Fallen Melody: Fallen: Book 1

by Layna Snow

  He couldn’t wait here too much longer. He’d go crazy if he had to think of everything that was happening. What were Nate and Em talking about? What were they doing? Damn. He couldn’t just sit here waiting! They might not even take the bait. Shit, everything was messing up. The plan was failing.

  No! He wouldn’t let that happen! “I’m going to get out and go check on things.” Cay said, deciding on a course of action. He needed to be doing something.

  “What are you planning on doing? Walking up to them and saying ‘Hey, going to break in to our home now?’” Since when was Seth sarcastic? He was usually upfront and honest, but now he was getting a sense of humour?

  “Of course not. I’m not going to talk to them at all. I’ll just get closer, watch what they are doing. Maybe I can hear what they are saying. It might help.” Besides, he didn’t want to sit here in the SUV anymore. He’d break down any moment and start asking Seth all kinds of questions. Maybe talk about their feelings or some shit.

  “Fine, but be careful.” Seth advised, as if his words would make him careful if he wasn’t going to be otherwise.

  “Stop acting like a mother hen. I’ve got this.” Spying wasn’t so difficult. He was sure that he could do it in his sleep. You just had to listen in. Right?

  “Okay, but text me if something happens, or if they decide to leave.” Fuck, he wouldn’t leave Seth in the dark. That wouldn’t help anything. They had to act as a team, especially if they were going to go into a relationship together. He had thought that they had that going for them, but if Seth was questioning him, maybe they had things to work through.

  Cay used his good hand to open the door and got out, softly closing the door behind him. It wouldn’t do to announce his presence.

  It was dark now, and he was glad for that fact. It would help him move about the neighbourhood without being noticed. He could just picture himself slinking over fences, and moving along walls like the pink panther. It was a comical vision, one he almost laughed at. But he managed to hold it in.

  He wasn’t a superspy or anything. Hell, he wasn’t even someone who lied often. But the sooner they got this done the sooner they could think of starting a family with Mel. And wasn’t that a great fucking thought?

  Cay moved through the woods, being careful to keep his step light. It didn’t seem to matter much. Every time he put his foot down. Something on the ground crackled or popped. How did people walk so silently in movies and books? He didn’t think it was possible. That had to be a lie.

  There was only a little piece of woods between the driveway where they were and the street that Emily lived on. It wasn’t long but it still reminded him of when he was attacked. He was aware that anyone could be standing behind the trees, waiting to jump him.

  But he wasn’t going to focus on that. To let that stall him now would be admitting defeat. He wasn’t going to do that. He wouldn’t let the villain win. No, only weak people let things like this hold them up, and he was determined to prove that he wasn’t weak.

  It took a little bit to get to the house. Not because it was far away, but he didn’t want to be caught. He was a little extra cautious. But finally, he crept to the side of the house, glad that there weren’t any windows here. He needed to gather his thoughts and make a plan before moving further.

  Turning his head, he could see Nate’s truck in the drive, something that made him happy. They hadn’t left while he was getting here. He wouldn’t be holding Seth up. He wouldn’t make them late.

  He just hoped that they weren’t having sex or something. He didn’t want or need to see that. It would get stuck in his head for life. Just what I fucking need.

  But as he eased away from the side of the house and towards the back, where the windows would open into the living room, he could hear talking, not sex. Em’s house was made like theirs, with a large room that contained most of the main shit. He was happy for that. He didn’t want to walk all around the house to find them.

  “-going over then?” Em asked. Damn, he wished he had heard the first part. Who was going where?

  “Yeah, I mean if she’s sick and the guys are out it would be the perfect time to see her. Besides, I know that you’ll be worried if you don’t talk to her.” Nate explained.

