Say Goodbye to Melody

by Velvet Vaughn

  “What about your cousin. He threatened you?”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “Rich is harmless.” Smarmy, but harmless. “He’s all talk, always had been.”

  “Shoot, we need to take off,” Olivia said, glancing at her watch. “Kendall and I have a meeting in twenty minutes. We just wanted to stop by and see the finished store.”

  “Do you want us to stay?” Kendall asked, worry clouding her features. “We could cancel.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured her friends. “I think you’re all blowing this out of proportion.”

  “I have to take off, too,” Dorian said. “Grant’s going to look over the space and determine what you need and then get it wired.”

  Grant? Alone in her office with no buffer? Her heart pounded faster.

  “Thank you all for stopping by.” She hugged Olivia and then Kendall and shook Dorian’s hand before leading them to the door.

  “I’ll call you later,” Kendall said as Dorian held the door for the women and they exited her store.

  Inhaling deeply, she turned to find Grant watching her. He wore a black polo shirt with the COBRA Securities logo embroidered on the left breast, the sleeves straining to cover his massive biceps. Khaki cargo pants fit his long legs to perfection. A pair of solid brown boots finished the outfit, along with a pair of sunglasses hooked over the pocket. She was sure he was armed but he kept his gun hidden well.

  He was by far, the most handsome man she’d ever seen in person. Or on TV. Or the movies. Or, heck, anywhere. Ever.

  Deanna and Raine apparently felt the same way since they were both staring at him with open appreciation. At some point, Deanna had undone the top buttons on her blouse, displaying the cleavage between her ample breasts like a porn star. Melody quickly made introductions and when he smiled at each woman and shook their hands, they both blushed. He tugged his hand away from Deanna and she reluctantly let go.

  “Melody, can you show me around, so I can take some notes and measurements?”

  He didn’t wait for an answer, just headed to her office and she thought it was to get away from Deanna’s ravenous gaze as much as anything else. She caught up to him as he entered her space. He was tapping notes on an iPad with one finger.

  “I need to talk to the landlord first before we do anything. He’ll need to approve the work.”

  He glanced up and zing, went her heart. The man was potent.

  “Not a problem. Even if he’s unsure or unwilling, we have systems that don’t require permanent installation. You’ll be protected.”

  “I’m not sure how long I’ll stay in this location, so a temporary system would probably be the way to go. Grant?” She waited until he looked up, one brow raised in question. “Before we go any further, I want to make it clear that I am paying for your services.”

  “We’ll discuss—”

  “I’m serious, Grant. I sign a contract, just like everyone else who hires you or we don’t do this.”

  He studied her, those laser blues focused on her and she almost forgot her name. He finally nodded. “Let me look around, take some notes so I can get an idea of what you need, then I’ll head back to the office and draw up a contract. You open for business tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d like to get everything set up and installed in the morning before you open.”

  “I can come by this evening to sign the papers. I’d like to have that taken care of before any installation begins.”

  “That would work.”

  “Let me call the landlord and see what he says.” She dialed his number but had to leave a message, asking that he call her back as soon as possible. Then she took Grant around and showed him the entire space. The more they talked, the more relaxed she felt in his presence. He was easy to talk to, and he really listened when she spoke. When she first met him, he seemed serious and for a better word, hard. But now he was friendly and personable. It only served to intensify her feelings. It was a crush, nothing more, she told herself. He towered over her, so tall and strong. He must be close to six-five. She felt safe with him around. But she wasn’t the kind of woman he would date. She was average height and though she filled out a C-cup, her chest didn’t turn heads. Sure, her skin was flawless, but how many times did men add that to their wish list in a partner?

  He took measurements with a laser thingy and tapped notes on his tablet. He checked behind every door and beneath every table or desk.

  “Only the two entrances?”

