Page 14 of Light

My eyes dart up to hers, "Yes."

She laughs, and shakes her head again. This is the most at ease I've ever seen her and I have to say I like it.

“I swear to God, if you destroy my coffee machine trying to flex, I’m suing you for emotional damages.”

"Me? This piece of junk was destroyed long before I got here." I snap back.

"It was not... I was handling it." She pushes a strand of hair that has fallen out of that messy bun behind her ear.

Now it's my turn to shake my head at her, "Sure." I take a look at appliances in this kitchen and realize what they all have in common. It seems like everything in here is second hand stuff, almost like she went to a garage sale and decorated her entire house. It's not like it looks bad, but it's a wonder more things in here haven't started to break down on her.

I pull the coffee machine away from the counter and wrap the cord around it. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you won't be getting your coffee today."

"No, heavens no." She groans and runs a hand through her hair. You'd think I just told her, her dog died. I guess losing the ability to have coffee is a reason to cry.

"Sorry, I did the best I could." I shrug suddenly feeling bad that I wasn't able to fix the machine for her.

I could always get her another one.

No!

I shake the thought out of my mind and turn to walk out of the kitchen.

"Is everything still all good outside?" She questions and I remember that I never finished what I was doing earlier. The surveillance camera.

"Actually, I need to do one final thing." I tell her. Grabbing my tools I make my way back outside before she can go out there and see what I'm doing herself. I don't want to have to answer any questions. Mostly because I don't have the answers. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time leaving her to fend for herself.

It doesn't take very long for me to get the surveillance camera set up. In fact, it took longer to connect the camera to my network.

I wipe the sweat from my brow just as Melissa steps outside to see what I'm doing. "So what's the verdict? Are we all good?" Her eyebrows raise slightly and I think for a second that I might tell her the truth. It's not like I've put the camera up because I just want to spy on her. I'm putting it up to catch whoever is out here bothering her. In fact it would be all the more easier if she just told me who was behind all this to begin with.

"Yeah, doesn't seem like anything is out of order. Do you want to tell me how the wires got cut in the first place?"

She blinks at me a few times and that carefree expression she had a few seconds ago is gone. "I told you, it was probably an animal or something. Maybe just old age." She shrugs.

It's a piss poor excuse if I ever heard one.

"Sure, if you say so." I clench my teeth together and walk away from her. I'm not going to press her if she doesn't want to tell me. I'm not going to press her but it doesn't mean I'm going to ignore what's going on here. I can't.

I hop on my bike and take off back in the direction of the clubhouse.

Usually, I'm completely focus on the ride but right now I'm focused on the way Melissa completely shut down when I asked about who could have destroyed that equipment.

It's obvious that she's being terrorized. That she's in danger.

I can't stop thinking about her. This is dangerous. I'm a playboy by choice getting too invested in a woman leads to nothing but pain. I know Brick and Hook think otherwise and have even tried to get me to rethink my manwhore ways recently but I've got my own experience and it's not good.

Still I can't stop myself from thinking about her.

Melissa might not know it yet, but I just made her my responsibility.

Five

Melissa

The sun is shiningbright and Tyler is well enough to spend some time outside. I should be focused on him, but I can't stop myself from looking out toward the horizon. In hopes that a motorcycle will be making its way down the road.

The last man who stepped into my life without warning ruined it. Light is two steps away from doing the same.

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