  Cay felt a little sick to his stomach. So it was them. He hadn’t wanted to believe it. He wanted his plan to be ruined, or at least proven wrong. He had hoped to spend the time here with nothing to show for it. Sure, that would have left Melody in danger in the future, but at least it wouldn’t be because of Nate. Besides, she would be safe with Tim tonight. Tim worked out often, and he wouldn’t lose if he went up against someone.

  “That’s true. I can go without you if you want. You should probably stay here and relax. The other day really got you. You have to be hurting. And if the guys get back while I’m there, I can always bitch them out. I’ve thought about things that I should have said. I don’t want you to get caught in the middle of it. Not again.”

  She had something else to say? She decided to side with Nate over them. She didn’t care enough about their friendship to even consider what they thought or felt. She wasn’t worried over Melody’s life. Hell, she was probably in on it. Why else would she choose a guy she hardly knew over a friendship that she had for years.

  But dammit. He just wanted to punch a fucking wall. This was it. This was the betrayal that would ruin everything. He wasn’t holding back anymore. Fuck calling the police. He’d capture them and then call Axel. They deserved whatever the giant wanted to dish out. They should have had more loyalty and morality than that.

  “No. I’m not letting you do this on your own. I’m fine. I didn’t get too hurt. You should have seen the other guy.” He joked.

  Laughter followed for a moment and then things grew quiet. “I did, remember?” she said, sombrely.

  So they found it funny that Nate had beaten him up? Hell, he fucked up not hurting him more in the forest, but shit. He should have spent more time in the gym this year instead of working so damn hard. Maybe then he would be able to take care of his girlfriend better.

  “Alright, if you’re sure that you want to help with this. I have to call my brother before we leave. He wants me to get something from Cody before he leaves town. I guess he has something that Justin leant him.” She said, moving into Cay’s line of sight, in order to pick something up off the table. By the look of it, it was a cell phone.

  He waited, wanting to know what she said on the phone, but instead of calling there, she dialled as she walked away. He could hear her heals clicking on the floor as she walked, and then there was a door shutting. Fuck. That just sucked.

  He’d move to another window, but he didn’t want to move across the lawn, it would leave him too open.

  As it was, he could see Nate sitting on the couch, his laptop in his lap. Cay wished that he could see what he was doing, but the computer was sideways to him.

  “Sure, calling your bother. Like I believe that.” He muttered to himself, shutting the laptop hard. “First meeting a strange guy and now these secret calls. Maybe I should call Jerry Springer!”

  Well, apparently Nate was mad. Was their little slice of paradise turning sour? It served them right!

  Deciding that it was a good time to text Seth, since there wasn’t anything going on anyways. He typed out a message, explaining that Em was going to be leaving soon, and to beware. What he got back a few minutes later made him curse, lightly of course—he didn’t want to tip anyone off. Apparently someone called the cops on Seth. The police were talking to him, asking him questions. Someone wanted to make Seth’s life hell, at least for a little bit.

  And what made it worse, Emily was leaving. To go to Justin’s friend’s house? Cay had no idea. He had to get back to Seth.

  He told his partner about Em’s departure and then took his time leaving. He didn’t want to trip any alarms, or to make too much noise, but he was in a hurry. He had to get back so that they could go. They had to get back in c
ase Em decided to take matters into her own hands and go to their place alone.

  It took some time to get to the vehicle, more time than he would have liked under the circumstances. But when he made it, he noticed that the cop was still there. Fuck, didn’t he have anything better to do than harass someone doing nothing wrong? Shouldn’t he be out stopping crime or something? Hell, this was just what he needed.

  “Hey, Seth. She wasn’t there when I went to talk to her. Oh, is there something wrong?” he asked, coming up beside Seth, who was leaning against the back of the SUV.

  The police officer, a young man with close cropped hair, turned towards Cay. “So, you’re the one he was waiting for?” He asked, looking at Cay as if he was a lifer in prison. He’d never been in trouble with the law, well except that once, but that didn’t count!

