Nervous energy coursed through Melody as she waited for Oak to pick her up. Surprisingly, she had managed a full night of sleep with out interruption. She didn't understand why Greg would only speak to her but she wasn't about to let him control the situation either. Hearing Oak's truck pull in, she locked the door and gave a small wave and smile before heading over.

He was already out of the truck and helping her into the cab, grateful as her back and rib was still protesting against most movements.

"Sleep well?" Oak asked as he got back in on the driver's side and slowly backed out of her driveway.
    "I did. Sorry again about last night, I promise it won't happen again."

She kept staring out the window as he only nodded. Watching the turn he took, she was amazed she had missed the hidden path that stood between her driveway and that of the Silent Warrior's compound. About a mile in, a tall steel building rose up before her surrounded by evergreens that shadowed most of it and only left one visible door.

            Melody swallowed as the seriousness of the situation set in. If this was where they kept Greg, what else did they use the building for. Glancing over at Oak, she saw he was already staring at her and she jumped when his hand touched hers resting on the bench seat between them.
             "What's the matter?" His deep voice rumbled right through her as she took in his ice blue eyes.
            "Is...this isn't the first time you've had to do something like this...is it?" Melody was almost afraid to ask but felt the need to know what kind of people she was putting her trust in. Her instincts told her she could trust Oak and his club but at the same time her instincts had been wrong in the past.
             His heavy sigh had her wondering if she had crossed a line or if she had truly been tricked and was in fact being led to her own death. Call it paranoia but after hearing all the crap about her dads death and who might be after her, she had a reason to be.
          "Melody, your only out here to get some answers out of Greg. This building has multiple purposes and is used very rarely for situations like this. You, have nothing to worry about." Oak shut the truck off and opened his door before jumping out, Melody following suit.
             Blowing out her pent up breath, she followed Oak into the building and down a hallway that opened into a larger storage space. Taking keys from his pocket, he unlocked a door to her right and flicked on the switch in the room.
          Melody gasped at the sight in front of her, taking in the beaten form of Greg slumped against the white, tile wall. Make shift shackles chained him to the wall as his head lolled against his chest. His torn white tee shirt was streaked with blood, his face gaunt but untouched, puzzling her.
       "Wanted to make sure he could talk and see but if he doesn't cooperate that will quickly change," Oak growled in warning as Greg finally opened his eyes.
              They were unfocused and blood shot, rolling around in his head before finding her still standing in the doorway.
            She straightened her spine despite feeling like bugs were crawling all over her as she met his dark stare. Not feeling bad for him one bit, she fisted her hands and stepped towards him, stopping as he suddenly lurched to his feet.

        "Oh look, the cunt has come to play," Greg's hoarse voice fell into a coughing fit. Crossing her arms over her chest, Melody stepped closer but far enough away he couldn't reach out and touch her. He laughed at her before spitting blood on the ground at her feet, making her jump back.
      "Watch your fucking mouth." Oak growled out.
          She instantly held her hand up as she saw Oak step towards Greg. Tying her hair back in a low ponytail, Melody pushed back the sleeves of her sweatshirt and then sat on one of the empty, plastic folding chairs.

         "I am only here to get answers. Other than that, I don't care what you have to say." Holding her head high, Melody pretended to be indifferent while inside, her heart was trying to run right out of her chest. She saw the shock in Greg's eyes as he looked between her and Oak. A sly smile slid over his face as he leaned back against the wall, favoring his right leg.

