Page 31 of Protected from Torment

I reach over to pat her hand. “If something happened to Oscar, I would have told you.”

Melissa gives me a wan smile. “I know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you were hiding anything from me.”

A car pulls up behind me and gives a short beep of its horn. Putting both hands back on the wheel, I accelerate through the intersection while saying, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

After a moment, she replies softly, “Okay,” and then falls silent, her worry a palpable thing.

I hate that she’s worried about upsetting me. Or that she thinks she did something wrong. And really, we haven’t known each other long enough for her to automatically trust what I say. If she has some reservations about me, or the Blade and Arrow team, that’s understandable. Trust takes time, and I can’t expect to have earned hers in just a couple of days.

Although I trust her, don’t I?

When she called me from the hospital, asking for help, I never considered it might be an elaborate ruse.

When she told me about everything that’s been happening over the last few weeks, I never doubted that it was the truth.

And when she insisted she knew nothing about the drugs her attacker came for, I believed her. There was no evidence to back up her claims, but I didn’t need it. I just knew she was being honest with me.

Okay, I did some research after she told me everything, but not because I didn’t believe her. I wanted to get a handle on what we’re dealing with and what kind of resources we’ll need to solve her case. But even as I was pouring through online records, I never considered she might be lying. There was just something in my gut that told me she wasn’t.

But if I feel that way about her, maybe she could be on her way to trusting me, too. And maybe I really want her to.

Wanting to brighten Melissa’s mood, I decide to change the subject. “So. I’m really looking forward to meeting Oscar after hearing so much about him.”

As she inevitably does whenever I bring up her beloved dog, Melissa smiles. Turning to me, she replies in a much cheerier tone, “Oh, I can’t wait for you to meet him, too. He’s just the best. I know everyone says that about their dog, but Oscar really is. And he’s going to love you. I can tell already.”

“Oh?” The turnoff for Melissa’s street comes up on the right, and I make a careful turn onto it. With Mel’s concussion and all her bruises, I don’t want to risk jostling her and causing her any more pain. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, Oscar likes most people,” she replies. “But you, I think he’ll really like. There’s just something comforting about you.”

“Comforting?” Oddly enough, I’m not crazy about her description.

And what would you prefer? a little voice in my head asks.

I don’t know, I silently reply. Something better than comforting. Something that sounds like she thinks of me as a man, and not a fuzzy blanket or a cute stuffed animal.

Why do you want her to think of you as a man? the voice parries back. Isn’t she just a friend?

Annoyed, I retort, I don’t know. And stop bothering me when I’m trying to concentrate on Melissa.

“Maybe comforting isn’t the right word,” Melissa says. “I guess… I just feel safe with you. Like as long as you’re around, everything’s going to be okay.”

A second later, she blushes. And shit, it makes her look even prettier than she already does. “Is that weird, saying that?”

My chest fills with unexpected pride. “No, it’s not weird. And I’m glad you feel that way. I want you to feel safe with me. That’s why I’m here.”

Melissa looks out the windshield at the road ahead of us. “I do. Feel safe.” She pauses. “Anyway. Oscar’s a great judge of character. So I think he’ll pick up on the same thing. And with all the craziness of the last few days, I think helping him feel safe is a good thing.”

Melissa’s been worried about Oscar, and I can’t really blame her. Physically, he’s fine—Griffin checked on him at the animal hospital before heading back to Syracuse—but I know she’s concerned about how he was impacted by the intruder and the unplanned stay at the animal hospital.

Never having had a dog myself, I can’t imagine how he was affected. But when I asked Griff, he assured me that Oscar would be fine. “Dogs are resilient,” he said. “Much more resilient than people. I’ve seen some dogs who were treated horribly by their previous owners. Those dogs, they had every reason to mistrust humans. But they didn’t. Put them in the right home, with the right people, and they just blossom. But Oscar? He knows he’s loved. And once he’s back home, he’ll be fine.”

Since Griff is the expert, I’m taking his word for it.

“He’ll definitely feel safe,” I tell Melissa. “With you back home, plus me and the guys, we’ll make sure he does. And if there’s anything special you want us to do with Oscar, like feeding or letting him out, just let me know.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she says quickly. “I’m just thankful you’re helping me out. I don’t expect you to take care of my dog, as well.”

“I know you don’t expect it. I want to. We all do.” At her questioning expression, I explain, “When I told Indy and Webb that there would be a dog around to play with, they were both excited about it. Webb and Noelle—she’s Webb’s fiancée—have been talking about getting a dog. So this will be good practice for him.”