A Locked Box

Chapter 25

   Kat woke up to the smell of food. She blinked in the early Saturday sunlight, blinded and confused. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she followed the mouthwatering scent into her kitchen. She slid into the room, scaring the lavender-haired man by the sink. It made her smile as she leaned up against the counter. "You scared the hell out of me," Devin said, running an embarrassed hand through his poofy hair.

   Kat smiled wider, her voice hoarse from sleep. "Sorry." she cleared her throat to keep herself from sounding like a frog jumped down it. "Why are you cooking? And I thought you liked to leave early in the morning."

   Devin flashed a smile as he scooped a couple pancakes onto an empty plate. It quickly turned into a frown. "The only reason I leave is for my father. His secretary hasn't called so I can assume he doesn't need me."

    Kat gave him a small reassuring smile. "Do you want--" Kat's sentence was cut off by a knock on her apartment door. She turned towards the doorway, cocking her head to the side. She left Devin in the kitchen and unlocked her door. The person on the other side made her hiss. "What are you doing here?" she seethed quietly.

   Jake looked unfazed by her aggressive behavior. "I needed to make sure you were okay," he explained in a calm tone.

   Kat's hand on the door tightened until her knuckles turned white. "Leave. Now!" she whisper-yelled, glancing inside her apartment to make sure Devin wasn't near.

   Devin shook his head. "You made a big mistake."

   "I know. Now leave!"

   Devin glanced past her into her apartment. "I've seen you with that Devin guy. You've moved on."

   "Wow, are you jealous? I never knew you were able to feel anything." Kat moved to shut the door.

   Jake stopped it with his hand. He made eye contact with her, his piercing brown eyes staring straight into Kat's black ones. "You need to get out of here. Take Devin or leave him. It doesn't matter. They're coming for you and they're not going to stop." he said with such a serious tone that Kat couldn't ignore it.

   "Why are you helping me?" she asked, not looking away. Her tone had switched to that of a child's.

   "Because I still care. Now you need to leave as quickly as possible." he shoved a piece of folded paper into her hand, still not looking away from Kat's shimmering eyes.

   "Who's at the door?" Devin yelled from the kitchen. Kat jumped, ending the breathtaking moment.

   Kat glanced at Jake before turning into the apartment. "No one. They were at the wrong door," she yelled back. Turning back to Jake, she looked at him with a gaze that he hadn't seen since their failed escape attempt. She opened her mouth to say something but he stopped her with a kiss on the cheek.

   "Stay safe and happy birthday." he said before walked away. He strolled down the hall before disappearing behind the corner.

   Kat blinked in shock, still holding the folded paper in her hand. Shutting the door and locking it, she opened it up and read through it. She rolled her eyes at the phone number written messily above a list of nearby addresses. Safehouses. Sighing, she pocketed the paper and headed back into the kitchen.

   "What took you so long?" Devin asked from his seat at the counter.

   Kat shrugged. "Some drunk guy thought this was his apartment. Took me three tries before he would finally leave." She wasn't technically lying. As long as Kat had known Jake, he had always been a lover of alcohol. A small smile appeared on her face as she remembered one particular memory. A particular birthday to be exact. Without a word, she charged to her living room window that overlooked a usually empty alleyway. She chuckled, shaking her head in playful disappointment. "That idiot." she murmured to herself.