Page 56 of Protected from Torment

While Officer Stockwell is still peppering the three women with questions, I turn to the former White Plains cop and angle my chin at Melissa as I say, “I need to talk to her.”

He looks at Mel, who seems to be shrinking into herself more and more by the second. “Yeah.” Then he catches the eye of the cop beside her and jerks his head in my direction. The two officers share a silent exchange for a second. Then the one by Mel nods. The guy beside me says, “Go ahead. I think it’s clear she’s not a suspect anymore.”

Thank fuck.

On my way to Mel, I make a quick detour over to Webb and Indy. “I need to talk to her,” I tell them. “All the security footage should be on the servers in the basement.”

Indy immediately understands. “Got it,” he replies. His lips thin with anger. “That’s some real bullshit we just heard. And Mel… Shit. She didn’t deserve it.”

“No,” I agree grimly. “She didn’t.”

“Go,” Webb urges. “We’ve got it from here.”

That’s all I need to hear. Picking up my pace, I close the distance between me and Mel in several long strides. She’s still staring at the floor, so when I touch her arm, she startles.

Her eyes come to mine; pink and swollen and swimming with tears. Her face twists in misery. “Ty⁠—”

“Ah, Mel.” I pull her away from the officer and into my arms. As she hides her face in my shoulder, I walk her over to an empty spot by the wall. Then I hug her to me, cupping her head with one hand and rubbing her back in slow circles with the other. “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.”

She shakes her head and mumbles into my shirt, “It’s not. They hate me. They said I’m weak. That I’m crazy—” Her voice breaks.

And fuck, my heart breaks along with it.

“No, you’re not,” I croon. “You’re amazing. They’re the weak ones. Bullying other people to make themselves feel big.”

Melissa’s arms twine around me, clinging tight. Her fingers clutch at my shirt. She turns her face into my neck, and her hot tears dampen it. “Ty—” A shaky sob escapes. “I just want to go home. I want to see Oscar. Can you please…”

Protectiveness surges through me with such intensity it steals my breath. Pressing my lips to the top of her head, I tell her, “Of course, baby. We can go home.”

CHAPTER 11

MELISSA

The closer we get to the Blade and Arrow HQ, the more anxious I get.

What if I made the wrong decision? Would it have been better to go south to stay with my parents? Or move to a new place altogether in hopes of making a fresh start?

But it all seemed so reasonable when Tyler suggested coming here.

“You said you don’t want to stay in Northville,” he began, “and I understand why. I get it, wanting to get away from a place with so many bad memories. And I think I have an idea that might help.”

We were in my backyard the evening after the big blowup at work, watching Oscar chase after dragonflies and squirrels leap from branch to branch in the trees overhead. The day had been busy with meetings with the police and conference calls with Tyler’s teammates back in Oregon, and I was feeling claustrophobic and overwhelmed and at a loss for what to do next.

After five or so minutes of companionable silence, Tyler was the first to broach the topic. He looked at me with an expression soft with concern as he asked, “How are you feeling, Mel? About everything?”

My feelings were so tangled—are still so tangled—I had to take a few seconds to think about it. And rather than default to my standard response of everything’s fine, I was honest with him.

“I’m sad,” I admitted. “Hurt. Confused. And… I feel lost.”

“Lost?” Tyler turned to me and took my hand in his. “How so?”

“I don’t know what to do next,” I explained. “I can’t go back to work. Not after everyone saw… I just can’t. So I have to find a new job. And it won’t be easy. Gage’s friend helped me ‌last time. But now… I’m scared everything that happened yesterday will make it even harder.”

“You know I can help with that,” Tyler replied. “Anything you need, I’ll help.”

“It’s not just that. It’s being here. In Northville. It feels tainted. I don’t want to walk around town, scared of running into someone who knows my history. And I’m not sure how I can stay here—” I gestured at my house. “It’s one thing with you guys here. But alone? Maybe it’s cowardly. But I’m scared.”

“Mel.” His mouth drew into a frown. “I don’t want you to be scared.”