  “Yeah, I went to go see a friend. She doesn’t like Seth much, so he decided to stay here. We had gone there before, but I forgot to ask her something. Seth’s girlfriend is sick and he wanted to see if she would go see her.”

  The cop didn’t look like he was buying it. “Why would she check on someone if she doesn’t like them?”

  Cay laughed, shaking his head. “No, no. She likes Melody. They were friends. We had a miscommunication and got in a fight, but she doesn’t dislike Mel because of it. We came to apologize to her, and I forgot to ask. But when we were leaving, I remembered. Seth decided to wait here, it’s only a few minutes to walk. But she was leaving when I got there, so I came back.”

  He hoped like hell that Seth followed the same story. Sure, they hadn’t planned one, but things were best if kept close to the truth. Seth had taught him that when he was younger. Cay would do bad things and lie badly about it. Seth helped him out, in exchange for complete honesty from him.

  “That’s basically what Dr. de Cruce said.” The police officer, an Officer Jakobson, responded.

  Good, they didn’t want to be arrested.

  “It’s Mr. I don’t go by Doctor. It leads people to believe that I do human medicine.” Seth explained.

  The police officer looked confused momentarily. “Seth’s a vet. He doesn’t want people asking him about their aches and pains when he is out and about. He’s not too social like that.” Caleb explained.

  Hell, this was none of Officer Jakobson’s business. “Can we go officer? We’d like to get home.” Seth asked. Which of course made him more curious.

  Did everyone think that they were gay? Couldn’t two guys live together platonically? Well, their relationship wasn’t totally friendship anymore. Not when they were both with Mel. But this guy didn’t know that.

  Well, it was something that they’d need to deal with. There were going to be other battles in the future.

  “We are foster brothers. We’ve lived together since we were teenagers. We are also business partners.” Seth illustrated. But hell, it wasn’t this guy’s business.

  The guy just nodded, turning back to his notes, as if they held all the answers. Why the hell was he keeping them there?

  “I heard that someone opened a vet practice here. I guess that’s you guys. I have this dog that is getting old. I haven’t taken him to the vet because, well, it’s so far away and aging is normal. But… I should probably get him checked out. My wife is really fond of him.” The man said, looking up unabashed.

  So he wanted something. Swell. “Bring him in. We aren’t too busy right now, we got most of the initial appointments done.” He’d play the game.

  But hell, they’d have to get another guy in. Ian couldn’t help all on his own. Cay couldn’t work anymore. At least not until his hand healed. They needed a replacement. Well, another replacement.

  The man nodded, happily. “Alright. Well, I just have a few more questions, and then we can all go. We have to take these tips seriously.”

  Who the hell called in the tip? I know who it was. Obviously Em saw us. Fucking horrible luck.

  And it seemed to be getting worse. Just then, a car drove past, slowly. And in the window, Cay could see Em smile and wave. Motherfucker! Now she was taunting them? She obviously thought that this was funny. And why wouldn’t she?

  “That was who I went to visit. See, she knows us. She waved.” He hoped that the guy bought it, didn’t see the smug look on her face.

  But the officer wasn’t paying too close attention. He was busy writing something down. What was so important? Cay edged closer and peeked, it wasn’t too difficult. The guy wasn’t hiding his notes. Sure enough, it was a reminder to take Buster—the dog?—to the vet.

  A few more minutes and the guy let them go. It was about time, Cay thought, as they went to get in the car they realized that something was wrong. The front of the car was lower than it normally was. And the front tires were flat.

  “I need the spare. I must have driven over something,” Seth announced. Hell, no way did he bust both tired accidently. And upon closer inspection Cay noticed a larger tear.

  Fuck, they’ve been slashed!

  37

  After the boys left, Mel turned to smile at Tim. He seemed like a nice man. He was funny, even if she didn’t really understand all his jokes. He seemed successful and took care of himself. Melody wondered if he was looking for a girlfriend. Not that she wanted him herself, she had two magnificent men who she loved with all her heart. Her body felt freer, her mind expanded and her heart felt like it could fly. But Tim had to be lonely. And she knew some girls that should be in a relationship too.

