The Handsome Devil II: Redemption

Chapter 8 - Watching

Deya watched the front of the house, wondering if the inside looks just how she remembered. It took a while before Jamie decided to finally bring her over when they dated, too embarrassed about the interrogation she'd receive from his mother once he did.

Or so he told her.

But it was impossible not to smile at the memory of the chubby woman with personality so bubbly it hardly fit the room. Despite Jamie's fears, they got along tremendously, and over time she became something of an aunt to her.

I wonder how she is.. Deya sighed as the memory dissolved and she hesitantly reached for the papers on passenger seat.

Enough procrastination.

Her eyes started to scan the first page before she could talk herself out of it, heart hammering furiously. She wasn't sure what she hoped to find. Perhaps some kind of closure?

But in retrospective, she probably got more than she bargained for.

The text briefly outlined the purpose of the assessment. But it took her a minute to comprehend the array of short paragraphs dating from February 2015 that followed. The records of her mother's therapy sessions, the last date confirming this is indeed the assessment her parents argued about before she ran away.

She rolled her window open, taking in a shaky breath of the cold evening air while absorbing the information.

Nonetheless, before she could turn the page and continue reading, Jamie's figure burst through the front door of the house.

Huh, weird.

She was too far to be sure, but he looked agitated, and the distant noises that reached her were too close to sounding like an argument. Besides, he hardly spent ten minutes inside, so it couldn't go that well.

In the next second, a male head popped out of the door, just in time to see the bird Jamie flipped in its direction before getting into a car.

His father.

There wasn't much she knew about the man, given the amount of travelling for work he was doing at the time they dated. Still, the way Jamie talked about him made her think their relationship was decent.

So what changed?

The screeching of tyres brought her back into the moment, and she found herself frantically fumbling with the keys as she started the car to follow. The pit in her stomach told her he might be in some kind of trouble, and if stalking is the only way to find out for sure, then be it.

It took roughly half an hour before they drove to the edge of the city, and she slowed down as she watched Jamie park his car and disappear inside one of the garages.

Sam's shop. She read the sign aloud, trying to make some some connection.

Is he getting his car fixed?

However, it took less than five minutes before she saw his figure reappear and get into the car again, driving away instead of backing into the open gate.

The whole thing sent shivers down her spine, and it was partially because she remembered their last encounter.

The dread didn't leave her as she followed his tail lights from distance, and the blood in her veins froze once she recognised the narrow street hemmed by houses that have seen better years. She's only been there a handful of times, yet, there was no doubt it's the Bartholomew avenue, possibly the worst place in Prague to wander around at night.

She could still see Jamie's car further up ahead, making her pray that he's just passing by. However, all the hopes were crushed once she saw his break lights come on as he backed into a space at the curb.