Unbroken -Part Two - A Second Chance at Love Romance: The Collective - Season 1, Episode 6

by Riley Edwards

  She stopped sucking on my mouth and groaned. “Harder, Reid, stop playing and fuck me.”

  I didn’t answer her verbally and simply granted her request and pounded into her.

  “You like it hard don’t you, sweetheart?” She couldn’t catch her breath enough to answer me when I pinched her clit. “Yeah, I know you do. You’re so fucking wet you’re dripping down my balls and your thighs. I’m gonna come now, sweetheart. Where do you want it? Do you want me to come inside of you or on that fine ass of yours?” I asked as I used my free hand to squeeze her ass cheek. “You have a great ass. One day, I’m taking your ass too.” I had to suck in a breath when I felt her pussy tighten around my cock. “Fuck, you like that idea. Where Ava, tell me where?”

  “Inside. Come in me.” She answered just in time, heat spread through my body lightning quick, and my orgasm pulsed out of my cock, my body jerking with every rope of come.

  “Fuck,” I roared.

  Her upper body slumped forward as her arms gave out pushing her ass up. I wasn’t joking when I told Ava I was going to take her ass one day. She went positively wild when I licked her pussy and played with her ass at the same time. There was no doubt I could work her up to enjoy anal sex.

  “So. Damn. Good.”

  “Yeah, it is,” she agreed.

  I pulled out and settled us on our sides, me behind her, cuddling her close. I only meant to catch my breath for a moment before I got up to get a washcloth to clean Ava up. I only meant to close my eyes for a moment.

  However, that is not what happened. We fell asleep and what happened next would change the course of our lives forever.

  The banging on the door and ringing of the doorbell woke me up with a start. I rolled away from Ava, tagged my jeans off the floor, and grabbed my gun from the nightstand. With a quick drop of the magazine, I confirmed I had a full mag before turning to Ava.

  “Go get JJ and take him into the master bathroom. Your finger print safe is in the very back of the cabinet. The gun is loaded. There is a burner phone in the safe as well. If I am not back up here in five minutes to give you the all clear, you call Mac.”

  I didn’t wait for her to answer. I passed JJ’s room, and he was sitting up in his bed rubbing his eyes. “You don’t get outta that bed until your mom comes and gets you. Understand?”

  “Yes,” his answer came quick.

  I took the stairs two at a time and came to a skidding stop in front of the door. I checked the peep hole, no one. I walked to the front windows, nothing. I checked the side window, nothing. The back was the same. Nothing.

  Just when I was ready to go back upstairs, thinking that some dumb neighborhood kids must’ve been playing ding dong ditch, something in my gut told me to open the door.

  I slowly opened the door, my gun already leveled in front of me.

  Holy mother fucker.

  Melody.

  I glanced around the front yard not seeing anyone, and I shoved my gun in the back of my jeans before I lowered myself to a knee. This was not the best place to do this, but I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was by yanking her into the house.

  I could see tears escaping from under the blindfold she was wearing. She had on her pajamas and no shoes.

  “Melody. Honey, my name is Logan, I’m going to take off your blindfold okay?” I asked.

  She continued to tremble as she nodded her head.

  “Okay honey, here we go.” I slowly pulled the folded bandanna from her head, meeting her green eyes. “Do you remember me? I saw you and your mom at Ivory’s place?”

  Again, she nodded her head yes but didn’t speak.

  “Good. Where is your mom?”

  Big tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. My gut twisted seeing the tears in her eyes. I would’ve done anything, given anything, to take the sadness away. I wanted to wrap her up in my arms and protect her from whatever was hurting her.

  Melody shrugged her shoulders.

  “Alright, we’re gonna go in the house and talk,” I told her.

  I stood up and stepped to the side. It was killing me not to just pick up Melody and run into the house, but she looked like she was ready to shatter at any moment. She didn’t move. She just stood there staring into the house.

  Fuck it.

  “Honey, I’m gonna pick you up and take you in the house. It’s not safe out here.”

  Before she could answer, I scooped her up, her little arms wrapped around my neck, nearly choking me she was holding on so tight. Something stirred in my gut, the second my daughter was in my arms, I never wanted to let her go.

