by Layna Snow
“Unless Axel comes back to blow up the house.” Caleb muttered, sitting on the couch beside Seth.
“What?” Tim asked, his interest piqued. Axel wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t hurt her, she was sure of it.
“He won’t,” she insisted.
Still, she could see that Tim was curious. Of course he would be curious. Axel was an interesting person. Who would leave Heaven voluntarily? People should be inquisitive about him, although Tim didn’t know who he really was.
“I don’t think that Nate will try to hurt you if he sees you here, besides, we will be right outside in case he comes in.” Seth explained.
Melody could see Tim’s confusion, his questions. They had talked this out the night before but she still remembered all the things that Seth had asked. Surely Tim would have the same questions.
“Why do I have to be here if you are going to be?” Tim asked, leaning forward in interest.
“We want him to think that we aren’t here. Besides, we have to go over there to apologize to them, to get them to believe us. We want them to think that we aren’t home.” Cay explained, but that didn’t seem to help with understanding.
“Let me explain this from the start.” Seth began. “We are going to go to see Emily and Nate and apologize. Then I will tell them that we have to go to a store or something and come back here to wait. The police will be called then and be waiting here. When he breaks in to get her, he will be arrested.”
Tim nodded, looking thoughtful. “That’s a good plan. What if the police don’t show?”
Cay had brought up the same thing last night, and then thought up a solution. “They will come if we call and say that there was a break in. They will have to.”
Mel smiled at Caleb. He was so smart! To think, that he thought up this whole plan. Seth had even agreed.
“Awesome! So I just need to hang out with your chick here, and kick some ass if Nate manages to get through the barricade? Sounds like a fun evening to me.”
Cay smiled, looking over at her. “Yeah, I’d rather spend my night with Mel too, but no, we have things to take care of.” Then he looked over at Tim, anger showing in his eyes. Why was he mad at Tim? “If you touch her, or flirt with her, I will take you apart, do you hear me? You don’t poach what’s ours.”
Oh! Did Caleb think that Tim wanted to have sexual relations with her? That was a pleasant thought. Not because she wanted to be with him, but it was nice to know that others found her attractive. It was also nice that Caleb wanted her all to himself. All to themselves.
Tim laughed and looked between them. “The three of you? Are you serious? Man, I wouldn’t put up with sharing. I’m man enough for one woman, hell, even two. What are you guys, pussies? Need help pleasing your woman? It would serve you right if I tried to one up you, but I’m not interested in Mel. I don’t need to take your leftovers, or try to take her from you. So chill. We’ll just watch movies or something.”
Mel could see the change in Cay. He might have been annoyed before, but now he was livid. “Motherfucker! Don’t you dare judge us! You are a fucking man-whore and you think what we are doing is weird! Well, shut the fuck up and get out of my house!” She was sure that he would have launched himself at the other man, even with his mangled hand and painful ribs, but luckily, Seth intervened.
Seth picked her up and placed her on Cay’s lap, effectively blocking Caleb from getting up. She tried not to make a noise, or show her surprise, but she couldn’t help the squeak that came out. She also couldn’t stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck.
Caleb grunted—in pain?—but leaned back, taking her with him. She held herself up, not wanting to crush his chest, but he just adjusted her to lean on his other side.
“Be quiet, Cay. He doesn’t mean it. He just likes to push people’s buttons. And we need him for this, you can’t kick him out. Tim, our relationship is none of your business. Just protect her, okay?” Seth spoke up.
She had to admit that Cay was being a little emotional. He needed to be calmer if they were going to implement the plan. Maybe if he was distracted, he would stop attacking Tim. Mel smiled at the thought and took the opportunity to turn slightly, in order to press her lips against his. He didn’t kiss her back immediately, but it didn’t take long for him to respond. He rubbed his lips against hers, taking control and deepening the kiss.
She could feel him start to respond in other ways. She could feel his cock getting bigger, pressing into her butt as she sat across his lap. It was exciting, to think that she could get this response from him, but she was also worried that he had forgotten about their guest. She didn’t want to do something embarrassing.
She could hear someone clear their throat, a sound that pulled her from the kiss, from her thoughts. She pulled away from Cay, and her face felt warm. She was sure that it was getting red, showing how uncomfortable she was.
She didn’t even want to look up, to see what expression Tim had. He might be amused, or disgusted, she didn’t know.
“Enough playing around, Cay. We have to go. We can’t put this off forever.” Seth said, standing so that they could leave.
Cay chuckled, but he seemed uncomfortable. Why would he be unhappy? “Can you give me a second?” he asked, further confusing her.
Apparently the guys had no such problem because they immediately burst out laughing. “Not safe to stand, huh? From just a kiss? She must pack a punch!” Tim said, his expression bordering on a leer.
Seth reached out to punch him, laughing slightly. “She’s not yours. Now keep her safe, we’re out of here.”
35
Seth knew that he had to drive, Cay wasn’t able to grip the wheel properly. Besides, if they got into an accident—and that was more likely with Caleb’s reckless driving—Cay’s ribs would hurt a lot. No, it would be best if he took the wheel.
