Silent Warriors

Chapter Seven

Groggily, Melody opened her eyes to a lapping tongue belonging to Coal as he blew his breath over her face. Her lips curved into a smile as she reached out and stroked his velveteen fur. He pushed against her face and chest in comfort before she wrapped her arms around him and sighed. It had been two days since Bryce had shown up at her house and she still wasn't sure what to make of it. She hadn't left her house and had only gone on short walks near her house, afraid that he was nearby.
                   "Best dog ever", Melody whispered before throwing the covers back and jumping after Coal as they raced down the stairs. She flung the door open before coming to a halt as her fear kicked in. 

Whistling sharply for Coal, Melody slowly backed towards her door as she swept her eyes back and forth wondering if he was watching now. She didn't know why she felt so unsettled but she couldn't go on feeling this way.

She hated that he could still make her feel this way as she watched in misery, Coal doing his business before he realized they were not going for a walk. Once they were back inside, Melody absently pressed play on her answering machine before walking towards the kitchen. Instantly stopping as Bryce's voice filled her house and had her heart hammering in terror.
                                Rushing over to the answering machine, she quickly pressed delete before her eyes widened in horror as a new message with his voice played after.
How many more messages had he left and she never realized?

Looking down at the visual display she gasped at the number of missed calls and messages. Too many, she thought as she deleted the rest of his calls and messages before unplugging her phone. Anyone that truly needed her could reach her cell; he was already blocked.

Melody ran a hand through her hair and knew she couldn't keep them cooped up all day. Maybe she should go over to see Oak's brother about her dad's bike maintenance and see if he could take a look at her dad's car too.

Running back upstairs, she threw on loose jeans and dark green turtle neck tank top that showed off her freckled shoulders and thankfully covered the bruising on her throat that was slowly healing. Throwing a light green, army jacket over her shirt to ward off the brisk air, she pulled her hiking boots on and threw her hair up in a messy bun.

Grabbing her .357 from her bed before leaving the house with Coal, she set out on the quick walk towards Decker's Garage. The crisp spring air had Coal prancing and sniffing next to her as they walked side by side down the dead end road.

It didn't take long to reach the garage a half mile down the road. Melody followed Coal into the large open parking lot before setting eyes on all the bikes and bays filled with machines. Several men were busy wrenching away on motorcycles and cars before Melody spied a man coming towards her.

She paused once she realized it wasn't Oak, and as he got closer she could only guess it was his brother who owned the shop. He had never given her a name so she walked towards him with her hand out. 

"Hi, I'm Melody."

Oak's brother chuckled as he lightly gripped her hand in a shake. "I know who you are. My brother and the rest of the guys can't stop talking about you. I'm Ash, Oak's brother."
Melody flushed in embarrassment wondering what they all had said about her. Dropping her hand from his, she placed it on Coal's head as she introduced him to Ash.
"And Wyatt can't stop talking about this guy either, he sounds like a good dog." Ash looked down at her with mirth in his blue eyes that matched Oak's. Ash had a buzzed head of dark hair and his tall body of muscle and tattoos had her drooling. Shaking herself out of it, she smiled up at him just as Coal yanked on his leash making her stumble into Ash. His large hands gripped her shoulders to keep her from falling forward.
"Jeez, Coal stop..." Coal was straining towards a little critter that looked like the same one he had killed the other day. "What are those?" Melody asked as she closed her jacket around her before pointing to the creature scurrying away.
Ash looked over as Coal finally calmed enough to sit by her side again and he stepped back to give her more room.
"Those are just the Pikas; little furry rabbit like rodents that should be moving further north this time of year."
"OK, cause Coal killed one the other day and I was hoping it wasn't a protected animal or anything." Melody got out her cell phone and showed the bloody picture to Ash.
He laughed, "Nope, you are good. Now what brings you down here?" Ash asked as he crossed his arms.
"I was wondering if I could book my dad's car and bike for service. The car needs it more so it's fine if it takes a while, I just want to keep up the maintenance on them since they don't get used regularly anymore. Just don't touch the inside" Melody could still smell the scent of her father in his car and did not want to loose it.