  “I’m scared,” she cried.

  “I know, baby. Let’s get inside. We’ll figure this all out.”

  I slammed the door and locked it. I ran up the stairs to the master bathroom and yelled through the door, “Ava, it’s all clear. You both can come out.”

  Ava threw the door open, JJ tucked behind her back. The fear in her eyes was quickly replaced with shock, then confusion. “Is that….”

  “Yes. Can you please grab me a tee and my cell, sweetheart? JJ, son, let’s all go down stairs. You can lie on the couch and go back to sleep if you want. I know it’s early, but I want you in eyesight.”

  “Okay,” they said in unison.

  I turned to leave and felt something slide down my back. I glanced down to see JJ picking up a piece of paper. I was half way down the stairs when I heard JJ.

  “Dad.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Dad.”

  “Right here, son.”

  “Dad!” JJ shouted.

  I stopped to see JJ at the top of the stairs, the piece of paper shaking in his outstretched hand.

  “JJ, son, come down the stairs. Everything is fine. Promise we are safe.”

  JJ walked down the stairs with the paper out in front of him. He looked as if the paper was getting ready to jump out and bite him. He came to a stop in front of me and nearly threw the paper at me. I awkwardly grabbed it before it fell to the floor again.

  I unfolded the paper –

  HERE THIS BELONGS TO YOU.

  WE ALL FALL DOWN

  “Mother fucker,” I growled.

  Melody jumped in my arms and tightened her grip around my neck, and JJ winced at my outburst.

  “Sorry, buddy.” I gave Melody a squeeze and whispered, “Sorry, everything will be fine. You’re safe here.”

  “What’s wrong?” Ava asked as she came rushing down the stairs, my tee and phone in her hand.

  Fuck. I was quickly running through everything I had to do in my head, trying to prioritize what I needed to do first.

  “Sweetheart, please try Valerie’s phone,” I asked

  “What’s that?” She pointed to the note and reached for it.

  I debated not showing her but JJ had already seen it. Reluctantly I handed the note over and watched her eyes scan the words written in red block letters. Her hand came up and covered her mouth, and her eyes flew back to mine, pleading for answers I didn’t have.

  “Ava, I need you to please try and call Valerie, yeah?”

  “Yeah, okay,” Ava answered.

  “I’m scared,” Melody screeched in my ear.

  Something in me snapped, hearing my daughter say she was scared for the second time in the span of a few minutes. I was helpless to help my own daughter.

  “I know, baby. We’re gonna sit down on the couch and talk a minute. Bud come with us okay?”

  “Yeah, Dad.”

  He followed us to the couch and sat down next to me.

  “Melody, can you look at me?” I waited and she lifted her head off my shoulder. “Hi there, pretty girl. This is JJ, my son,” I told Melody.

  JJ smiled at her and raised his hand to wave. “Hi, Melody.”

  She remained quiet.

  “Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked, wondering to myself why the fuck I hadn’t thought to ask her that before now.

  She shook her head.

  “Good
. Do you know where your mom is?”

  She shook her head. Fuck.

  “Do you know how you got here? Who dropped you off?”

  She shook her head. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I wasn’t going to get any answers from a scared little girl.

  “No answer,” Ava announced.

  Chapter Eighteen

  AMAZING GRACE

  Ava

  Reid looked positively devastated, he was holding on by a thread. It must be killing him not to be able to spring into action, but with Melody wrapped around him like a baby monkey clinging to its mother, it was impossible for him to do anything but hold his daughter. JJ was plastered to Reid’s side, very obviously scared and confused.

  “I left her a message to call us and gave her my cell number and the house number as well,” I rushed out. “Should I call Mac?”

  “Yes,” he clipped.

  I scrolled through Reid’s contacts and found Mac’s number and pushed send.

  He answered on the second ring, “Reid?”

  “No, Mac, it’s Ava. We have a problem. Can you come over?” I asked.

  “Fuck, I’m on a call out. Whatcha got over there? You guys safe?”

