Devoted to Her (Dream Date Book 2) (12 page)

A faint smile appeared on Kayla’s lips.

“My next books will be published under my real name. I
had the cover art for my upcoming one changed for that purpose.”

Nathan looked confused.

“Why the change of heart?”

Kayla sighed.

“It’s a long story. This happened during the Christmas
holidays, which you know I spent at Tulsa.”

“Tell me.”

Thursday arrived. During the morning, Erika went to
visit Nathan. She wanted to talk to him, get to know him more. Erika knew where
he stayed. She waited outside the apartment for a few moments. Erika didn’t
want Nathan to ask her any tough questions.

It wasn’t long before Nathan walked into the parking
lot. He got to his car. Erika revved her engine. She followed Nathan into the
street.

The drive wasn’t long. Nathan pulled into the parking
lot of a mall nearby. He got out of his car. Erika found parking and then
followed Nathan. Inside the mall, she saw him walk into a Best Buy. Nathan went
right to the computer accessories section. Erika pretended to browse nearby
while watching Nathan. He seemed to be shopping for laptop sleeves.

After Nathan found one that he liked, he went to the smartphones
section. Erika chose that moment to walk up to him. Nathan turned when he
sensed someone standing behind him.

“Hi!” Erika greeted, waving her hand once.

“Hi,” he replied. “Nice to run into you again.”

Erika laughed.

“We seem to bump into each other while we’re shopping,
right?”

“Maybe it’s a quirk of fate.”

“Ha. Actually, I was looking for you. I couldn’t find
you at school.”

“I didn’t have classes today.”

“Oh,” said Erika. “No wonder.”

“What did you want to talk about?”

“I was wondering if you will be busy today.”

Nathan placed a hand on his chin, thinking.

“I don’t have much homework, so I’ll have quite a bit
of time to myself. My girlfriend is going shopping with her best friends.”

“Great. I wanted to ask if you’d like to hang out. I
don’t know anyone, and I’m not familiar with the area.”

Nathan thought about the offer for a moment.

“I guess I could give you a tour of the nicest spots
in the city. There’s not much, but you’ll like what’s here.”

Erika looked excited.

“Great! At what time could you pick me up?”

“How about at five?”

“That’s good. I’ll text you my address later.”

Nathan gave Erika a wry smile.

“How about I text you instead? I’m buying a new phone.
I’ll try to keep my existing number, but if it’s not possible, I’ll let you
know.”

“Oh, no problem. I’ll wait for your call.”

Nathan continued browsing through the phones. Erika
made comments on the ones she thought were good and the ones she didn’t like.
Nathan called an employee to ask him about the pros and cons of each operating
system. The employee said the best choice usually was to get the phone OS that
best paired with his computer OS. Nathan chose a phone accordingly.

“It’s a great choice,” Erika said to Nathan after they
left the store. He was trying out his new phone, which was already set up.

“It’s much better than my old one.”

“Ha! That’s for sure. Now you can do all sorts of
great new things.”

“I know. Now I can read books on it,” said Nathan. He
searched the app store for the Kindle app.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later today. I must get
going,” Erika said.

“Same. Take care, Erika.”

“You, too.”

Erika turned to walk in
a different direction. Nathan continued toward his car. He reached it and
unlocked it. Nathan revved the engine after putting his phone on the passenger
seat. Then he returned to his apartment.

That afternoon, Amanda went shopping with Judith,
Emmy, and Claire. They’d all agreed to go to the Shops at Ithaca Mall NY CC+
first. It was a shopping center north of the city. Amanda drove them in her
car.

Moments later, the four of them were walking through
the shopping center.

“It’s not the Oakdale, but at least it’s pretty good,”
Emmy said, looking around.

“Where should we go first?” Amanda asked. “You’re the
birthday girl, so you choose.”

Judith was looking at a store to their right.

“I think we should go there,” she said. The store was
Christopher & Banks, a women’s clothing store.

“Good choice,” Claire replied. She and the rest of
them walked inside the store. They looked around.

About a couple of hours later, the four women were on
the road again.

“Is anyone hungry?” Emmy asked. The rest of the group
nodded.

“I’d like to go somewhere relaxing,” said Judith.

“I know a great place,” Claire replied. “Oswald and I
like to go there from time to time. It’s near the river west of the Cornell
campus. They have nice seafood.”

“Good. Then we’ll go there.”

Amanda and Emmy stopped by their apartment on the way
to drop off their purchases. They then headed to the restaurant Claire told
them about.

