The Project

CHAPTER6

Some of the files were definitely missing, Andi realized with a frown as she stared down at the stack of folders in her arms that was definitely a lot smaller than it had been last night when she saw them stacked on Devyn’s desk. Maybe she should run back to the office and…watched as a set of large, tan hands took the folders from her.

Biting back a sigh for the man that had sent very detailed and somewhat odd instructions on how to deliver the files to his apartment, Andi looked up and-

“What happened to your face?” she demanded, forgetting his request not to make any noise when she dropped off the files and cupped his face in her hands, careful of the large purple bruise marring one side of his handsome face and pulled him down so that she could get a better look at the bandage wrapped around his head only to immediately regret the move when he bit out, “Shit!”

Grabbing hold of his head with one hand, Devyn stumbled back into his apartment, dropping the files on the table by the door on his way to the kitchen while she stood in the hallway debating what she should do, only to find herself stepping inside and quietly closing the door behind her when he grabbed hold of the kitchen counter and growled out, “Fuck!” Careful not to do anything that would make this worse for him, Andi set her bag on the floor by the door as she took in the insanely large apartment, noting the trail of discarded bloodied bandages leading to the living room.

“Go home, Miss Dawson,” Devyn bit out as she watched the back of his knuckles turn white as his grip tightened around the edge of the counter.

“Yeah, I’ll get right on that,” Andi murmured absently as she shifted her attention to the kitchen counter and took in the empty bottle of Advil, the unfilled prescriptions for painkillers and prescription-strength ibuprofen, and a few others that he was probably going to need before her attention shifted to the police report next to them and quickly made out the words “attack” and “metal bar” before it was pulled out of her reach.

“Go home and take the week off,” Devyn bit out, dropping the police report in the trash before he reached for the bottle of Advil only to realize that it was empty and dropped it back on the counter with a pained groan.

“What happened?” Andi asked as she glanced around the large apartment, looking for any signs that someone else was there to help him, but there was nothing, no framed pictures of friends and family hanging on the walls or any sign that anyone else lived here.

“It’s just a few bumps and bruises, Miss Dawson. Go home,” Devyn bit out as he pushed away from the counter and stumbled towards a door on the other side of the living room while she returned her attention to the mess on the counter. When she found the discharge papers from the emergency room, Andi picked them up only to frown when she read through the list of injuries that he’d somehow accumulated overnight, a concussion, stitches, bruised ribs, and abrasions on the back of his hands. Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Andi walked into what she was guessing was his bedroom in time to watch Devyn drop down on the bed with a pained groan.

“Get out,” Devyn said, squeezing his eyes shut as she took in the rest of the bedroom, noting the discarded icepack on the floor, the bloodstained sheets, and the bright sunlight pouring into the room from the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked a beautiful pool that looked nothing like the one at her apartment complex before she looked back at Devyn and-

She couldn’t leave him like this.

“I will as soon as someone comes to take care of you,” Andi said, resigning herself to the long week ahead of her as she made her way to the floor-to-ceiling windows and pulled the curtains closed so that the only light in the room came from the soft sunlight spilling in from the living room.

“I don’t need help.”

“You really do,” Andi murmured absently as she noted the comfortable-looking chair in the corner and decided that was the best place to start.

“Leave,” came the demand that she easily ignored as she focused on moving the chair next to his bed.

“Can’t,” she said, pulling and shoving the chair until she finally managed to drag it across the room, and once it was where she wanted it, she dropped down in the chair with a satisfied sigh as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and googled the closest pharmacy.

“This isn’t going to get you a raise,” Devyn bit out, opening his eyes so that he could glare at her.

“Wasn’t expecting one,” Andi said, wondering if she’d be able to find a pharmacy that delivered. Probably not with the painkillers on the list, she realized, biting back a sigh.

“There are better ways to kiss my ass, Miss Dawson.”

“I’m sure there are,” Andi murmured absently as she scrolled through the list of pharmacies nearby, only to settle on the only one that was within walking distance.

“I don’t need help. I can take care of myself,” Devyn bit out as he was forced to turn his head and bury his face against the pillow as his hands fisted in the comforter, letting her know just how bad the pain was and making her wonder what happened last night.

For several minutes, Andi sat there, waiting until his breaths evened out and his hold around the comforter slowly relaxed before she carefully made her way back to the kitchen and decided to find out what else was on that police report.

* * *