  “Umm, Reid’s here, we’re safe. But…”

  “Spit it out woman. I am standing over a dead body with some nasty shit coming outta her belly that I cannot even begin to fathom what the fuck this shit is.”

  “Crap, sorry. That’s gross. Don’t tell me stuff like that.” Mac let out an impatient growl, and I hurried into the kitchen so Melody wouldn’t hear what I needed to say. “Long story short, Reid found out yesterday that he has a five-year-old daughter with a woman named Valerie. Yesterday when Reid and Valerie spoke, Valerie said she was leaving town but would stay a few days so she and Reid could talk. A few minutes ago there was banging on the door, and the little girl was left on the porch with a note. The note said, here this belongs to you. And at the bottom it said, we all fall down. Melody, Reid’s daughter, is scared shitless. Reid is freaked the fuck out, Mac. And Valerie is not answering her phone. I called her three times.”

  “Come again,” he said.

  “Which part? Reid has a daughter?” I repeated.

  “No, you called her three times?”

  “Yes, three times, back to back. No answer.”

  “Motherfucker. You got your cell handy?” he asked.

  Why the hell did that even matter?

  “Yes,” I answered.

  “Good. Hang up. I’ll call you on your cell.”

  Before I could protest why we were switching phones, and how that was going to help find Valerie, Mac had hung up on me.

  My cell began to ring in my hand and I answered, “Great, now that we’ve play round robin with the phones, can you please tell me what I need to do to help Reid. He is freaking out, Mac.” I hissed.

  “Call her again,” Mac insisted.

  “Call who?”

  “Valerie. Call her again, from Reid’s phone. Don’t hang up with me.”

  I quickly unlocked Reid’s phone and went to his call log and swiped Valerie’s number again.

  “Done,” I announced.

  There were a few seconds of silence then an explosion of cursing. At least I thought they were curse words, some I think Mac had just made up on the fly.

  Oh, no. Oh, please sweet baby Jesus. I prayed that I was not understanding what just happened.

  “Did it ring on your end?” I whispered.

  I didn’t need to explain my question any further, Mac would understand.

  “Yeah, honey it did.” Mac’s voice was full of compassion. “But, we don’t know for sure that the phone belongs to the victim,” he said, trying to placate me

  “Brown hair, slim, mid-twenties, pretty girl?” I asked.

  “Honey, without getting into details with you, none of what you just said would help me identify her at the moment. Except for the hair color.”

  “Oh, no. Mac, what do I do?”

  “You don’t do or say anything. Tell Reid that I am handling it, and I will be there as soon as I can. Do not tell him I am on a call out. Do not tell him anything. I will call Austin and Dustin and tell them to get over to your house. I’ll need them to help me lock Reid down when I tell him.”

  “Okay. Please hurry Mac. I’m scared.” I lowered my voice to a whisper, “If that is Valerie, that means the killer had Reid’s daughter, and he knows where we live.”

  “Yep, and that is gonna fuck with Reid’s head more than anything. That is why I’m gonna need help. This kid really Reid’s?”

  “Yes. She looks just like him,” I answered.

  “Then Reid is gonna go ballistic when he finds out that the person that killed his kid’s mom had a hold of his kid too.”

  Holy shit. Reid was going to tear down this city.

  “Hurry,” I begged.

  “ Gotta go. Ava, you have to be strong for your man right now. Find whatever it is you need to be the strong one in that house. Your family needs you.”

  “I’m not strong, Mac. Not like this.”

  “Ava,” Mac snapped. “Wake the fuck up and pull your head out of the sand. You are the strongest woman I know. You got this. No doubt.”

  Ouch. Mac had no finesse when he was trying to give someone a compliment or encouragement.

  “I’m good, Mac. But hurry the fuck up,” I snapped and disconnected the call.

  Ass.

  I needed a second to form a plan of action. I busied myself making a pot of coffee. If my house was getting ready to be infiltrated by a battalion of badasses, they would need coffee. I looked through the pantry and was relieved I had splurged and bought a box of donuts at the grocery store. They could have those, and the leftover cinnamon rolls I baked yesterday.

