"Melissa…" he whispered. "Tell me what happened to you."
She shook her head, gripping him when he tried to pull away.
"Melissa." His tone hardened.
"Not now. Please, not now, Brian. Don't ruin this moment."
"I need to know, Lis." He stroked her hair. "Who did this to you?"
If only she could forget about what had happened with Chase. The last couple of weeks had been awful without Brian. She'd needed him even more than she wanted to admit to herself. She'd put on a strong face for her sister and for her friends, but she'd only wanted Brian to be there and take care of her and promise to keep her safe.
"Brian…may I come home with you?" she asked, her mouth pulling into a frown. "I don't want to stay here anymore."
His head popped up. "Oh, you're definitely coming home with me, but we're talking about this first. Why didn't you call me—hell, why didn't someone call me?"
"I didn't want you to know…I didn't want anyone to know about it."
"Tell me what the fuck happened—and please don't tell me you've been dealing with this on your own." He sat up. "What do you mean you didn't want anyone to know about it? Know about what exactly?"
"When you never called, I…I didn't know why, and I didn't want you here out of obligation."
"Melissa." He placed his hands over his face then lifted them toward her. "This isn't about us. This is about you being hurt. God damn it, after everything we've been through with Erin, how could you keep this from me?"
"It's not the same. Ali was here for me. I wasn't dealing with this alone."
"Dealing with what?" he shouted. "You haven't told me what happened yet."
Melissa flinched and crossed her arms over her chest, ducking her chin. What could she say…there was no way to make him understand.
He reached out and pulled her against his chest. "I'm sorry." He pressed his lips to her temple. "I'm sorry for shouting at you, but it scares me to know that someone hurt you and I wasn't here for you," he said. "I will never let anyone hurt you again, but I need you to tell me what happened."
"Chase came to get his things. While he was here, he freaked out and—"
Brian's body tensed up and he pulled back to look at her. "Collins?"
She nodded.
"That son of a bitch!" He jerked up, and Melissa could feel tension and anger vibrating through him. "What exactly did he do to you, Lis?"
"He hit me…"
"No shit! He obviously hit you several times. He obviously threw you to the ground, and damn it, I don't think I want to know why your entire left side has bruises." Brian gripped her chin and lifted her head to see her eyes. "What exactly happened?"
"He found the picture of you on my desk. It flipped a switch. He freaked out. One minute, he was fine. The next, he was smacking me, calling me names, and screaming at me." Melissa tried to look away; the intensity of Brian's stare scared her.
"My picture…What the hell?" He stood and walked into her office space. When he came back, he held up the photo. "This set him off?" He pointed to his chest. "Me?"
"He called me a liar and went on and on about how you weren't here to protect your property."
"What?" Brian sneered. "My property?" He paced the room, still naked and that made Melissa want to smile.
"He referred to the phone conversation you had with him. He said you made it clear I belonged to you."
"Oh my God…he did this to you because of what I said? He thought he would beat you to get back at me?" Brian sat on the bed, scrubbing his hands through his hair. "I'm going to kill that sorry bastard." He stood back up and reached for his clothes.
Melissa jumped up, her heart beating painfully in her chest. "No. No you're not!"
Brian pulled on his boxer briefs and grabbed his jeans.
"Brian!" Melissa nearly screamed it when he ignored her protests.
His head shot up and his angry glare met her eyes.
"You're not doing anything. I'm not watching cops take you away again." Her voice wavered and she said, "Please stop."
Brian dropped his jeans and approached her. His hands framed her face. "I'm sorry, babe. I'm sorry he hurt you."
"It's not your fault," she whispered. "You warned me about him."
He pulled her to his chest. "I pegged that son of a bitch from day one." He lifted her face again, his eyes darting around, examining the bruises, then he ran a finger around her bruised cheek. "Have you seen a doctor?"
She nodded. "Yes, Ali insisted since I lost consciousness."