        "Why should I give you anything, your boyfriend is just going to kill me once I do." Melody felt her face flame red as Greg called Oak her boyfriend. She looked over at him but he only had eyes on Greg, his fists clenched and ready to thrash out.
          Rubbing her fingers over her face, Melody sighed. "Whatever Greg. Your right, why am I even here."
            "Couldn't stay away, had to get another taste of my dick, huh?" Greg chuckled as Oak lunged forward and threw a punch to the side of his face, knocking him down.
               "I said watch your fucking mouth," Oak demanded as he stepped back and rubbed his bruised knuckles.
          Melody felt her hands tremble at his words but felt satisfaction at seeing him struggle to get up. This man was responsible for helping with the running of a sex trafficking ring and she was not going to feel bad about any of this. He had hurt her and who knew who else and wasn't about to let him continue.
         "Greg, cut the bullshit. If you don't have anything nice to say then this conversation is over and I will leave to let him deal with you." Melody glanced over at Oak who finally looked back at her and nodded with assurance, backing her up. The bravado she was feeling started to diminish as Greg raged suddenly against his cuffs.
          "Stupid girl! I'm already dead so it doesn't matter. My boss may not know where you are yet but he will. Your daddy wasn't too smart sticking his nose where it didn't belong and now you have to pay for it." Greg snarled the words as he heaved against his restraints.
             Melody looked worriedly over at Oak as he stared hard at Greg, mulling over his words.
             "Why does he care so much to get his hands on Melody, this isn't adding up." Oak states as he crosses his arms and glares at Greg.
      "Not you, her! Only she gets to talk." Greg pointed a finger at Melody, his crazy expression making her realize how he had truly lost his mind.
      "Why me, Greg? I had nothing to do with my Dad's shady dealings, I was clueless and still am." She threw her hands up and rose from the chair, pacing. He watched her with a dark expression, seemingly deciding whether or not to tell her.
       "An eye for an eye were his words. Your dad ratted the devil out and got his son killed. Now he wants to make you pay, it'll make him feel better." Greg's evil smile sent shivers down her back. Why had her dad done that? He had always seemed clear headed and smart in his business dealings and even kept his gambling under control. Until now, her mind whispered as she turned back to Greg.
      "Well, let him come Greg. You won't be here for it and I could care less about a drug lord trafficking drugs and people. Mr. Garcia can kiss my ass and you can both go to hell where you belong." Melody felt her chest rushing with breath as her heart beat rapidly. She couldn't stand being in the same room as him anymore and stumbled back out the door she had come in. Making it outside the large building, she felt the fresh air cooling her down as she stared up at the Rockies.
     Shaking her head at her mind wanting to scramble, she turned around at hearing the door slam shut behind her. Oak was striding towards her, more blood spattered across his white tee shirt and cut. Had he killed Greg?
        Stopping before reaching her, Oak wiped his hands down his pants before shaking his head.
      "I'll take care of him later. Right now I want to make sure you're okay?" His hands flexed as he stared at her, concern shining back at her.
     Nodding, she smiled weakly as she felt her body draining further and just wanting comfort. Too much was warring in her mind lately and right now all she wanted was to be held and pretend that everything would be okay. As if reading her mind, like he seemed so good at doing, Oak moved his arms out as she fell towards him and wrapped her arms around his middle.
       It was probably the best hug she had had in a long time and felt her tears escape and drop onto his chest. He was tall and solid and made her feel safe and comforted as his large hands pressed into her lower back and wrapped around to her sides.
        "I hate this. Ha, your probably cursing the day you hired me and dropped all this into your life. I...I probably need to run far away from here, try and lose them...". Her eyes were closed tight and she felt his arms tighten in response to her words. She knew she sounded crazy but it was all true, she couldn't stay here and put anymore people in danger.
       "Listen," Oak moved back and put her face between his palms. "Breathe and relax. You don't need to run anywhere, I already told you we have your back and I meant it. You're apart of this family and this family sticks together and fights together. Alright?" His sincerity resonated loudly and had her eyes flying wide open in shock. She did start to breathe and relax before his hands left her face and she rubbed the remnants of her tears from her cheeks.
Maybe there was someone up above watching out for her after all. Melody bit her lip as she looked around them, wanting to leave at least Greg and all his shit behind her.