  “Huh?” Good grief, she’d been caught staring at his Khaki-covered backside. Her face flamed as she answered, “Um, yes, just the two. But the back one opens into an alley on the other side of the building from the parking lot, so it’s inconvenient. We don’t use it.”

  “We still want to get a camera on it, and one on the front entrance. What about the room where you bottle and package the products? We could add a biometric lock so that you are the only one with access.”

  “Like a fingerprint scanner?”

  He nodded. “Or a retinal scanner. More secure.”

  She bit her lip, considering. She’d never priced a device that provided an infrared beam to map the eyeball, but she assumed it’d be expensive. Dollar signs danced in her head. “I don’t think that’s necessary. It’s just the three of us right now. If we end up hiring more employees, that’s something that I might consider.”

  “We can always add on later, so no problem.”

  He explained the work to be done and by the time he finished, the owner still hadn’t called back. “Can we just go ahead and install the non-permanent system?”

  “That would be my recommendation. You won’t need the owner’s approval. And anything we set up can be moved to another location easily.”

  “I’m having a production facility built on the north side. Actually, that’s why my cousin paid me a visit this morning. The property has been in our family for generations. He thinks half of it belongs to him.”

  “Does he have a legit claim?”

  “No. His father lost his half in a bet with my dad. My brother is an attorney and he signed over his share to me. If there was a problem with the deed, Max would’ve known.”

  “Did you question him?”

  “He’s out of the country. I’ll ask him the next time he calls. But Rich’s visit made me realize I hadn’t thought about security for the new building. Is that something your company could handle?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Chapter Five

  Melody navigated the narrow, winding roads that led to the COBRA Securities headquarters with her hands firmly set in the ten and two o’clock positions on the steering wheel. It was bad enough driving the highway that led to the lake in the daylight, but dusk presented its own problems. Still, her mind was less on the roads and more on what she would see when she arrived…or more accurately, who. Whom? Anyway, she would be meeting with Grant. She’d been to the compound several times when she’d tutored Sean and Tiffany. But this was different. It was simply a business meeting, still, her heart didn’t care, and butterflies had started a conga line in her stomach. Just thinking his name sent her system into overdrive.

  Today was the first time she’d been around him longer than a few awkward seconds. Though she’d been almost numb with nerves at first, she loosened up the more time she spent with him. He was intelligent and capable, and she suspected he possessed a wicked sense of humor. He told her a story about something that Kai Costa had done and when he laughed dimples bracketed his mouth. Dimples! She was toast.

  She’d have to hide her reaction to him. She didn’t want him to know how bad she was crushing on him, had been since their first chance encounter in the hallway of his older brother’s house. It was hard to look at him in a snug t-shirt and know exactly what was hidden beneath: a drool-worthy chest and to-die-for abs. Reed “Abs of” Steel had nothing on Grant Colton.

  She could do it. She could hide her attraction. She’d met several of his coworkers and
every single one was drop-dead gorgeous, yet she was able to interact with them easily. Taylor Costa’s husband Dante was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen—until she ran into Grant Colton. Literally.

  Dual pinpricks of light flashed in her rear-view mirror. Great. It was bad enough navigating the twists and turns without someone riding her tail. Still, she refused to be intimidated, even as the lights grew in size until they practically blinded her. The vehicle behind her was large, much larger than her teeny Mini Cooper and she was afraid it would roll right over her without stopping. The driver would probably just think they hit a speedbump and keep going. “Okay, okay,” she muttered. “I’ll let you around if I can find a spot to pull over.”

  It wasn’t until the first impact with her bumper that she realized what was happening. She fought the wheel as her car skidded sideways with another vicious impact. A scream lodged in her throat when the next hit sent her car hurtling over a steep embankment and she careened into darkness, skidding and rolling until she came to a brutal stop against a tree.

  The airbag punched her in the face and trapped her against the seat. That’s when she realized she was hanging upside down, strapped in by her seatbelt. It was her last conscious thought.

