Page 67 of Keeping Amanda
Feeling dirty, and desperately wanting a shower, Amanda went back into her apartment. She closed and locked the door—and gasped when she looked around.
Everything was in disarray. As they searched, she’d heard the clanking of dishes and pots and pans, and could see the men tossing the pillows off her couch from her spot in the hallway. But seeing how everything she owned had been inspected andcombed through made her feel a sense of violation she’d never experienced before.
She understood that if shedidhave drugs in her apartment, they most likely wouldn’t be sitting around in plain sight. That they would’ve been hidden. But this felt like a slap in the face. At least they hadn’t slashed open her pillows or Rain’s new bed.
Looking down at the dog at her side, Amanda saw he was practically vibrating with nervous energy. He hadn’t liked the men being in her apartment any more than she had.
Suddenly needing to be anywhere but here, Amanda hurried to her room to change.
She almost cried at seeing every drawer empty and her clothes piled on the floor. The agents had also removed the mattress from the frame and propped it up against the wall.
Swallowing hard, Amanda grabbed a bra, a pair of jeans, and a T-shirt from the pile and turned her back on the bedroom. She changed in the hallway and, still fighting tears, went back into the main living area. Her phone and laptop were sitting on the table where she’d left them earlier. She grabbed her phone, shoved her feet into a pair of flip-flops, grabbed her purse, and picked up Rain’s leash that was still attached to his collar.
The dog had followed her from room to room, staying right by her side. He was a comfort for sure. Amanda wasn’t certain what she would’ve done without him by her side.
Her first inclination was to call Nash. But what was he going to do? He was at work. He couldn’t come running home every time she needed something. She wasn’t hurt. She wasn’t in jail. Nothing had happened to her person. Had she been inconvenienced? Yes. Had she been a little scared? Also, yes. But this experience was nothing like what she’d been through not too long ago.
She’d be fine. She just needed some air. To get away from the apartment for a while.
Rain jumped into the backseat of her Volvo and as soon asshe got in the driver’s seat, he rested his chin on her shoulder. Reaching back and giving his head a pat, Amanda pulled out of the parking lot and drove off.
Eventually, she found herself at a park on the other side of the city. It had large trees and a huge open space where people could run around, or lie in the sun if it was a warm day, or even play a game of Frisbee or something.
It was silly to continue driving. She had no idea who’d given the DEA the “tip” that there were drugs in her apartment. It didn’t make sense. She didn’t interact with a ton of people, and since she wasn’t working yet, she didn’t have anyone she spoke to on a regular basis who even knew where she lived. The only people she interacted with were Nash and his friends.
And she didn’t think for one second that any of his fellow pilots, or Laryn, would’ve done such a vile thing.
She’d been racking her brain for most of the drive. It could’ve been one of her neighbors. A few of them knew she was going to South America. Maybe they were upset she was back. Maybe one of them had been hoping she’d stay gone so they could have her apartment. It had the best view…but she honestly couldn’t see anyone doing such a thing, especially over something ridiculous like an apartment. This felt like harassment, plain and simple.
The agents knew she’d been inGuyana,specifically…so someone had to know her fairly well to be able to communicate that to the authorities, maybe even give them other reasons to check out their “tip.”
Taking a deep breath, she got out of her car and opened the back door for Rain. He’d been cooped up for a while now. This park was a great opportunity for him to run, to stretch his legs. She wasn’t afraid he’d disappear, Rain had been glued to her side ever since he’d found them in the jungle. He knew he had a good thing going, and she highly doubted he’d run off now.
But when she encouraged him to run around, he sat at her feet and stared up at her.
“It’s okay, Rain. I’m all right. You can go play.”
Rain didn’t budge.
Sighing, Amanda walked over to one of the picnic tables situated at the edge of the huge open space. The park was nice. She’d never been here before, it was a little far from her apartment, but it granted her the peace and quiet that she needed to think.
She climbed up and sat on the tabletop and propped her feet on the bench, staring into space as she did her best to work through what had happened. She desperately wanted to talk to Nash, but she didn’t want to be a clingy girlfriend. She wasn’t hurt. Wasn’t really threatened. Just embarrassed and confused.
She’d tell him tonight for sure. Wouldn’t have a choice; the second he walked into her apartment, he’d know something was up, considering its state.
The more she thought about it, about who might’ve called in the so-called tip the DEA had received, the more Amanda couldn’t shake a particular suspicion.
A sick feeling welled up inside her…
Could the tip have come from the very people she’d thought were her friends down in Guyana? Were they upset that she’d left? Did they know she hadn’t had a choice? That Blair had basically kicked her out?
But what good would lying about her to the DEA do? She was gone. They could be mad or upset, but nothing that happened to her in the States would ultimately have any effect on them or the school.
Unless…
She didn’t want to believe it. But it was literally theonlything that made sense.
The only person who might want to discredit her, might want to smear her reputation, was the one person who knew she wanted to adopt two of the children at the orphanage. ProvingAmanda was unstable or unsuitable to be a mother would be the perfect way to kill any adoption application.