Too bad that Caleb didn’t feel the same way. He didn’t want to be a passenger, he had something to prove. Seth understood it, Cay failed to beat up the bad guy, Melody could have gotten hurt. Not to mention that Cay was now more or less helpless in case something happened again. So instead of trying to get better, Caleb was trying to prove to everyone that he was tough.
But Seth saw right through it. He just wanted to prove himself worthy, to show that there was a good reason for him to be here, something that he could contribute. Didn’t he realize that his personality was enough? Did he not understand that his easy-going, loving nature was what drew Melody, what would keep her? It was sad that Cay strove so hard to be accepted. Seth should have realized the reason for his behaviour before now. He should have done more to make him feel confident in himself.
Surely he wasn’t the only one who worked hard to make sure that those around him wanted to be with him. He wasn’t the only one who clung to an identity that was accepted. Looking back on it now, Seth realized that he had been the same way. He probably was the same way still.
Seth had once been a bad kid. He was very close to dealing drugs. He wanted to help his mother so badly, so that she didn’t have to work so many jobs, so that she could spend more time with him. In the end, he ended up causing his mother more stress. And then he kept acting out to show Cecilia that he didn’t need her. It was easy to look back and judge yourself, to see where you made mistakes. He was still contemplating his ‘intelligent’ role and how he took that to the extreme.
This idea showed Seth that he didn’t need to be the smart one. Caleb had a brain. He was able to problem solve and to come up with good plans. By taking on that responsibility, he had denied Cay something that he needed desperately. And he denied himself the life and joy that Caleb pushed to find.
Seth took a deep breath and concentrated on the car driving in front of him. He didn’t have time to think, to daydream. He needed to focus on his driving, focus on what was to come.
“I love her,” Cay said all of a sudden. He didn’t need to ask Caleb who he was talking about. Seth knew, he was beginning to feel the same way.
“It’s only been a few weeks.” Seth pointed out. Could it possibly be love that soon?
“It doesn’t matter. Time doesn’t matter. I want to spend all my life with her. I want to grow old with her, if she grows old. I don’t want to be apart from her. It’s love man. Fuck, I’ve never felt it before, but I know.”
When he said it like that, Seth had a hard time disagreeing. He desperately searched for something to say, some refutation that could be used to persuade him, to persuade himself, against this sudden relationship.
He knew in his head that the deal was already done, that he had already committed, but it didn’t stop the scared little part in his mind from panicking. He’d like to blame Lucy for this feeling—Cay would have—but he knew that it wasn’t her fault. She ended the relationship because there was something missing there. He felt it, the disconnection between them, but he wanted to ignore it. He thought that it was just him, something missing that he couldn’t feel, but she must have felt it too.
“I didn’t love Lucy,” he told Cay, finally saying the words that were in the back of his mind.
Seth turned onto the next street, the one that was a block away from Emily’s house, and stopped the SUV. And then, all was quiet. Were his words such a revelation? Did he surprise Cay into silence?
Looking over, he could see Caleb watching him expectantly. “You’re not going to say anything?” But Cay just shrugged.
“What? You’re done talking? I thought from your tone that you were about to reveal something.”
Something more than what he already had? “What are you talking about? I just said that I didn’t love the girl that I spent a year dating, the girl that I was about to marry.”
Caleb snorted, a habit that was starting to bother Seth. “I knew that you didn’t love her. You were upset after she left, sure. You threw yourself into work. But you never cried, never drank heavily. Hell, you never even complained about it. It was like you just picked up and moved on. You couldn’t have loved her and still felt whole afterwards.”
Caleb was right, but still, he wished that Cay would have been more supportive. This was a big thing for Seth to finally understand. It wasn’t until he realized that he felt more for Melody than he had for Lucy that he finally was able to tell himself the truth.
“Now that this girl-chat is done, can we get a move on? We need to scope out a place to hide the vehicle and then get to Em’s. The sun is setting already.”
Seth let his breath out, unable to deny that Cay had a point. For once, he was being the emotional one while Cay took the logical reigns. It was weird, but maybe it was about time that they switched.
“Fine, I’ll drive, keep a look out for a place to park.”
He pulled the car onto the abandoned street. It was a side street that didn’t hold too many houses, but it still had a few, which meant that there could be neighbours that might call the police on an abandoned car on their road.
Luckily, there were also some overrun driveways, blocked by bushes and trees. This was a forest community and sometimes that was good, especially if one had nefarious intentions.
“Okay, I found one that’ll work. Let’s get on with the rest. I’m going to need another pain pill soon.”
Seth looked over, noticing the strain in Cay’s voice. He didn’t like that his friend hurt, but he couldn’t do anything now. They needed to be clear headed in order to finish this.
“Okay.”
It didn’t take very long to get to Emily’s house from where they were. It was a short drive, and would be a shorter walk after they talked to the couple.
They parked in Emily’s driveway, shutting off the car and quickly getting out. Seth was sure that they would be home. Not only was Nate’s car in the driveway, but he knew that they would want to stay home when the police were looking at them closely.
Seth stood back and let Cay handle this. He was closest to Emily and so she would believe him. Besides, it would look more realistic if he sat near the car, like the driver he appeared to be.
