Page 7 of Takedown

“You want me to believe that somehow Mellie got to Vegas and decided to marry you? The same guy she’s rejected over and over again the last two years. I’m sorry,” he says, shaking his head, “I just don’t see it.”

“You should ask her about that then. I’ve said all I’m going to say to you about it.” I put my cup down. “I need to get ready for work.”

Jason stands and puts both hands up. “Me too. I came up here for one reason. Whatever happened in Vegas, Mellie doesn’t want to stay married. Make it easy and end the marriage.”

We stare at each other. Me not responding to his request, and him not saying another word. After what seems like forever, he nods once and leaves my apartment.

I stare at the door, my hand up, and ready to knock. Before I can, it swings open and Alex stands in front of me, ushering me inside. “I heard you coming down the stairs. It’s like a herd of elephants. Mellie already left for work,” she says.

She puts a hand on her protruding belly and gestures for me to follow her into the kitchen. I hear tiny little footsteps. Addison, Alex and Jason’s two-year-old daughter, comes running into the kitchen.

She’s a tiny thing with a head full of curly, black hair. She smiles and runs to me, wrapping her arms around my legs.

“Ada!” she says after she lets me go. She stands back, puts both fists up, and hits me in the thigh. I take a step back, clutching onto where she just punched. She shuffles to the other side and hits me again.

“Ooh!” I take several exaggerated steps back until I stumble and fall. She moves fast and jumps on top of me, using her tiny little fists to rain punches on my chest and chin. She jumps off and starts counting to ten. I pretend to try to get up, but I fall back down. When she finally reaches ten, she cheers.

“I win, Mama!” I hop up and she laughs.

“Yeah, you kicked Adam’s butt, but you need to eat your breakfast.” She giggles but runs to the table. I follow behind her, lift her into the highchair, and place her bowl of oatmeal in front of her.

“I’m sorry if I upset you last night,” I say to Alex.

She waves a dismissive hand. “You didn’t upset me as much as surprise me, but that’s on youandMellie. She wouldn’t talk about it last night, so I don’t have much to tell you. She pretty much shut down soon after you left.”

I still remember the day I first heard Mellie’s voice. I never laid eyes on her that day, but her voice called to me even then. It was when I was moving into my apartment. I didn’t bother with movers. I didn’t have much furniture and I didn’t want to pay for the added expense. It was me, Dennis, and his younger brother Marlo. Dennis is rather nerdy, with glasses as thick as his waist and a mind for numbers, but his younger brother is the opposite. He’s tall and spends hours at the gym. In fact, when I first heard Mellie, she was flirting with him.

“Make sure you stay hydrated.” Those were the first words I heard, and I stopped on the stairs, eager to hear more.

Dennis is helping me bring my couch to the second floor. There’s a curve in the middle of the stairwell, and we have the couch leaning against the wall so we can figure out the best way to get it inside my apartment. It’s blocking my view of Marlo and the sweet voice downstairs.

“Yeah, I could use a little something,” Marlo says. The flirty lilt of his voice grates on my nerves. “Something sweet. Know where I can find that?”

I try to stick my neck out and look down the stairs, but there’s not enough room between the wall and the couch. All I can see is a piece of her hair in what looks like a side ponytail. She must be leaning against the wall with one of her feet propped against it, and I get a glimpse of her pink Nike sneakers.

“Maybe you can ask your fiancée about that, Marlo,” I interject. Their interaction is annoying me, and I want to let her know that he isn’t available.

“You’re engaged?” the sexy voice asks. I hear some shuffling and Marlo’s loud groan. Yeah, there’s bro code, and there’s being a serial cheater when you’re engaged. Not going to happen on my watch.

“What the fuck, Flynn?” Marlo says, annoyed with me.

Yeah, I cock blocked him last week when he hit on a waitress. His brother can’t understand why he’s engaged, but I think it’s because his fiancée has her own place, and he needs a roof over his head.

“It’s not serious, baby,” Marlo says, and I roll my eyes.

“Does she know that, asshole?”

I let out a loud laugh. Unlike Marlo, she has a moral compass. I hear a door open and another set of footsteps.

“Let’s go pick up the pizza. Alex needs to do some emotional eating,” Another female voice says.

I didn’t hear Mellie’s voice again that day, but the loud slam of the door told me she was through with Marlo. That was good enough for me.

“I didn’t force her, and I didn’t get her drunk,” I say to Alex, who has put a hand on my arm to get my attention.

“Pfft. I know that. Who can force Mellie to do anything? I believe you, but like I said, she went to bed last night and left before Jason this morning.” In other words, she wanted to make sure she left before I could come find her.

“Can you text me when she gets home tonight?”

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