by SD Saunders
Pain exploded on her face, her head snapping back as his hand connected with her cheek. “Bitch”, he growled, lurching for her, grabbing her hair painfully as he dragged her forward sinking his head to hers, his wet mouth roughly kissing her, his other hand groping at her blouse. “Come on darling, show me some love, I don’t mind it a bit rough”, he jeered as she fought desperately against him. Melody pushed at his chest as he pressed against her, her mind racing; she must find a way out, this could not be happening to her, she thought as wave after wave of sickness surged through her, the smell of Richard’s cloying cologne assailing her nostrils.
The sound of her blouse ripping making him pause, a leery look on his face before he sank down once again, ravaging her lips. Not knowing if the taste of blood in her mouth was his or hers as she fought the over-whelming dizziness threatening her, closing her eyes to gather strength for one last fight, she must not faint, she thought desperately somehow, she had to stop this craziness. Suddenly his weight lifted from her, and she heard a crunch. Opening her eyes, she saw him lying on the ground outside of the car nursing his jaw, two men towering over him. She could not see the men’s faces, just their jean clad legs, watching as if locked in a trance as one pair of the legs disappeared from sight, her feeling of relief only temporary as the car door behind her back opened and she was pulled into strong arms. Bracing herself for a fight, she kicked out wildly. “Stop Mel, it’s me”, Alex spun her around, gently pulling her blouse together, “it’s okay, I’ve got you”, he soothed, the look of relief stamped all over his face.
Turning, they watched as Rick hauled a now whimpering Richard up off the floor, cuffing his hands behind his back and shoving him into his waiting truck. “Okay boss, I’ll take him in to the cops, you follow on behind”, he signalled to his truck as he turned to walk away.
“H-how did you find me”? She stuttered, turning back to Alex, a bemused look on her face.
“I set up a find my phone app on your phone”, he murmured, stroking his knuckles over her face, “when Rick found your car abandoned and you didn’t answer my calls, I activated it”.
“The car, it broke down, I only accepted his offer of a lift, I thought he was going to…”, she stopped, her voice trailing as a sob broke out.
“Shh, it’s okay, don’t think about it sweetheart”, his voice was soft, not betraying the pent up anger he could barely keep inside. Grabbing her tote bag, he handed it to her and led her to his SUV and settled her in. “We have to go to the cops now”. Catching the look of panic in her eyes, he added quietly. “You need to give a statement, shouldn’t be too bad”.
“My groceries”, she hiccupped, glancing towards Richard’s car.
“I’ll get them, you wait here”, he smiled shutting the door.
The drive home was quick, the normality of Alex’s easy chat about the traffic and light-hearted topics soothing her frayed nerves. The statement to the female officer in the comfort suite had been bearable in the circumstances. Answering the questions of who, when and where it had happened and giving her detailed statement left her shaken; the fact that he was now in custody and would be arrested for assault, of little comfort to her as she worried about the repercussions it would have on her sister.
Having her bruises photographed and her mouth swabbed, had felt more than intrusive. Alex had luckily produced a spare t-shirt he had stowed away in his SUV, as if he had already known it would be needed. Handing it to her as she entered the comfort suite, the realisation of why he had given it to her when the female officer asked for her to remove her torn blouse for evidence.
Sitting there now in his over-sized t-shirt she glanced at him; he had been a rock for her, his insistence that she report Richard straight away, while it was still fresh in her mind had been for the best. He had handled everything for her, even producing a coffee while she waited for the female officer to check on the situation outside the room. When the officer returned with pamphlets, he stayed as she updated them on Richard’s arrest, the details of what would happen next, when a court date would most likely be set and promising to keep her informed. Alex had been there, taking it all in, holding her hand and encouraging her, letting her know she was not alone. Quickly escorting her back to his SUV and out of the police station, how she would have managed it all without him, she shuddered to think.
Pulling up outside her cottage, he helped her out of the SUV, grabbing the groceries and walking her inside, all the while keeping a firm hand on her elbow to steady her. “I think I’ll go have a quick shower”, she sighed, looking down at his t-shirt she wore.
