Page 58 of Protected from Torment

“Are you having second thoughts?” Tyler asks. Disappointment shadows his gaze. “If you’ve changed your mind⁠—”

“No,” I blurt, hating for Tyler to feel bad for even a second. “It’s not that.” Much. “I guess… I’m worried I’ll make people uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?” Tyler rubs my chilled hand between his. “Who would you make uncomfortable?”

“It’s just…” Pausing, I try to compose my thoughts. “Everyone lives there. And with my history… I don’t want anyone to be scared of me.”

Comprehension dawns. “Mel. No one is scared of you. I promise.”

“But…” On a heavy sigh, I explain, “I’m not like the other people who’ve stayed there. I have a criminal history. You told me a little about what Eden and the other women have been through. What if me being there triggers them?”

Tyler immediately shakes his head. “It won’t.”

Indy’s eyes meet mine in the rear view mirror. “Bea isn’t worried about you being at B and A in the least. She’s excited to meet you. But that’s it.”

Webb turns in his seat again. “Noelle said the same thing.” His expression sobers. “I’ll be honest with you, Melissa. If I thought you might be a threat, I’d never have agreed to this. I⁠—”

“Webb.” Tyler’s voice is hard. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Mel is stressed enough already.”

“Let me finish,” Webb retorts. “I think Melissa would rather hear the truth.”

I squeeze Tyler’s hand. “I would.”

Webb gives me a reassuring smile. “I’m telling you this because I want you to know I trust you. I’m not worried about you living at B and A, and I’m not worried about you spending time with Noelle.”

Indy slows the car as he turns down an unmarked driveway. We travel a short distance before stopping at a tall, metal gate with an intimidating-looking fence attached to it. Instead of opening his window to reach the keypad outside it, he turns in his seat to look at me.

“It was a group decision,” he says. “All five of us, and the women. We all agreed, unanimously.” He pauses. “Do you think we should be worried about you?”

“No,” I blurt. “No. Never. I would never do anything to hurt— I learned my lesson. If I notice my symptoms flaring up, I know what to do. I’ll call my counselor. I’ll warn Tyler. And I’ll use the strategies my counselor gave me. Meditation, walks with Oscar…” Tears press behind my eyes. “I promise. I would leave before I did anything. I swear.”

“Mel.” Tyler flashes an irritated look at his friend. “Indy doesn’t think you’d do anything. He’s just trying to make a point.”

“Tyler’s right,” Indy says. “And I’m sorry. That’s not how I intended it. I just mean, we’re not worried about you. And if you say you’re okay, we believe you.”

“I’m not okay,” I admit, ducking my head. “I’m scared.”

Indy touches my knee with his prosthetic hand. “We’ve all made mistakes, Melissa. After my injury, I did some shit I’m not proud of. I bailed on my family when they needed me. I was an asshole to the people who tried to help me. I’m not proud of those things. But accepting them makes me more determined not to let them happen again.”

Tyler lifts his chin at Indy before turning to me. “I screwed up, too. Does that mean I should be judged for it forever?”

“But you didn’t shoot someone,” I mutter as the familiar guilt presses down on me. “What I did was so much worse.”

“You were suffering from PTSD,” Tyler says. “You were hurting. Confused. Scared.” He slides his arm around me and hugs me to his side. “You were sick, Mel. You didn’t know to ask for help. Now you do. If you feel like you’re struggling, you have us.” His gaze holds mine. “You have me.”

My heart tugs. A lump swells in my throat. “Thank you.” As the heavy gate swings open and Indy drives through it, I add, “I’m sorry for being such a baby about this.”

Webb snorts. Oscar wakes from his doze and looks around with interest. Realizing we’ve slowed even further, Oscar sits up to peer out the window. His ears perk. His tail wiggles against my leg.

“A baby?” Webb asks, shaking his head. “You’re far from a baby, Melissa. How you’ve held up with all of this? It’s damn impressive.”

As we continue down the driveway towards—presumably—the main building, Tyler kisses my cheek. “You’re very brave,” he tells me quietly. “One of the bravest people I’ve met. And that’s saying a lot.”

“Tyler.”

He kisses me again, this time lightly on the lips. “I mean it. You are.” Then he nudges me and says, “There it is. The Shadow Team HQ.”

I lean forward, peering out the windshield at the building ahead of us. “It’s huge!”