"Fucking hell!" Brian growled through gritted teeth. "I can't believe nobody called me!"
"I made them promise. Mark, Ali, Shane, and Johnny promised not to tell you, but they're all pissed about it. Mark sent Shane after him, but I don't know what happened."
"Shane?" Brian asked. "Good. I hope he beat that mother-fucker's ass. When did this happen?"
"Last Sunday."
"Holy hell, Melissa!" he said. "It's Saturday, and you still look this bad."
"But I'm okay."
"That son of a bitch could have seriously hurt you."
"Can we get back into bed?" Melissa asked, grabbing his hand. "I don't want to spend another second thinking about him."
She walked over and tucked herself back under the comforter and curled into his chest when he lay down next to her. When his breathing settled, she lifted her hand to look at the diamond ring Brian had slipped on her finger. She felt a little flutter in her stomach and said the name silently in her head. Melissa Hammel…finally, Melissa Hammel. She smiled, wanting to scream it from the rooftop.
"Do you like the ring?" Brian asked.
"I love it! More importantly, I love what it stands for." She turned her hand, examining the setting. "Wait…this isn't new. Where did you get this?"
"It's Ma's ring. She gave it to me when I told her I was coming over here to propose to you."
"No kidding." She lifted her head to look at him. "So they're okay with us being together?"
"Yeah, excited even."
"Why didn't you give Julie this ring?"
"Yesterday, when Ma gave me the ring, she said she'd always thought it would go to you, but when I married Julie, it didn't seem right to give it to her." He shrugged. "She was set on us getting married one day. She felt like the ring already belonged to you, and giving it to Julie seemed unfair to both of you."
Melissa's breath caught in her throat. She expected his parents to be disappointed, maybe even angry at them for being together. It truly touched her to hear they still cared about her and wanted to welcome her into their family.
"So when do you want to get married? They may have an opening at the Justice of the Peace tomorrow." Brian gave her a sly grin.
Melissa laughed. "We should give it a little longer than a day. Maybe give my mother some time to get used to the idea." Melissa shook her head and frowned. "She's going to have a freaking fit when I tell her."
"Your mother will be happy if you're happy," he said. "Besides she didn't like Bennett at first either, and now she thinks he walks on water."
"Johnny threw himself in front of a speeding car for my sister. Of course Mother loves him."
"I'll do that, too, if it makes things easier."
"Don't you dare do anything like that," she said at the little glint in his eye.
"The kids are thrilled with the idea."
Melissa widened her eyes. "You told them?"
"I told them I wanted to marry you. I think they feel like they need a buffer between them and me. I've been in their faces so much lately; they're getting tired of it—and me."
"You have to be in their faces to be a productive parent. Otherwise, how would you know what's going on in their lives? Look at Erin. How did she keep that secret for so long?"
"That's exactly my point. I don't ever want to be that clueless again where they're concerned…or where you're concerned."
Melissa gave him a questioning look. Brian didn't say anything, b
ut he brushed the yellowing bruise on her cheek, and she understood his point.
"Let's pack some of your things and go surprise the kids."
"After I call Ali," Melissa said, reaching for the phone.
~
Brian sat across from Mark's desk and glared at him. Mark didn't seem too concerned, which only pissed Brian off more. He didn't understand why in hell Bennett and Mark would keep Melissa's attack from him. He would never leave them in the dark if one of their ladies had been attacked. Going into a new business venture with Mark had changed everything for him, but he wouldn't continue with the plan if he couldn't trust him.
"Stop brooding, Bri," Mark said.
"What the hell? I don't get it."
"You had a lot going on. I didn't want to distract you from the business at hand. Quitting your job and starting a business is a huge thing for you, and Melissa was okay. We had her covered."
"I'm the one to judge what's a priority in my life, not you!" Brian shouted.
"She didn't want you to know," Mark said. "Would you rather I go against her wishes?"
"Yes, damn it!"