The seafood café was a small two-story white building.
There were tables on the exterior, bordered by a waist-length white fence. A
canopy granted shade from the sun.

“Looks cozy,” Emmy commented.

“I know. Let’s go,” Amanda said. She and her friends
walked forward.

“Should we sit inside, or outside?” Claire asked.

“Birthday girl?”

Judith shrugged.

“I don’t mind either way.”

Emmy went to order the food while the rest of them sat
at a table inside. Although they were all tired, they still had a conversation.

“Friends, did any of you notice the guy who was
checking out Emmy at the mall?” Amanda asked. Claire and Judith turned to look
toward Emmy, who was oblivious to their conversation.

“No,” Judith said. “Are you serious? Most guys never
look past you.”

“This just shows you that there really are guys out
there who care about more than beauty. He saw me, but kept ogling Emmy.”

“Wow,” Claire said. “Not to sound rude, but Emmy
doesn’t exactly dress to impress. She’s…bookish.”

“To each their own,” replied Judith. “Some guys like
cute, others like bookish, others like sexy.”

“It’s good that Emmy’s getting attention,” Amanda
said. “The poor girl is still holding out hopes for Brad.”

Emmy waved at them, and Amanda went to help her with
the food. They returned to the table and ate.

Claire checked her smartphone at one point. She read a
text from Oswald.

“Wait a moment,” Amanda said. “I think I left my phone
in the car, with my purse.”

“I’ll go to the restroom,” said Claire. She stood up
at the same time as Amanda. They each went different ways.

Outside, Amanda walked to the car. The day was getting
a little darker. When Amanda reached her car, she unlocked it. Just before she
could open the door, Amanda felt someone behind her. She turned.

“Who—”

The newcomer struck Amanda with a blow to the face.
She fell to the floor, using her hands to soften the impact.

Amanda looked up. Her attacker seemed to be a woman,
judging by the long blonde hair. Unfortunately, she had a mask on.

The masked woman picked Amanda up by the collar. She
brought her knee forward, hitting Amanda in the abdomen. The latter doubled
over. The attacker grabbed Amanda by her hair. She pulled until Amanda was
looking toward the sky.

Angry, Amanda brought her hands toward the attacker’s
neck. She squeezed hard. The masked woman smashed Amanda’s head against the car
window. She yelped in pain.

Amanda fell to the floor again. She felt like she was
blacking out. Her world seemed to move as if she were on a boat at sea.

“Help!”

A foot struck Amanda on her back, behind her ribs. She
screamed, tearing up in pain. The attacker picked her up again. She set Amanda
with her back against the car. Amanda tried to go for the woman’s neck again,
but she blocked her attack. The woman hit Amanda a bunch of times across the
face.

“Ah!” Amanda yelled. She felt a trickle of blood run
down from her forehead. Amanda looked down, and her eyes widened in horror. The
woman had drawn a knife out of nowhere.

Just then, someone knocked Amanda’s attacker to the
side.

“Are you okay, Amanda?” Emmy asked.

“I think so,” she replied, checking her ribs. They
both turned to the attacker. She came at them fast.

“Watch out!” Emmy said. She flung herself in front of
Amanda. The attacker collided with her.

“No!” Amanda said. Emmy fell backward against her.
Both girls collapsed to the floor. The masked woman managed to stay on her
feet. At the sound of sirens approaching, she fled the scene.

Nathan stopped outside Erika’s apartment. It was in the
same building where Claire and Oswald stayed. He wondered if the latter was in
their room. Claire was with Amanda and her friends.

Outside Erika’s room, Nathan knocked. He waited for a
few seconds. The door then opened.

“Hi, Nathan,” Erika said. “You made good time.”

“Yeah, I like to be punctual.”

Erika laughed softly.

“Come in.”

Nathan walked inside. It didn’t escape his notice that
Erika had dressed up. If he knew her better, Nathan would think that she had
made herself pretty to dazzle him. But she knew perfectly well that he had a
girlfriend.

“Would you like something to drink?” Erika asked. “I’m
afraid I don’t have any tea. There’s just water and whiskey.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow.

“Whiskey? Are you serious?”

Erika pursed her lips.

“Everyone has a vice.”

Nathan smiled to himself.
Do I have a vice?

Erika walked to the kitchen while Nathan sat down on
the sofa. The furniture came with the apartment, so it didn’t tell anything
about Erika’s tastes. There were a few framed photos, though. One on the coffee
table showed Erika at what appeared to be Comic-Con.

“Are you a comic book fan?” Nathan called. Erika came
back with two glasses of clear liquid that he hoped was water. He knew better,
though.

