There were two sheriff vehicles in her driveway, and all the lights were on inside her house. Even the outside lights.
Gabe walked ahead, and after he spoke with a deputy at her side door, he had his hand on the knob but didn’t turn it. “I have to warn you, Amanda. It’s a mess.”
She squeezed Dante’s hand and blew out a breath then squared her shoulders. “Okay. I’m ready.”
The sheriff nodded, glanced at Dante, then opened the door.
Upon entering her kitchen, Amanda’s first thought was…I take it back. I’m not ready.
All the cabinets and cupboards were open and empty, because all their contents were on her floor in random heaps. Boxes of food were ripped open and dumped. Even her garbage can was tossed. The fridge was emptied as well as the freezer. Ice cube trays were on the counter and silverware littered the piles of discarded food. Her canister set was upended, their contents on the counter, sink, and floor.
“Breathe, babe,” Dante urged soothingly near her ear, and she released a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.
After a few inhales, she blinked back a round of stupid tears and shrugged. “I don’t think I could possibly tell if anything was missing in here.”
Gabe nodded. “Let’s try another room.”
Another room?
Hysterical laughter bubbled up her throat. She swallowed it back down and once again, Dante squeezed her hand as if knowing she needed the support. Last time, she had no one. Amanda squeezed him back, and he helped her navigate through the mess on the floor to her living room.
It, too, was trashed, but since there were fewer items in it, the room didn’t appear nearly as horrific as the kitchen.
An hour later, she walked back into Dante’s house feeling drained, defeated, violated, and angry. As far as she could tell, though, nothing had been taken. Just trashed.
Just like last year in London.
“Amanda, I’m so sorry,” Emily said, sliding off a stool where she’d been sitting drinking coffee with Holden, Carter, and Lyndsey. “Are you okay?” Concern darkened her sister’s eyes as she pulled her in for a hug.
She returned the embrace and then drew back. “What are you doing here?”
“I called her,” Lyndsey replied.
Emily shook a finger at her. “Now, don’t go giving us a lecture. She was right to call.”
“Yeah,” Holden said, hugging her then grasping her upper arms before drawing back to stare into her face. “We’re family. It’s what we do.”
Touched and overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions throbbing through her, she blinked the stinging from her eyes. “Thanks.”
Holden released her and shook Dante’s outstretched hand.
“Thanks, man,” Dante said.
Holden nodded and released him with a quietHooah.
“So, is it bad?” Emily asked her.
“Yes. They got every room. But I don’t understand. Why would they make such a mess?” she asked with a shake of her head. “Was it just to get their kicks?”
Gabe shrugged as he moved to stand near Lyndsey and set his hands on her shoulders. “Sometimes.”
“But a mess like yours is different,” Dante said.
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Whoever did it was looking for something specific,” he replied.
Her heart lurched. “But why? And what?”