  She wanted everyone to feel as happy as she felt. She wanted everyone to feel the extreme pleasure that she got from every smile, laugh and hug.

  “Do you have a girlfriend?” Mel asked, moving back to sit on the couch. It was comfier than the one they had before, and she was glad that she got to pick it out. She had great taste! The bright red fit in with the house well, giving it colour where before it was so dull.

  Tim took a seat beside her, his eyes laughing. At her? With her? What had she said that was funny? “Hell, no!” he said, his amusement clear in his voice.

  “Oh.” Well maybe he wasn’t into women. She knew better to judge now. “Do you have a boyfriend, then?”

  All the happiness drained out of him, to be replaced by cold anger. “I’m not gay!”

  She understood that it was a touchy subject. Some people actually hid in closets instead of telling their friends and family! She didn’t want to upset him.

  “I’m sorry. Please don’t hide in a closet. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Finally, Tim relaxed a little bit, chuckling.

  “You really are naïve, aren’t you?”

  Naïve? As in unexperienced, immature? Surely not! She was over 40! She had seen many sins and even witnessed a real battle! This man was woefully misinformed if he thought that she was uneducated in the ways of the world. “Am not!”

  “Are—no! I’m not going there.” He said. What had he been about to say?

  Melody looked around the room for something else to talk about, something else to do.

  Knee bouncing, she couldn’t make her body still. She didn’t want to wait. She wanted to do something! But she couldn’t yet. Not until Nate got here.

  She turned on the TV, determined to be patient. Determined to prove the guys wrong. She was not impulsive. She could wait tolerantly.

  The show that was on was uninteresting. She didn’t care about the family or what hijinks they got up to this episode. Her mind wasn’t on what was happening, but on what would happen soon. Would Cay and Seth send her a message when they got here? But what if they didn’t get here in time?

  A ringing brought her out of her thoughts.

  “Stay here. I need to get this call. Don’t answer the door or anything.” He said, moving into the computer room to take the call.

  Was it her men?

  Was something wrong?

  Unable to sit still, Melody stood. She was fidgety, her whole being vibrating with a need, terror.

  Are they hurt? Are they in trouble?

 
; Melody couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to them. Caleb was too hurt to fight. He was too brash to think things through and Seth… Seth was too perfect as he was.

  She didn’t get enough time with them. She had missed so much with Seth that she had with Caleb. Would miss so much if he was gone!

  She waited until he shut the door before stalking towards the room that he disappeared into. She was used to finding things out on her own. The boys didn’t tell her anything.

  “They went there? Good, they are sticking to the scheme, then.” He said. Who was he talking to?

  Did they have someone else in on the plan? Melody didn’t think so, but the boys always tried to hide things from her.

  Well that changed now!

  She was an equal in this relationship! She wouldn’t be sheltered and pitied. They would do well to remember that she was an Angel! She was created to be perfect!

  “Then…What? Why won’t you call? Stop acting like a child and make the damn call. You know why. Fine, I have to go. I’m looking after Mel. No, I’m not going to seduce her! I like girls who know what they are doing, and I can see her naiveté written all over her. Let her have the guys. Yeah, both of them. You didn’t know that?”

  Oh no! He shouldn’t be revealing that. She was sure that the boys wanted to keep it a secret, at least for a little longer. Would people not like them because of it? She didn’t want to hurt them or their business.

  “I’m going to go. I don’t want to leave her alone for too long. Wouldn’t want something to happen.”

  Why didn’t the boys trust her to take care of herself? She had learned to fight. She had trained for a short time with one of the best Warrior Angels! She was probably better equipped than them!

  At the click of the phone, the door opened, and Mel realized her mistake. She had stood there too long.

  Looking up into the cold blue eyes in front of her sent chills down her spine.