“Not really. My ex-boyfriend was the one. He dressed
up like the Punisher.”

Nathan frowned.

“As far as I know, he doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

‘I dressed up like the Black Cat. But I did it only to
coordinate with him. I’m not into that sort of stuff.”

Nathan gaped at her.

“Did you bleach your hair?” he asked, drinking some
whiskey. Erika was a brunette.

“Just for that? Goodness, no. I wore a wig.”

Nathan supposed Erika must have cut her hair short for
that. She suppressed a laugh.

“So, what place would you like to see first?”

Erika lifted her index finger. She then set her
almost-empty glass of whiskey on the coffee table.

“Just a minute. I’ll get my phone.”

Nathan nodded. He drank the last of his whiskey. It
tasted quite good. Nathan set it down. As he straightened up, he felt drowsy.

“Where do you go for movies?” Erika asked when she
came back. She was doing something on her phone.

“The best place is a theater to the north. It’s part of
a shopping center.”

“Oh.”

“Why movies, though? Come on. There are better places
to see. It’s a small town, but it doesn’t lack worthy spots to visit.”

“You decide, then.”

Nathan tried to stand. Just then, he felt a yawn
coming. He was becoming drowsier.

What’s going on with me?

“Are you all right, Nathan?” Erika asked.

“Yeah, I’m…I’m fine. I just—”

Nathan fell back
against the sofa. He dozed off. Erika smiled. She walked toward him and took
his smartphone. She silenced the ringer.

An ambulance took Emmy and Amanda to Five Star Urgent
Care, one of the few hospitals in the city. Inside, a nurse told Claire and
Judith to remain in the waiting room.

“At least Amanda was conscious,” Judith said. She
paced, until Claire put a hand on her shoulder.

“Sit and calm down. Stressing yourself out further
isn’t going to benefit anyone. I’ll make some calls.”

“I can’t calm down. Some crazy woman attacked my best
friends. Oh, God. Does this have anything to do with Hilbert Melendez?”

Claire frowned, holding her phone.

“I thought he was dead.”

Judith gave a shrug, and kept pacing slowly. Claire
tried to dial Nathan first. She sat down, waiting. The other line kept ringing,
but no one picked up.

“Weird.”

Claire tried again. After several rings, she hung up.

“Nathan’s not answering. I wonder where he is.”

“That’s odd,” Judith replied. “He’s going to throw a
fit when he finds out what happened.”

“I’ll try Ashton and Grecia. Maybe they know where he
might be.”

Claire waited. After a few rings, Ashton picked up.

“Hi, Claire. What’s up?”

“Have you seen Nathan?”

“No,”
Ashton
replied. He seemed to catch Claire’s urgent voice.
“What’s going on?”

“Are you alone?”

“I’m at my dorm, studying.”

“If you find out anything about Nathan, tell him to
call me ASAP.”

“Got it. But what’s wrong?”

“A woman mugged Emmy and Amanda.” Claire mentioned the
hospital name and the address.

“Shit. I’ll try to find Nathan.”

“Thanks, Ashton. Take care.”

“I’ll call you back,”
Ashton said. He hung up.

“Judith,” Claire said. “We need to call Amanda’s and
Emmy’s families. I don’t know how to reach them.”

Judith nodded, seeming thankful for something to do.
She proceeded to call the Tilleys first. The news shocked them. They agreed to take
the first flight out of Joliet they could get. Emmy’s family also lived there. When
Judith called them, they also said they would get to Ithaca as soon as they
could.

“I wonder if I should call Brad, too.”

Claire looked at Judith.

“Is he the guy that we saw at Times Square?”

“Yes. He’s currently filming in Europe. I don’t know
if it’s a good idea to call him.”

“He should know. No one would like to find out about
something like this in the news.”

Judith sighed.

“You’re right. I’ll call him.”

It took quite a few rings for Brad to answer.

“Brad, are you busy?” asked Judith.

“Sort of. We’re wrapping up a scene. What’s up?”

“Amanda and Emmy are hurt.”

Brad gasped.

“What?”

“We went out. Amanda returned to the car, and she got
mugged along with Emmy.”

“Oh, God. Are they all right?”

“They’re both in the hospital. Amanda is conscious,
but Emmy went into surgery.”

“No!”
Brad
exclaimed. There was a loud thud. Judith guessed he’d hit something.

“I’ve called their families. They’re on their way.”

“Where are you now?”

“At the hospital in Ithaca.” She gave him the details.

