She scoffed as she rushed up the first set of steps. "Like that would keep an egomaniac like Mark away from Valerie."
I couldn't argue with her logic which was fueling her anxiety, and since I had no idea where her apartment was, I could only follow her up two flights of stairs to a third story.
Out of breath, she dug through her purse as
we hurried down a hallway, and when she reached her place she used a key to unlock the door.
She burst inside, leaving the door open for me to come in, too.
"Valerie!" she yelled in a panic when an initial sweep of the very miniscule living room and kitchenette showed no signs of her sister.
"Jesus, Stevie, I'm right in here sorting clothes for the laundromat," Valerie said, walking out of what I assumed was a bedroom, carrying a basket with clothes.
"You don't have to shout."
A startled look passed over Valerie's features at seeing me there, too.
"Oh, hey…hi, Caleb—"