"Shane and Randy had her place covered twenty-four-seven. I didn't head over there because of Ali's call. Shane sent me when Collins entered the building."
"You had Shane watching her place?"
"Yes, you asked me to keep an eye on her. I knew what was going on with you and why you weren't talking to her. I did what you asked. She would have blown a gasket if I'd told her we were monitoring her."
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't have told me after the fact."
"Bullshit. I took care of it. Shane took care of Collins."
"How?"
"Let's just say he'll be eating through a straw for a few months." Mark smiled an exaggerated toothy grin. "He can't even tell the police who did it because we can then turn him in for the attack…especially since her camera's got him entering and leaving the building," Mark said. "But he doesn't have a witness that says Shane beat the hell out of him."
All of that didn't change the fact that Brian wanted to beat the hell out of Mark. "You still should have told me."
"Oh, get over it. We have work to do." Mark shuffled the paperwork on his desk then said, "I have a contract here to rent the entire building from Melissa, including the upstairs loft. It'll be great office space for your team and mine."
Brian scoffed. "I don't have a team."
"Not yet," Mark said. "Is Melissa ready to move out?"
"No, she's pretty disappointed about moving."
"Then why did she agree to do it?"
"Collins ruined it for her. She's scared to be there alone."
"Melissa—scared? Never thought I'd hear that."
"Makes me want to hurt the bastard. I don't like seeing her jumpy and paranoid. I want her to be alert, but not scared." Brian frowned at him.
"Well…" Mark snickered. "At least you know Collins isn't a threat now. I get it though. Sarah still looks over her shoulder. It's sickening to see any woman fearful, I hate it, but all I can do is reassure her everyday she's okay and the kids are okay."
"It's better though, isn't it? I mean, she's not like she was before."
"Yes, it's much better, but I still see little hints of it. Don't get me wrong. With everything she's been through, she's entitled to feel a little jumpy." Mark stuck the contract in a folder and handed it to Brian. "Give me a call when Melissa's ready to move, and I'll get the renovations going on the office space."
"I'll get her moved out this weekend. Then we'll start looking for a house. She needs an office and a studio for work, and my house isn't big enough. Let's plan for Tuesday. I'm ready to get this show on the road. I'm tired of sitting around on my ass not working."
"Sounds like a plan."
Brian reached for the door handle. "I'm out. I'm meeting Bennett for lunch."
"Oh, his turn. Should I call to warn him?" Mark asked with a crooked smile.
"No, he needs a good ass-chewing, too. If it were his wife…" Brian said over his shoulder as he left the office.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Brian slid into the booth across from Johnny, not bothering to greet him. "So…you're leaving me to partner with Martinez?" Johnny drawled after a moment of silence.
"Don't make small talk with me. What the hell were you thinking not making a report against Collins?"
"The victim didn't want to. Should I have dragged her to the station by her hair and forced her? She seemed to have been through enough. I didn't want to make the ordeal any more difficult for her."
"You could have convinced her. What good is that country boy accent if you can't get what you want out of a woman?"
Johnny chuckled. "As if Melissa is easy. Nice try; that woman is scary…I don't know how you do it."
"Do what, pussy?"
Johnny laughed again, "You two act more like sparring partners than lovers."
"You're jealous." Brian smiled finally.
"Nah, I have my own Ali-Cat."
"Yeah, and what have you done to that lady? She used to be gentle and calm. She never even raised her voice before. Now she's threatening to cut my balls off."
Johnny grinned. "Hot, huh?"
"There's something wrong with you, Bennett." Brian shook his head in disgust. "To the point—you should have told me something."
"We had her. There was no need, and she didn't want you to know. It's none of my business but…" Johnny looked at Brian over his coffee mug. "The woman has a right to protect herself from you."
"From me?" Brian asked incredulously. "What are you talking about?"
"She's been hurt—hurt by you—and now physically hurt by Collins." Johnny leaned forward. "You've been a cop long enough to know how this goes. I wanted to let her keep what little bit of dignity she was clinging to."