  #

  Grant checked his watch for the hundredth time, the feeling of unease refusing to subside. Melody was late. Way late. He’d decided to wait at the front gate to escort her through security, but she was officially over a half-hour past their scheduled time. He didn’t know her very well, but she struck him as the kind of person who would be punctual, maybe even early. And she would definitely call if she was going to be late. He checked his phone but no missing calls or texts. He pulled up her contact information and dialed her number again, hanging up when it clicked over to voice mail.

  He started the engine of his Cadillac Escalade and headed for town. He’d stop by her shop first and if she wasn’t there, he’d swing by her house to make sure nothing had happened to her. She’d been receiving threatening notes and if that person decided to ramp up the attacks, maybe she was preoccupied…or worse. He refused to dwell on worse.

  It was dark as he rounded a curve and slammed on his brakes. A dark-colored SUV was executing a U-turn in the middle of the road. The brake lights flashed before the driver punched the accelerator and shot down the road. Worry number one was that the license plate had been obstructed so you couldn’t read the numbers. Worry number two were the black slashes his headlights flashed on that crossed the center line and disappeared over the embankment. Skid marks.

  There was barely room to maneuver off the side of the road. Grant shifted the SUV into park before activating the blinkers. As soon as he opened his door, he heard the pops and hisses of a disabled engine before he spotted the small car wheels up at the bottom of the hill. The moon was bright enough to allow him to see one of the tires spinning out of control and a small stream of smoke wafting from the hood. He knew before he got down there that it would be a Mini Cooper and that Melody Franklin would be inside.

  After a quick call to 911 giving the coordinates, he reached into his SUV and pulled out a high-powered light, attaching it to the side of his vehicle to spotlight the accident. He grabbed a flashlight and half-skidded, half-ran down the incline. When he reached the car, the only groans were coming from the crumpled vehicle.

  “Melody? Are you in there?”

  He flashed his light inside. Damn, her car was so tiny and landing on the hood had flattened it even more. He dropped to his stomach to peer inside. She was hanging by her seat belt, pinned by the air bag. A small trickle of blood dripped from her temple. He fished in his pocket for a knife and stabbed it into the bag, deflating it.

  “Melody? Can you hear me?”

  Her lips opened in a groan. That was a good sign.

  “Are you with me, Mel?” She muttered something that sounded like her heart. “Does your chest hurt? Can you breathe?” Damn, he needed to get her out of there, fast.

  “My car,” she wailed, not opening her eyes.

  Despite the situation, a small smile tipped his lips. If she was worried more about her car than herself, she must not be hurt too badly.

  The sound of a vehicle on the road had him scooting back to peer over the crumpled car, gun in hand. He didn’t know if she’d gone off the side of the road by herself or if someone helped her over, but if they had run her off, they might’ve come back to make sure they finished the job.

  “Is that you, Grant? Is everything okay?”

  Relief poured through him at hearing his coworker and fellow SEAL calling out from the top of the hill.

  #

  Dante Costa glanced at his wife and smiled at the antics of their kids in the back seat. Gracie was trying to best Kai at his own game by telling jokes, but like her brother, she couldn’t get the punch line out without giggling. Kai was laughing with her, reveling in his role as big brother.

  It’d just been the two of them, Dante and Kai, for a long time. He worried that when he fell in love with Taylor, having her and Gracie move into their house would threaten Kai. But the opposite had happened. He embraced the two as if they were his real blood. Dante didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky to have a gorgeous wife, two amazing children and another on the way. He reached over and placed a hand against Taylor’s still flat-belly. Something he did often. Taylor’s hand covered his, something she did often, too.

  As they rounded a curve, a black SUV came barreling towards them at a high rate of speed, the headlights blinding him.

  “Dante!”

  “I see it,” he answered Taylor. He braked and swerved to the small shoulder as the car rushed past, barely missing clipping his mirror. The roads were curvy and narrow and despite the posted speed signs, there were always people trying their hardest to get someplace just that one second faster.