      "Okay. Can we go?" Her voice was small and she was still unsure about how she felt when it came to the Warriors helping her.
        "Yeah, come on." Oak grabbed her hand and led her back to his truck.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get more information out of him. I just didn't want to be around him any longer." Melody blew out a breath and stared out the passenger window as they humbled back down the grass path.
           "Understandable and you did just fine. Ash has some guys working on finding out about this drug lord and seeing how much of all this is true. Just hang in there, we will get through this." We, Melody felt fuzzy when he said that but told herself not to look too deep into it either. She couldn't get ahead of herself and didn't know how much of this was because circumstances were now keeping them forced together.
           They pulled up in front of her house again, Oak leaving the truck running.
               "He'll be gone by tonight. Until we know how serious this is, I still am going to make sure someone is always here or with you if you go out." She chewed her lip and nodded her head, numbed at the fact she was allowing so much in her life. Was this going to be her new life? Playing god and wondering when the next terrible thing would happen?
             "Thank you." She whispered before saying goodbye, dropping down from his pickup. Hearing Coal's barks, Melody quickly let him out as Oak remained in her driveway.
The truck suddenly turned off and his door opened as her heart thudded heavily in her chest. What was he doing? Melody felt herself backing up a step as he neared her porch.
"Melody, I want you here. I'm not talking on behalf of the club either. If you want to pursue this now or in the future, I'll leave that up to you but know this. I like you a lot and don't want you to leave." Oak growled out, shocking her as she stopped retreating.
         "Well, you know how to really lay it on a girl." Shakily, Melody laughed as did Oak before he stepped towards her.
        "We don't need to rush into anything and we can take it as slow or fast as you want."
Melody felt the fuzzy feeling return as she stared back at Oak, still covered in bruises and blood. What did she want? Was he truly wanting something with her? What about that blonde she had seen with him?
             Melody moved towards him and pushed up on her tiptoes, her hands finding support on his chest as she pressed her lips to his descending ones.
         It was gentle and sweet but made her breathless with need. Need for what she still wasn't sure yet, but she definitely wanted to find out.
            "Okay, but I'm confused. I saw you with someone else after the ride yesterday." She left specifics out to see how truthful he would be.
          He rubbed the back of his neck, recognition clearly in his eyes.
                "You must be talking about Sasha. Yes, it's true I saw her yesterday, but I also made it clear we were done. It was nothing serious and completely different than what I want with you." He really was laying it on thick and made her wonder how much she could trust his words. She felt like she could trust him with her life but her heart she wasn't so sure yet.
         "Thank you for being honest. Do you want to come in and get cleaned up?" Melody felt nervous now, knowing this was going way too easy.
        "No, not yet. Wyatt should be here soon. But I would love to take you out tonight for dinner?" He asked.
              She still felt nervous being out in public, her bruises still fading and making her feel self conscious.
          "How about I cook dinner tonight for us here?" Call her a coward but she felt safer here with him than anywhere else.
             "Sounds amazing to me. Does seven work?" Melody nodded and smiled, excited to share another evening with him.
           "Good, I'll see you later than." He jumped back into his truck and was gone as she watched Coal trot back up to her.
           Hearing a motorcycle rumble up the road, she smiled as she saw Wyatt pull in. Coal jumped and barked excitedly around the motorcycle before Wyatt hopped off and knelt down to his level. Warmed at the sight they made, she waved as Wyatt looked her way. How had she gotten so lucky to stumble across these men?
          Joining them down on the driveway, she laughed as Coal jumped and slobbered all over Wyatt's face before attempting to lay in his lap.
           "Shall we take a walk? I was going to check out some more trails with Coal." Melody felt at ease with Wyatt, who would have been her choice of bodyguard second to Oak or his brother.
          They were forming a friendship and their experience with Greg together felt binding. She knew he still felt terrible but she knew it could have been worse and would be thankful every day it wasn't.
          "For sure, let's go!" Wyatt and Coal bounded ahead of her out in the field as they headed towards the woods. Melody sighed in content and followed them into the forest.