Page 8 of Deadly Desires

“Well that’s the thing, Jax, no one knows who it was, only that Melody was extremely freaked out. I don’t know how she knows your brother, but Brooke was there too.”

“I need to know everything, Franklin, start from the beginning.”

“Well, from what I’ve gathered, Melody got home and saw a necklace in her closet that she hasn’t had in a year. She seemed really spooked that it was back in her possession. I think she knows more than she let on, but James tried to pull fingerprints and didn’t get a single one. Whoever left them knew what they were doing.”

“Hmmm, what is the significance of those pearls, I wonder?”

“I wondered the same thing, Jax. There was blood on the pearls; I figure it must be something traumatic. So I did a little more digging. I had to expand my search but I did pull up something from Silicon Valley about a year ago. Not sure if it’s Melody as they kept her identity hidden, probably paid off, but there was an attack on someone fitting her description outside a sleazy bar in the downtown area. The victim was brutally attacked and raped.”

My world spins on its axis and I reach out and brace myself on the desk. My little sparrow… attacked and raped? Melody is as bright as the sun and someone tried to extinguish that. It would explain the dropping out of college and probably why things broke off with her and Brian. Some men are just pieces of shit.

“How did Brooke and James end up there?”

“From what I got from James, apparently Melody is Brooke’s newest hire for the bookshop. James tagged along because your Uncle Bill was taking a call.”

“Makes sense… How did we not know that my sister hired her?”

“Probably because Brooke is trusting of people to a fault. She never did a background check or any sort of official hiring process.”

“I see… So what are you doing with the hardware again?”

“James wanted the best of the best, so he called me. I was thinking you’d probably want to keep tabs on Melody, so I’m installing a link for the cameras to your phone. I just need you to swing by and bring your phone over before 8 A.M. I gotta be there for the install at nine.”

“You got it. I’ll be there.”

We hang up the phone and I’m left pacing in my office. My little sparrow… My chest clenches at the thought of anyone hurting her. I want to protect her at all costs. I don’t care if that means I have to intrude on her privacy. No one is going to hurt Melody again, not without answering to me. I will bury them so far in the ground that even the cadaver dogs won’t be able to find them.

Ten

Melody

Knowing that James’s connection would be over early as hell to set up the new security system, I set my alarm for 8 A.M. I’m up and getting dressed before 8:30 A.M. and still have thirty minutes before he will be here. If my life wasn’t so fucked up, I wouldn’t have to go through all this. While I’m downstairs waiting for him, I pour myself a glass of wine and start scrolling on my phone. Who gives a shit that it’s eight thirty in the morning.

I start to see ads for Tinder again and figure why the hell not. Fuck it. If I matched with the hottest guy on that app, who cares. Let’s give it a go, though it might be the wine talking at this point. I don’t care though, this fucker has me scared of my own house, I’ll be damned if he prevents me from getting some good dick.

Two glasses of wine later, I’m full on swiping on the app. I’ve had a few good looking ones message me, but they fell flat after only a few questions. Before I can reply to the next guy, there’s a knock on the door. I set down my wine and make my way over, brushing a hand over my attire before swinging open the door.

“Hello, Miss Harper, my name’s Franklin. I’m here to install your new security system.”

“Hi, Franklin, it’s nice to meet you. You can call me Melody. Please, come in,” I reply holding open the door and letting him walk by me.

“So, I’ll get to work taking down the old system, setting up the new system for you, and installing all the cameras. Once I’m done, I’ll come back and grab you so that I can show you how to work the system and the app if that’s ok with you?”

“Perfectly fine, I’ll be here in the living room. Thank you so much for coming on such short notice. I really appreciate it.”

I sit back in the living room and briefly watch Franklin taking measurements of windows and doorways. Must be something to do with the system setup. I shrug my shoulders and move my attention back to Tinder. I’ve been matched up with Jaxon but he hasn’t messaged me yet and I’m definitely not about to be the first one to rock that boat. Though, if I don’t find anyone promising on here, at least I have Jaxon’s photo to get me through the lonely nights. I blush at the thought alone, or is that the wine?

Before I can give my full attention back to the app, my phone alerts me to a new text message. It’s Brooke.

Brooke

Hey girl, just checking on you and making sure you’re okay.

Me

I’m good, thank you for checking in.

Franklin is here installing the new security system as we speak.

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