Page 57 of Protected from Torment

“I’m not telling you to make you feel bad. What you and your friends did? I’ll never be able to thank you enough. Now I know who was behind everything. I know they won’t do it to anyone else. Being scared… I know it’s all in my head.”

Mostly, at least. With Julie, Jordan, and Michelle facing charges for fraud, conspiracy, obstruction of justice, among others, it’s highly unlikely they’ll bother me again. While Tyler and I watched the police arrest the three women, Tyler promised me he’d make sure they do time. “They’re not getting out of this,” he told me with absolute confidence. “I promise you, Mel. They’re going to be punished.”

But the pessimistic part of me can’t help wondering.

What if one of the women gets out of jail and comes after me for revenge? What if someone else hears about their little game and decides to continue it? What if a family member is angry about my role in this whole mess and wants vengeance?

But I didn’t share those concerns with Tyler. Not when I was already on tenterhooks, waiting for him to end our burgeoning relationship. He had to go back to Oregon, after all, and he might not want the complication of something long-distance. Or he might have been thinking I really was too much drama for him.

Stupid me, though, not giving Tyler enough credit. Because he figured out what I was worried about immediately. “No matter what you decide to do,” he told me solemnly, “I’m not leaving you on your own. You’ll always have me at your six. Whether you stay here, or you move someplace else...”

Trailing off, he went silent as he watched Oscar leap at a squirrel chittering from the branch above him. Then Tyler looked back at me with an almost uncertain expression. “I have an idea, Mel. It’s okay if you don’t want to do it. But I’ve been thinking, maybe this would be a good solution for you, if you’re interested.”

His idea was to come to Blade and Arrow to stay for a while. “A few weeks,” he suggested, “or longer, if you want. Just to get your feet back under you. Take some time to figure out what you want to do next. You could stay at my place—it’s not big, but it’s got two bedrooms and two baths, so there’s room—and just… decompress for a bit.”

My first instinct was to say no. How could I? Move across the country to stay with a man I’ve known for only a few weeks? Go without an income for as long as I’m there? Even if I don’t have to pay rent, there are expenses for Oscar, a car payment, insurance… As tempting as the idea was to get away from everything, I couldn’t just abdicate all responsibility, either.

But Tyler being Tyler, he had a solution for everything. He would arrange for me to get a healthy severance payment from my work—“It’s the least they can do,” Tyler grumbled, “considering you could sue for harassment.”—so I wouldn’t have to worry about money for a while. And if I felt uncomfortable staying at Tyler’s house on the B and A property, I could stay in one of the client apartments in the main building instead.

The money issue was a huge weight off my shoulders. And when I thought about where I really wanted to stay, it wasn’t in an apartment all by myself. Even if practicality says it’s too soon, I want to be with Tyler—watching our shows together and sharing coffee every morning and just knowing he’s there when I can’t sleep at night.

Knowing I’m there for him when he has trouble sleeping, too.

So I agreed. And after three days, one chartered plane ride, and a forty-five minute drive from the airport, I’m nearly there—the Blade and Arrow Shadow Team’s headquarters, a thirteen-acre compound southwest of Portland. About to officially meet the rest of Tyler’s team and their partners. About to move into Tyler’s house for the next few weeks, at least. And hoping I didn’t make a massive mistake.

“Almost there,” Tyler says. He squeezes my hand, and I turn my gaze from the blur of trees outside the window to the man sitting in the backseat next to me. “Just about five minutes.”

My heart gives a nervous jump. “Five minutes?” Since we got in the car at the airport, time’s gotten away from me. And somehow, I thought I had more time to prepare for this.

“Just about,” he replies. Jerking his chin at the window, he adds, “See that sign for Williston right there? That’s how I always know we’re close.”

Webb turns in the passenger seat to look at us. “Once you take the turn for Williston, it’s about ten minutes to town. That’s where Noelle has her theater. And she still picks up a few shifts a month at the diner. You should visit both once you’re all settled in.”

Tyler smiles. “That’s on the itinerary for sure. Williston, Portland, Seattle, Mount Hood⁠—”

“The Bigfoot museum?” Webb chuckles. Glancing at me, he explains, “There’s a Bigfoot experience museum on the way to Mount Hood. I took Noelle there on our first date. Which was pretty ambitious, now that I think about it. But it all worked out.”

“That would be nice,” I reply. But I’m not sure how convincing I sound, given that my nerves are jittering so badly I’m nauseous from them.

“Mel?” Tyler asks.

I turn my attention back to Tyler, who’s watching me with visible concern. “Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

“Of course,” I reply quickly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

He gives me a long look. Then, quietly, he says, “You’re shaking. So either you’re cold or you’re nervous. Which one is it?”

Sensing my unease, Oscar lifts his head and eyes me assessingly. He’s curled up on the seat beside me to my right, while Tyler is to my left. Oscar stands, turns in an unsteady circle, and plops back down, even closer than he was before. He sniffs my leg, then rests his head down on it and lets out a little woof.

I set my casted hand lightly on the top of Oscar’s head, letting the feel of his fur reassure me. My instinct is to insist everything’s okay, but I stop myself. If I want to really see where things go with Tyler, I need to be honest with him. Not just about the bad things I did, but the feelings I’m scared to admit to.

“I’m nervous,” I confess. “It wasn’t too bad on the plane, but now that we’re almost there…”

“Nervous?” Tyler’s forehead creases. “Why?”

My stomach twists. It’s hard enough telling Tyler, but Indy and Webb are bound to hear, too. Unless I whisper, but that would be kind of rude. Especially given everything they’ve done for me and how nice they’ve been.