“Okay sweetheart, I’ll be down here making a few calls, fancy a glass of wine when you come down”?
“Yes please, and Alex”, she paused, looking at him, his eyes cloudy with an emotion she couldn’t quite read, “thank you, again”, she turned to the stairs and slowly made her way up.
Standing under the powerful shower, Melody scrubbed at her skin until it was pink and stinging, the feel of Richard’s groping hands still on her body, making her scrub harder. Bewildered thoughts running rampantly through her head, what was Richard thinking? Why would he do this to her? Would he have gone any further? “Stop it now”, she moaned aloud to herself, refusing to let her mind wander down that avenue of thought. Cutting the water, she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around herself as she wandered to her room, the familiar surroundings, a balm to her over-active mind. Pulling on tracksuit bottoms and a loose-fitting t-shirt, she slipped her feet into her slippers and sat down at the dressing table. Picking up her comb, she set about untangling her wet hair, the sound of Alex’s low rumbling voice below in the kitchen reassuring her. Fingering her swollen split lip, she stared at her reflection, wide frightened eyes stared back, the bruise on her face already turning purple. Moving her fingers tentatively to her collar bone, she gently rubbed at her bruises, now hidden beneath the t-shirt. She shivered, if Alex had not found her… “Stop it Melody”, she chastised herself, standing abruptly and heading for the stairs, a glass of wine and Alex’s company was what she needed, she told herself as she descended the stairs.
Entering the kitchen, she found Alex busily putting the groceries away, two glasses of wine sat on the kitchen table, along with his phone and a stack of files. “Working”? She implied, fingering the files.
“Nothing that can’t wait”, he smiled, scooping them up and placing them in his case. “You’re looking better”, his warm smile reached his eyes as they settled on her.
“Alex”, she hesitated, “how did Rick know my car was abandoned”?
“I had him tailing you”.
“You did”, her eyes were wide with confusion.
“Yes, I’ll explain later. Now why don’t you take your wine and curl up on the sofa, I’m making you chilli-con-carne for dinner, so you can just sit back and be pampered”. She took the wine he held out to her and nodded, too exhausted to question him further.
“You really live up to your name”, she half-heartedly teased, a raised eyebrow his questioning response. “My Knight in shining armour”, she confirmed, laughing wearily and scooting into the front room to avoid being tickled by him as he made a move to get her, his arms outstretched, his fingers wiggling in a playful tickling motion.
After a dinner of chilli-con-carne and crusty bread rolls, she felt more human, the wine having had a relaxing effect on her. She snuggled into Alex, the sound of Toby snoring peacefully against the sofa making her sleepy.
“I don’t want to ever move”, she yawned, resting her head on his chest and listening to him breathing.
“Then don’t”, he whispered, trailing his fingers up and down her arm.
“Have to, I’ve got to call Sarah to tell her about Richard”, she groaned, the inevitable conversation unsettling her.
“I’ve spoken to her already”, he sighed, releasing her as she pulled away to look up at him.
“You have, when”?
“I called her while you were in the s
hower”.
“H-how did she take it”? She stuttered, her eyes wide with worry.
“She was shocked but more than anything, she was concerned about you. I told her you would call her tomorrow when you’ve rested”.
Settling back down against him, she trailed her fingers over his chest, “thank you, I was dreading that call, you really are my Knight aren’t you”.
“At your service milady”, he joked, pulling her deeper into his arms and placing a kiss on the top of her head.