Soon after Cay knocked on the door, it opened to show an annoyed Nate. He stood in front of the door, his arms braced on the doorframe, as if to block Cay from entering. “Hey, man. I… well I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I know that you don’t believe me, but I know that you understand. I had to do this for Mel. I love her. I had to protect her. I thought that it had to be you, but I know it isn’t. You have an airtight alibi. And I should have believed you. Can I talk to Em? She deserves an apology too.”
Just then, a blonde head poked from the door, squeezing from between the frame and Nate’s body. “Okay. But Sorry doesn’t cut it. You have to really mean it.” She said, her voice so loud that Seth could hear it clearly.
He winced. Cay would really have to make it convincing.
“I’m sorry Em. I really am. But to be fair, you chose your significant other over your friend when you thought he was being wronged. We did the same thing. You can’t really be too angry. She was poisoned. Could you imagine what it’s like to see the person you are falling for that close to death? And then I was attacked, hurt and in the hospital. I didn’t know what I was saying. I just wanted the cops to do something. Anything!”
Seth knew that Cay meant every word. He was speaking from his heart. He was terrified when Mel went down, and then again while they waited for Cay to get better. He also knew that Caleb felt bad for how they treated Em, but they had to put Mel first.
Emily didn’t say anything for a while, but then pulled herself back inside. She must have said something to Nate, because he moved away a little to allow her out. “Okay. I’m still pissed but I understand. Is that all? You wanted to apologize and now you’re going to leave? And where’s Mel? Oh God! Is she alright? Did something happen?” She asked, loudly.
Cay shook his head, blowing out a breath in relief. Seth got it. They could have not accepted. They could have shut the door in their faces. Then what?
“No, she’s good. She’s at home. She’s not feeling well. We needed to go to a store. Well, I needed to. I’m out of pain pills and my ribs kill.” Cay answered, touching them gently with his good hand. His side would probably be bruised for days.
“Oh! Poor baby! Why did he have to come?” Em gestured to Seth. He knew that she didn’t like him. She probably blamed him for all this. He wasn’t nice, at least didn’t seem nice to many people. He must look like the bad guy, but he didn’t care. They needed to get this over with. Her feelings didn’t matter if Melody was kidnapped and killed.
“Seth had to drive me. I can’t drive with my hand broken like this. And I shouldn’t drive while on pain medication, even after it’s basically worn off. Just treat him like my chauffeur. He’d look good with a little hat, huh?”
Caleb’s comments didn’t hurt his pride, or bother him really. He knew that Cay was just joking.
And why was Emily forgiving him so easily? Why was she accepting his apology when they had treated her so badly? She would have normally ranted, would have looked for more. She would have needed something larger, some pleading or begging before she let go of her anger. But that wasn’t the case tonight.
It made Seth wonder if she was just playing a role. It was too easy. There was something wrong.
“Cay, we should go if we are going to get to Barrie and back.” Seth called out. They needed to get back to Melody. He didn’t like being away from her for so long, even if she was with Tim.
Caleb nodded. “We can’t get the medication in town. They won’t give it to me.” He explained, before nodding to them in goodbye. He would have hugged Em normally, but this wasn’t a normal experience.
Cay probably wouldn’t be here if he didn’t have to, not until they knew who was doing this for sure. And not until they had the culprits caught.
“Alright, well I guess we will talk to you later.” Em said, moving back into Nate’s arms.
Now they had to move fast. They had to make it back here in time to follow them. They didn’
t want to lose them, then Melody would be in more trouble.
They quickly got into the SUV and Seth looked over to Cay. “Are you alright?” he asked, hoping that this wasn’t too much for Cay. Even though he was an adult, even though he was strong, Cay was still susceptible to emotion. And he had a rough few weeks.
Caleb glared at him. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice a tight growl. Okay, so Cay didn’t like him prying into his emotions. Seth understood that. He wouldn’t like it if it was the other way around. But he still was concerned for Cay. He didn’t know what would happen when they did find out who did it, how that would crush him. Caleb was his best friend, he needed him.
***
The man, who went by Mr. Winters, watched the house. He saw Caleb and Seth leave, watching them get into the car and drive away.
He knew instantly why.
He knew that they were up to something.
He knew that he had to act.
The darkness was nice, hiding his muscled body in the woods. Nothing could be seen, no one was looking.
The bartender was no help, but the man still lived with Jimmy. It was an easy cover story, and he knew that it was already in place.
The girl, on the other hand, did provide information. She told him about the layout of the house, helped him know who was home at what time. She was invaluable, although she did ask too many questions.
Now, the man moved from his hiding space. He needed things before he could act. He had to wait to make his move.
36
Why were Nate and Emily still at home? Fuck, maybe this wouldn’t work. Maybe Caleb and Seth wouldn’t be able to figure things out right now. Wouldn’t get it taken care of yet. They’d been sitting in the SUV, parked a block away from Em’s place for ten minutes now. It was dark and hot in the vehicle. And Cay’s pain was getting worse as the night wore on. His hand didn’t hurt, no, he barely felt that. In fact he kept forgetting that he had a brace at all. But his ribs fucking killed!