Brian growled at him. "She's done nothing to be ashamed of."
"I understand that, but she doesn't. She's textbook abuse vic. I didn't want to make things worse by going against her wishes and blabbin' to you."
Brian couldn't argue. Melissa had been changed by the attack, and that bothered him more than anything. "What's up with Jeffries?"
"Nothing. We're tailing his family, but there's been no contact. He's long gone," Johnny drawled, leaning back in the booth.
"So…tell me."
"I can't give you any information. You're not my partner. You're not even a cop anymore."
Johnny's face changed when he said it, and Brian didn't miss the subtle difference. "Look, Bennett, I get you're pissed, but I can't keep this up. You have kids now. You know how important it is to be around for them." Brian lowered his eyes to the table. "I can't screw this up anymore. I only get one chance to raise these kids. I let Julie down. I won't let Melissa down or my kids again."
"You can juggle if you're careful. It doesn't have to be either, or, Bri."
"No, you can juggle. I can't. It's a proven fact that I can't. Look what happened to my daughter—on my watch!" Brian shook his head, trying not to get emotional. Giving up his job was hard enough. He didn't need people second guessing the decision. "I won't do to Melissa what I did to Julie. I owe her…I owe her everything, a family and a full-time husband."
"Can you be happy if you're not on the job?"
"I'll be happy as a clam," Brian said. "I can't wait to be my own boss. Get the sergeant off my back—make my own rules."
"Yeah…well, I hope you don't regret it."
"Give me something on Jeffries. What did they find in the search?"
"Loads and loads of pictures. All ages. Disgusting," Johnny sneered. "He had quite a racket going on at the Community Center…pictures of kids as young as six."
"Oh my God." Brian snarled. "Nasty son of a bitch." The idea of anyone looking at his daughter's pictures made Brian sick. He felt fire in his stomach and wanted to hurl at the idea, but he had to ask, regardless of the answer he had to ask.
"Where did my daughter's pictures go?"
"Bri
—"
"Just spit it out, Bennett! You're going to tell me eventually. Get it over with so I can sleep at night."
"There's one buyer. The FBI got him yesterday. He liked the older girls. They believe he's the only buyer for Erin's photos."
"So he's been arrested?"
"Yeah, but Bri, they're not totally sure…they're assuming. It seems Jeffries liked to post the older girls' photos on stock photo porn sites…"
"Fuck!" Brian laid his head back and shook it. "Please don't let my daughter's pictures be on the internet."
"Yeah, and you know how that goes. The internet is forever."
Brian's stomach rolled. He looked at Johnny and said, "And Erin's…"
"They haven't found any of Erin's online, but I thought I should warn you." Johnny said, "Most of the direct buyers have been picked up. Jeffries kept some serious records. I promise you, he wasn't as loyal to Ackerman as Ackerman was to him. He kept shit on all his buyers." Johnny's face wrinkled in disgust. "Anyway, the ICE is all over this. I think it hits pretty close to home since he got to your daughter and the DA's daughter. They're all sittin' 'round wondering what they would do if it were their kids."
"Kaiser's kid, too, huh?"
Johnny shook his head. "Yep."
"They have to get this guy, Bennett."
"And they will." Johnny shook his head. "Give them time—and God help him if I catch him first. I'll make him a cripple."
"I'm counting on it." Brian finished his coffee and said, "Keep me informed."
Johnny nodded, reaching across the table to shake Brian's hand. "See you later, Bri."
~
"I can't believe you're moving in with us," Erin said as she wrapped up another glass from the cabinet.
"It does seem a bit fast, doesn't it?"
"No! I think it's cool, but aren't you going to miss your apartment?"
Melissa looked around, her eyes lingering on the spot where Chase had knocked her to the floor. She took a deep breath and shook her head. "No, not really. I would rather be with you guys than be here alone."
"Melissa, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Why?"
"Maybe we should wait until Daddy can help us."