Chapter 12
The morning sunshine streamed in through the curtains as Melody woke, her face and body aching, the memories of the previous day flooded her sleepy mind. Groaning, she glanced at the bedside alarm clock, the red display blinked 7.20 at her. “Too early”, she muttered, pulling the duvet over her head, but sleep would not come as her mind re-played the events of yesterday over and over. The knowledge that Alex had re-instated Rick to watch over her puzzled her, she had been too exhausted to question him about it yesterday, but now she wanted answers. Why had he thought she needed Rick, was the thief back? Giving up the hope of more sleep, she gingerly got out of bed; opening her curtains, she peered out, her little red clio parked in its usual place made her frown, how had that got there? She groaned, remembering she had forgotten to call the tow company yesterday. Alex must have taken care of that too, but that was quick. Surely the mechanics would not have had time to fix it, she mused, thanking her lucky stars that she wouldn’t be needing it for work that day. Pulling on her robe and checking her mirror, she gazed at her face in dismay, at her unsightly bruises, her swollen cheek and eye now shades of purple and yellow, the cut on her swollen lip red and angry looking. No amount of makeup would disguise them, she winced, running her fingers through her hair; she gave up trying to tidy her appearance and headed for her door.
Creeping down the hallway, listening out for any sounds that Alex might be awake, she made her way to the stairway, the silence of the cottage magnifying the sound of the stairs as they creaked under her slippered feet. Entering the kitchen, she saw his laptop and files splayed over the kitchen table, an empty mug sat rinsed on the draining board. Toby yawned and slowly stretched as he made his way over to her in greeting. “Morning Tob’s”, she whispered, looking towards the front room and the sofa where Alex had left his pillow and blanket neatly piled at the end.
Disappointed at finding the cottage empty, she turned back into the kitchen, busily pouring Toby some kibble and herself a coffee.
“Morning sweetheart”, Alex’s gentle greeting from the backdoor stopped her midway from sipping her coffee.
“Morning Alex”, she turned, smiling at him, the shock in his eyes at her fresh bruises making her feel self-conscious.
“Oh love”, he sighed, striding over to her and cupping her face gently, “it’s okay, they’ll fade” he murmured dropping feather light kisses on her face.
“I know but meanwhile I look like a monster”, she grimaced pulling away.
“You could never look like a monster, sweetheart”, the honesty on his face betrayed his emotions, making her relax as he pulled her back into his arms.
“You’re all sweaty”, she laughed, wrinkling her nose and pulling back, looking him up and down, his damp t-shirt clinging to his broad chest and running shorts revealing his strong tanned muscular thighs.
“Happens when I go running”, he smiled, grabbing the lapels of her robe and pulling her back to him.
“Oh, you beast”, she playfully admonished. “How about you take the first shower while I fix us some breakfast”, she offered, moving over to the fridge. How about we save water and share a shower, he thought, stopping himself just in time from speaking his mind. He watched her bending into the fridge, her long legs revealed in the short robe, better make it a cold shower, he thought, smiling wryly as visions of her sharing his shower sent his pulse racing.
“What”? She asked, looking at the smile playing on his face.
“Just admiring the view”, his voice sounding husky.
Placing the eggs and bacon on the counter, she poured them both a coffee. “Here, have this first”. She handed the mug to him as he sat at the kitchen table. “I saw my car outside, was it fixed already”?
“It’s fixed, turns out it was nothing serious, just a rag stuffed up the exhaust pipe, an old trick to stall a car”, his voice barely concealing the anger he felt. Catching his hand in hers as he twined her belt around his fingers, she turned it over examining the back of his hand.
“What’s this”, she implored, staring at his scuffed knuckles.
“I couldn’t help myself Mel, he had it coming”.
“Y-you mean Richard”? She stuttered.
“Yes, I hit him the other day, but I’m not sorry. He’s lucky that’s all I did, if Rick hadn’t taken him I…”,
“It’s okay, I’m kind of glad you did”, she reassured him, looking at his face, the distress written all over it. A feeling of protectiveness and love welled up inside her, now where had that come from. Swallowing the feeling and hoping she had not betrayed her thoughts, she pinned a bright smile on her face. “We’ll make a right pair if we go out like this”, she smiled at the irony of the situation.
“Staying in could be fun”, he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at her playfully.
“Oh no, we have a dinner party tonight”, she groaned remembering the friends they had invited.
“We can cancel if you don’t feel up to it”, he suggested, looking into her eyes.