“Okay, Judith. Thanks for letting me know. I have to
hang up now. The director’s calling me.”

“All right,” said Judith, but Brad had already hung
up. She pocketed her phone. “Now what do we do?”

“Wait,” Claire replied. “And pray.”

Judith sat down, covering her face with her hands. A few
minutes passed. Then there were quick footsteps approaching. Claire looked up.
A trio of police officers was walking toward them. Judith noticed, too. She and
Claire stood up.

“Good evening,” said one of the officers. He seemed to
be the one in charge. “I’m Detective Sutton. Are you the witnesses of the
assault perpetrated this evening near a restaurant?”

Judith and Claire both nodded.

“We need to question you both, separately.”

Claire gave Judith a reassuring smile. Then she looked
at the officer.

“Okay.”

Claire followed Detective
Sutton to a more private spot, where he questioned her.

Almost an hour and a half later, a doctor finally showed
up. Judith and Claire stood up from their seats.

“Relatives of Ms. Tilley?”

“We’re friends,” Judith said. “But her family will get
here soon.”

“How’s Amanda, Doctor?” Claire asked him.

“Stable. She only sustained mild blunt trauma to the
ribs and to her head. There’s no concussion. We took care of the cuts on her
temple and her lip.”

“What about Emmy?”

The doctor gave Judith a serious look.

“Ms. Crenshaw suffered a single stab wound to the
abdomen. It narrowly missed her stomach. No organs were affected, although she
lost a lot of blood.”

“Is she going to be okay?”

“Yes. There’s also something you should know. The hospital
has received a transfer request for the patients. They will be flown to
Rochester.”

“What?”

“Ms. Tilley’s parents called to request the transfer. The
arrangements are in order, and the patients will be flown shortly.”

“What hospital are they taking them to?”

“Rochester General. We notified both of the patients’
families. They’re on their way there.”

Ashton and Grecia arrived at that moment. The former
gave Claire a quizzical look.

“Can we fly with them?”

“Unfortunately, no. You’ll have to get yourself
there.”

Judith nodded, looking unhappy.

“That’s everything I have on your friends. If you need
anything else before leaving, let me know.”

“Okay, Doctor,” Claire said. The doctor nodded, and
walked away.

“What did he tell you?” Ashton asked.

“We need to go. They’re going to take Amanda and Emmy
to Rochester.”

The four of them started walking to the entrance.

“Where’s Nathan?” Claire asked Ashton.

“We haven’t been able to find him. I tried Oswald,
Kayla, and even Marissa. No one knows where he is.”

Claire found that truly strange. She wondered where
Nathan had disappeared to. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

“Kayla is going everywhere that she knows Nathan to
frequent,” Grecia told them. “We hope she finds him.”

“I think we should stay,” Claire said to Ashton and
Grecia. “We need to help Kayla.”

“And leave Judith alone?” Grecia asked. “No. You go
with her. We’ll handle it.”

Claire looked at Judith. She seemed numb.

“Okay, I’ll take care of her. Do me a favor. One of
you should get my car. I’ll drive Judith in hers.”

Ashton nodded. He took Claire’s keys and handed them
to Grecia. Then the two of them left. Claire and Judith walked to the latter’s
car.

“Your keys,” Claire
said. Judith handed them over.

Amanda’s family was the first to arrive to Rochester
General Hospital that night. Judith stood up when she saw them.

“Mrs. Tilley,” she said. Florence and her husband nodded
as a greeting. They’d arrived with Ryan, Amanda’s younger brother. Harold and
Mildred were with them as well. The former looked like a bomb waiting to
explode.

“Good evening,” Claire told them.

“How’s my granddaughter?” Harold asked.

“She’s okay. The doctors just said that she needs to
rest. Emmy is under supervision, though. They brought her here shortly after
minor surgery.”

“Is she doing fine?” asked William.

“I’m not sure.”

William nodded to Judith.

“I’ll go ask around.”

He walked toward one of the corridors. Amanda’s father
was a doctor. Judith knew he might be able to help Emmy and the other doctors.

The rest of the Tilleys sat down.

“Is my sister truly okay?” Ryan asked.

“Yes,” said Judith. “Emmy saved her life.”

Judith and Claire both began to tell the Tilleys what
happened at the restaurant. Amanda told them what little they knew. She’d
described a masked woman with a knife. The police were on the lookout.

“Does anyone know who this woman is?” Mildred asked.
Judith shook her head.

“We talked to some officers earlier,” Claire said.
“They arrived after receiving calls from witnesses near the scene. It also
helps that the attack took place right next to a busy street.”