Chapter 6 #3
I give him an answering chin lift. “Good. Glad you could make it out here.”
Melissa sets Oscar away from her and starts scratching his head. She gives me a puzzled look. “Pix? Is that you?”
“It’s short for Pixel,” Indy answers. “Since he’s a computer nerd, and all.” Glancing at me, he asks, “Didn’t Dante give you that name?”
“Yes,” I reply. Then I turn back to Melissa. “It’s my nickname. I don’t go by it much, now. Just when one of these guys decides to trot it out.”
She nods in understanding. “Pixel. That makes sense. I like it.” Glancing past Oscar, she spots the three men standing in a loose line by the kitchen island. She kisses Oscar’s head, then starts to push herself to her feet. “Hi,” she starts, “I’m Melissa.”
I quickly wrap my arm around her waist again. “Take it easy,” I murmur.
Webb catches my eye and smirks. Then he raises his eyebrows in a wordless, what’s this expression.
I shoot him a quelling look, and the asshole just chuckles.
Webb’s the first to cross the room to us. “Hey, Melissa.” His jaw tightens as he takes in the purpling bruise on her forehead. “It’s good to see you again. Although, I wish it were under better circumstances.”
Melissa nudges closer to me. “Hi, Webb.” A little quiver shakes her voice. “Thanks for coming. I really appreciate it.”
Webb’s gaze flickers to me, and because I know him so well, I’m able to convey a silent message to him. I think she’s scared of what you think of her.
His brow furrows for a second. Then he smiles. “Of course I’d come,” he replies. “You’re Night Stalker family. Anything you need, I’m here for you.”
She stares at him for a long moment before swallowing hard. Moisture shines in her eyes. Finally, she says, “I can’t tell you what that means.”
Indy comes forward to join Webb, and holds his hand out to Melissa. “Hey, Melissa. We’ve never officially met. I’m Indy. It’s nice to meet you.”
Melissa takes his hand. “Thank you so much for coming. I know you must be so busy—”
“It’s no problem.” Jerking his chin at a white box sitting on the counter, he adds, “I brought some cookies for you. Don’t worry, I didn’t bake them. My wife did. She said cookies make everything better.”
She smiles. “She’s right. They do.”
Levi’s the last to join our small huddle, but as he does, he flashes Melissa a broad grin. “I’m Levi, as I’m sure you’ve guessed. I’m the one who just inserted himself in this whole operation. But really, I’m the best one of the group. You’ll see.”
“The best?” I ask. “Really?”
“Yup.” Levi nods cheerfully. “The funniest, and the smartest, and the most handsome…”
Melissa stares at Levi for a few seconds, assessing.
She doesn’t know that he’s all talk, or that he likes to make cheesy jokes when he’s not sure what else to say.
So she might take what he’s saying seriously.
I’m just about to explain when she replies with a hint of amusement, “I don’t know.
Tyler’s pretty smart. Are you smarter than him? ”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. Or worried. Because something I’ve discovered about Melissa is that she isn’t some delicate flower who can’t stick up for herself. Or give it back as good as she gets. She’s strong. Smart. Funny. And shit, the more time I spend with her, the more I like her.
Levi bursts out laughing. “Good point. Pix is pretty smart. I guess I’ll have to work on the funny and handsome part, then.”
Melissa smiles back at him. Then she glances at me. Though she doesn’t say anything, I swear I can read the words in her eyes—you’re the handsome one, she seems to be saying. Although maybe it’s just wishful thinking.
A beat later, she breaks our gaze to look around the room. “Oh!” she exclaims. “The kitchen. I didn’t even think—”
“Since we got here yesterday, we’ve had some time to put things in order,” Webb explains. “Replaced the window by the door, cleaned everything up…”
“It should look good as new,” Indy adds. “But if you see anything that needs to be changed, just let us know.”
In addition to beating her up, the asshole who attacked Melissa trashed a good portion of her house, knocking over furniture and emptying closets and drawers in his quest to find the hidden drugs.
I didn’t want Melissa to come back to that mess, so while I stayed with her at the hospital during the two-plus days she was there, my friends stepped in with the cleaning and repairs.
“You did all this?” Melissa asks, looking taken aback. “The kitchen… I saw it that night. It was a mess.”
“We cleaned up everything,” Indy replies. He smirks. “Really, I did most of it. These two slackers just watched.”
Webb punches Indy’s arm. “And who painted the living room? Not you.” He puffs up his chest. “The living room was all me.”
“The living room?” Mel looks at me in confusion. “Is that—”
“Come on. Let’s take a look.” Urging her forward, I lead Melissa through the kitchen and into the living room. Oscar trots alongside her, his tail perked up high. If a dog could smile, he definitely would be.
“Oh, Indy,” Melissa says, as she casts a disbelieving gaze around the living room.
After the attacker got through with it, all her furniture was unended and there were several fist-shaped holes in the walls.
But now the furniture is back in order, the holes are patched and the walls are covered with a fresh coat of paint.
The shattered glass on several of the photos has been replaced.
“We wanted it to look right,” Webb tells her. “So you wouldn’t have to worry about it on top of everything else.”
Melissa puts her hand to her mouth. “I can’t believe you did this.” Turning to me, she asks softly, “Did you—of course you knew. Didn’t you?”
“Yeah. I would have helped, but I didn’t want to leave you alone at the hospital. But these guys, I knew they’d do a great job.”
Tears swim in her eyes. “They did.” Her chin wobbles. “They really did.”