“No, let’s leave it as it is, it will give me something to take my mind off all this”, she gestured to her bruised face, “now let me get some ointment and sort out your hand Mr”, sashaying away to retrieve her first aid kit, a refusal dying on his lips at her determined attitude.
Dabbing at his knuckles, she glanced up at him beneath her lashes. “So Alex, why did you feel the need to have Rick guarding me again”? He shifted forward in his seat gazing at her, the bruises on her cheek looking so tender. For a fleeting moment, he considered not telling her as she had been through too much already, but as their gazes met, the trust so readily available in her eyes, he found himself telling it all.
“I found out some more information on our thief, and I just had a gut reaction and wanted to keep you safe”.
“What did you find out about him”, she stopped dabbing at his knuckles and closed the first aid box, a worried frown on her face.
“Security footage confirms that he was following you on the day of the break-in, and after following some leads, I found out his name is Tim Abbott. I’ve informed detective Marsh, and everything is under control, but I wanted to be sure that he wouldn’t follow you again”, he paused reaching out for her hand, “and I’m damn glad I did now”. Stepping away, she picked up the eggs and bacon, busying herself with preparing the breakfast; she did not know what to say, she didn’t even know how she felt about it all, the enormity of it all weighing down on her.
“Better go for that shower now”, she sighed, popping the bread in the toaster and turning to him, the turmoil evident in her eyes.
“It will be okay, love”, he insisted.
“I know”, she shrugged, putting on a brave face, “five minutes”, she clarified, smiling at him as she scooted him out of the kitchen. Grabbing his holdall, he reluctantly made his way to the stairs.
Sitting in the garden dressed in shell pink shorts and a matching pink crop top, feeling refreshed after her shower, Melody glanced down at her legs, the tan she was working on deeper now, the sunscreen making them shine in the bright sun. Her book held loosely in her hands, thoughts of yesterday buzzing around in her head, she would have to call Sarah soon, the sound of Alex tapping away on his laptop in the kitchen, a welcome distraction from her worrying thoughts.
Thinking of Alex and analysing her feelings for him took her thoughts in a different direction; did she love him, where had that feeling of protectiveness and love come from earlier? It had crept up on her, one min
ute she was adamant it was just the shock of everything that was happening to her. ‘But is it’? A tiny voice mocked her, you can’t get him out of your head, and melting in his arms, the way he so easily sends your pulse racing. “Oh god, I love him”. Melody was shaken by the intensity of her newly discovered feelings. Closing her eyes, she laid back on the lounger, discarding her book on the floor. Toby’s head resting reassuringly on her thigh, birds chirping in the trees, the sound of Alex typing lulled her to sleep.
Waking to the sound of hushed voices, Melody sat up looking around her; she was alone in the garden, Toby lay beneath the garden table in the shade; the voices coming from the kitchen continued. Swinging her legs off the lounger, she headed into the cottage. Alex and Sarah sat at the kitchen table, their hushed conversation stopping as soon as she walked in.
“Oh my poor love”, Sarah gasped, rushing over to her and throwing her arms around her.
“It looks worse than it is”, she sighed, feeling relieved at her sister’s warmth. She had known that her sister wouldn’t blame her but she had felt guilty none the less, had even dreaded seeing her for the first time since it had happened.
“I know I said I’d wait till you called me, but I just had to see you for myself”, she explained, stroking her hand gently over the bruises, “I’m so sorry Mel, how could he do this to you”? She cried, the anguish on her face nearly undoing Melody.
“It’s not your fault sis, please”, she implored, stepping back.
“But it is, if I hadn’t told him I was filing for divorce”, she sheepishly looked at her and continued, “he told me I’d never get one, so I told him about the photos and that my solicitor said it would be easy and…”.
“Stop”, Melody held her hand up, halting Sarah’s chatter, “no-ones to blame but him, he did this, not you not me, he cheated on you, then assaulted me, he’s the only one who’s to blame”.
Sarah stood motionless, her shoulders drooping. “I know, and it’s such a mess, I just wish I hadn’t said anything about the damn photos.”