  I check the time on the microwave, 5:55 am. How long did the killer have Melody? Shit, we left the tattoo shop in the late afternoon and it was now morning. Who knows when he took Valerie and Melody. This was going to kill Reid.

  I walked back into the living room trying to think of a way to coax Melody out of Reid’s arms. As soon as the guys ascended on the house, Reid would have to jump into fray.

  “Mac’s on his way over. He said not to worry about calling Austin and Dustin. He’d call them for me and have them come by too.” I smiled as I sat next to JJ. “Hey, bud, do me a favor and run upstairs and get Melody one of the new dolls you picked out for her. And remember the blanket that you had when you were a baby? The soft brown one? Please bring that too.”

  JJ looked at Reid, when Reid nodded his head, JJ shot up and raced up the stairs.

  “Hi, Melody,” I brushed the hair off her cheek so I could see her face. Her head was back on Reid’s shoulder, her head tilted in my direction, her beautiful eyes, Reid’s eyes, staring at me. “My name is Ava.”

  She didn’t speak, just continued to stare.

  “How would you like to sit with me and JJ and watch some cartoons?”

  Still nothing. Damn.

  JJ came bouncing back in the room. He plopped back down in between me and Reid, essentially cutting off any further conversation with Melody.

  “Mel?” JJ called out. “Do you want to use my blanket? It’s my favorite. I’ve had it since I was a baby. Mom said she bought it for me before I was born. It’s really soft.”

  Melody looked at JJ for a minute before she reached out and took the blanket cuddling it close to her face.

  “Oh and yesterday, Mom and Dad took me to the mall so we could get you a doll. It’s pretty.” JJ held up the doll for Melody to see. “I know it’s not an American Girl doll. But don’t worry, Mom and Dad said that we could go to the store and you could pick one out. But it was too far away yesterday.”

  I really don’t think Melody cared much about a doll right now, but bless JJ’s heart for trying to talk to her.

  “I like dolls,” Melody whispered.

  “I knew it. I told Mom and Dad that you would like it. Do you want to watch some cartoons with me? We have all th
e Disney channels.” JJ reached his hand out to Melody.

  Then the miracle of all miracles happened. Melody reached her little hand out to JJ and slowly lifted her head off Reid’s shoulder looking at him, “You won’t leave us, right?” she asked. Her voice still barely above a whisper.

  “No, baby.”

  “Okay.” She turned back to JJ. “Can we watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse? That’s my favorite.”

  “Sure. We can watch whatever you want. Right, Dad?”

  “Right,” Reid assured them.

  Reid carefully deposited Melody on the couch next to JJ and grabbed the remote. He turned the TV on, but before he could change the channel, a breaking news alert came across the screen. Lit up in red at the bottom of the screen were the words: News Alert!

  “We begin this morning with breaking news. We’ll get to your morning traffic and weather in just a moment. But first, we have breaking news on the urgent manhunt currently underway for the serial killer, Simple Simon. Yesterday, authorities confirmed several bodies have now been connected, with another possible victim just found early this morning. Let’s go to Paul Wesley on the scene where he’s waiting with the latest.”

  Reid’s body went rigid. And short of tackling Reid and grabbing the remote, I couldn’t think of a reason to get him to change the channel fast enough. Shit, he couldn’t watch this. This was really bad.

  “Thanks, Gloria,” Paul said. “Paul Wesley live on the scene of what appears to be another gruesome murder of the serial killer, Simple Simon.”

  The camera angle widened to show the yellow crime scene tape blocking off a dark alley behind the newscaster. Fire and rescue trucks surrounded the area, red and blue lights flashed on the screen.

  “The police on scene have yet to answer any questions regarding the victim’s cause of death, or if Simple Simon has left his calling card. We have received confirmation Simple Simon is indeed placing food items into the wounds of his victims. Police have not released what those food items are as of yet. News 9 will remain on the scene and bring you the latest when it becomes available…Simple Simon met a pie man,” Paul paused, a snarky smile crossing his face. “Is this an odd coincidence or a twisted take on a beloved toddler’s tale? Back to you, Gloria.”