕeɴт (*ɴo тrαceαвle locαтιoɴ вeтweeɴ yeαr 2013-2014)
"No traceable location, huh?" Devin leaned back in the leather chair.
"Not much of proof but what the heck was he doing then?"
This was probably one of the most confusing cases Devin had ever dealt with in his career of six years.
The entire case was built on one small detail.
On 23rd February, three in the morning, an extremist group's call was received on Travis Oliver's cellphone.
The content of the call: unknown.
After that the police has been keeping track of his IP address.
Not much suspicious activity there, the old man mostly visited the school's website.
Devin picked up his phone, hoping to text GretaGood morning.
It was a sort of habit he had developed over the past year.
March 5, 2015the phone's screened blinked.
Devin twisted the ring around his finger.
"Amiyah" He breathed out as his mind took him down memory lane.
"Today was the day Greta took your place."
Devin paced infront of the emergency room.
His aunt was in a critical state.
She had a cardiac arrest in her sleep last night.
Devin didn't know what to do.
Other than Alfredo and Amiyah, Aunt Martha was the only family he had left.
She had raised him as her own son when his parents had died in an accident.
Trembling, Devin reached for his phone and dialed Amiyah's number.
He waited and waited for her to pick up but she didn't.
After his the twentieth try, Devin gave up.
The police officer who had brought Aunt Martha to the hospital walked over to him.
Devin recognized her from the police department.
Greta was her name.
They had met a few times and were causal acquaintances.
Devin hated a stranger to see him in a blubbering mess.
Greta placed a hand on his shoulder.
She didn't say anything, she didn't need to.
Support was what Devin needed at the moment.
Two hours later when the doctors announced his aunt dead, Greta was the one who held Devin in her arms while he cried.She was the one who stayed by his side at his aunt's funeral.
She was the one who picked up Devin's broken pieces as he fell apart.
❁❁❁
"I wasn't there for him." Amiyah spoke with Paula at their favorite tea shop.
The black ink haired woman frowned.
"You tried your best.
It wasn't your fault that you had gone for an assignment to the Cymara Sea.
You guys needed the money then."
"That's not the worst part.
I purposely left my phone at home.
I just wanted a break from him.
I just wanted to clear my head and rethink our relation."