  “Idiot,” Taylor grumbled as he pulled back to the highway and accelerated again.

  “Idiot!” Gracie echoed.

  “Gracie, it’s not nice to call people idiots.”

  “But Mom, you just did.”

  Dante chuckled evilly. “Good luck getting out of this one, hon.” He glanced in his rear-view mirror to see Kai open his mouth, probably to see if he could get away with calling someone an idiot.

  “Shut it.”

  Kai clamped his lips together and huffed. Dante hid a smile.

  “Hey, isn’t that one of our Caddies?” Kai was pointing ahead.

  Parked on the narrow shoulder on the other side of the road was indeed a COBRA Securities SUV. One of their high-powered lights had been attached to the side and it shined down the incline. He checked for traffic and then swung in front and parked. As soon as he stepped out, he saw the car resting on its hood at the bottom of the hill.

  Taylor joined him and then Kai said, “Look, it’s Grant.”

  “Is that you, Grant? Is everything okay?”

  Grant stood and tucked his gun in the small of his back. “I’ve already called 9-1-1. It’s Melody Franklin.”

  “Oh, no!” Taylor gasped, grasping his arm.

  “How bad?” Dante asked.

  “Not sure yet. I can’t get to her.”

  “Stay here and wait for the ambulance,” Dante told Taylor and the kids. He opened the back of his vehicle and pulled out his high-powered light, attaching it to the side as Grant had and aimed it down the hill to add more illuminance. Then he skidded down the embankment to assist. He dropped beside Grant and peered inside.

  “Damn, this car is tiny.”

  “Tell me about it,” Grand muttered.

  “How is she?”

  “Awake now. Melody, where do you hurt?”

  “Head, chest from the air bag.”

  “Can you move your fingers and toes?” Dante asked.

  After a pause, she said that she could.

  “We need to release the seat belt.” Dante moved to the other side of the car and tried the door but it was too crushed to open. The window had broken, and he br
ushed glass away before attempting to lean in, but he was too big.

  “Dad, I can do it.”

  Dante twisted his head to see Kai kneeling beside him. “Dammit, Kai, I told you to stay up there.”

  “I know, but I thought you might need me to wiggle inside and since I haven’t hit that growth spurt that you promised me,” his tone was accusing, “I’m small enough to climb in there. And don’t be mad at Mom,” he added. “She tried to stop me.”

  He glanced up at Taylor, who was standing with her fists on her hips in agitation. Gracie mirrored her stance. He didn’t want his son near the accident, but the kid was so damn headstrong. “Fine, but be careful of any broken glass.”

  “Dante!”

  He turned back to his wife and barely managed to catch the thick blanket she tossed down to him before it flattened him. He placed it across the area Kai would be climbing over.

  Kai dropped down and shimmied inside. “I see the seat belt lock.”

  “I’ve got her,” Grant said. “Click it now.”

  Kai pushed the button to release the belt and Grant eased Melody down.

  “This side is too damaged. We need to get her out that way.”

  “I can do it,” Melody protested weakly, but Kai was already sliding his hands under her arms and tugging her free. Dante took over when he could reach her and then Grant was there to help lift her from the car as the sounds of sirens filled the air. He let Grant carry her away and he held out a hand for Kai. Once his son was out, he ruffled his hair and then bent down and crushed him in a bear hug.

  “Good job, kid. So proud of you.” He forced the words out as emotion clogged his throat.

  #

  Melody woke slowly, disoriented and dazed. Her head throbbed, and it felt as if every bone in her body ached. She opened her eyes but all she could see was white. Had she died and gone to Heaven? Were these clouds obscuring her vision of the Pearly Gates?

  “Melody.”

  Someone was calling her name, but it sounded like they were miles away. Was it…God?

  Suddenly the pressure against her chest and face eased, but the voice was still calling out to her.