Justin’s cell phone vibrated in his hand and without looking, he shoved it into his back pocket. “Well, I didn’t think you wanted to talk,” he said. “I tried to tell you to do what the cops said but you didn’t want to hear it, remember?”

His annoyance was palpable and Deven had to swallow her disappointment. “Okay, but I still need you right now Justin. My sister—I mean I don’t know what’s going on, and”—shame had her lowering her voice—“I don’t have anybody right now.” She couldn’t cry. She wasn’t weak, dammit. But the past few hours had been slowly chipping away at her psyche. Any more, and she was likely to crack.

Justin reached for her, and she fell into his hug, almost desperately. His beard was still damp from the shower, and he smelled of her soap; honey and cocoa butter mixed with that sexy woodsy scent of the cologne he always wore. Deven inhaled, welcoming the comfort. Justin’s lips touched her forehead, and his hand massaged the little space between her shoulder blades.

“You’re going to be okay,” he soothed. “You got this, babe. I don’t want this to destroy you. You have to be strong for you, for your mother, for Kennedy. She would want you to.”

She nodded against his chest and shut her eyes to stop the impending tears. He gave her one more kiss and pulled back to readjust the strap of his bag. “You call me if you need me, okay?”

Deven blinked back her confusion. For a moment, she thought he was going to stay. But that probably would’ve been too much like the loving, compassionate boyfriend Justin used to be. The one she hadn’t seen since before the big Baltimore move.

Rather than argue, Deven nodded again and watched him leave, the door making a resounding click at his back. She lowered herself to the table and looked at the breakfast, probably now cold. Sure enough, the nausea had returned full force. Without a second thought, she scraped both plates in the trash, made sure the stove was turned off, and headed back to her room. She would clean up later. If she felt like it. As far as she was concerned, everything could sit in there and rot, for all she cared.