On the edge, p.7
On The Edge, page 7
“Kai!” Reis calls out, and the man magically appears as if he formed out of thin air. Kai stands right in front of me, my face running into his muscular chest. He smells so good; like leather and smoke, with whiskey and vanilla all mixed together. It’s… wow.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Kai’s low voice rumbles in his chest and I fight every part of me that just wants to jump into his arms and kiss him.
“Away from you guys.” I cock an eyebrow and tilting my head in challenge, daring him to try and stop me. Reis crosses his arms over his chest and steps closer like he’s some fucking mob-boss-wannabe. I roll my eyes. “You can save your little intimidation routine. It’s not going to work.”
“Who said it’s a routine?” Kai growls, his hands wrap around my wrists so quickly I don’t even register it until he slaps a metal handcuff over my wrist and the other around his own.
“There, now you’re not going anywhere.” Reis smirks, looking downright fucking giddy. Adam and Markus jog up to where we’re standing and their eyes both widen in shock.
“You can’t be serious, Reis,” Markus says, gesturing to the handcuff on my wrist. “It was a fucking joke!”
“It seemed like a good idea. She was getting ready to bolt.” Reis shrugs, and adjusts a few of the rings on his long fingers while staring at me.
“Dude, I said that years ago, drunk as hell, and missing Melody like the air I needed to breathe. You cannot just handcuff someone to you so they won’t leave.” Markus steps around Kai and me to get to Reis, and I yank my arm to try and get the cuff off. Nothing happens except Kai’s arm smacks my stomach and he fucking smiles like a psycho.
“Not getting away from me that easy, baby girl,” he says with a smile, showcasing his straight, white teeth.
Kai is the “guy-next-door” kind of handsome. Classically beautiful with thick blonde hair and a square jaw where you can see his muscle jump when he clenches his teeth. I used to watch him for hours to see what pissed him off or frustrated him enough to make that muscle move.
Sexy as hell.
He’s also a little bit of a secret psychopath. Always one wrong word away from jumping off the ledge or running off on his next adventure. The handcuff thing doesn’t surprise me at all, especially if Reis nudged him along.
“Why do you even care?” I snap, not backing down from his little show of crazy. I have my own brand of crazy and I’m not afraid to show it anymore.
“You know what? Let’s just say I don’t like losing.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Adam comes to stand by me, wrapping his arm intimately around my waist and Kai growls.
“Don’t you fucking dare.”
“There’s been a new development,” Adam says to Kai, raising one eyebrow. “One you’re really going to like.”
“No, there hasn’t,” I say, looking between the two of them in frustration. “Kai, let me go.”
He just smiles down at me like I’m challenging him. “I don’t think so. Not yet.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Reis snaps, pushing away from Markus to come closer to me, “you’re coming with us, sweetheart.”
Back the fuck up–what?
“Yeah, right. No, that is not happening.”
“Reis, not like this.” Adam looks torn–like he wants to take me, but he doesn’t want to cross some line.
“Exactly like this. It shouldn’t be an issue, should it? She sees us as her brothers and wants nothing more to do with us. I think she should get to see just how well the band she didn’t think would make it actually did.” Reis' words strike me like a punch to the chest because those words… They remind me of what I had to say to Darcy, the lie I had to tell to protect myself. “So, come on, sis. Let’s go home.”
Reis has that look in his eye, the same one he used to get when he couldn’t move on from something; a B+ on a test he knew he aced, the melody to a chorus he couldn’t quite figure out, when he wanted to get shredded and his workout routine wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Focused. Obsessive. Determined without distraction.
It’s like now that he’s seen me again, he’s going to make sure I stay no matter what.
Calling me sis was like a smack across the face, and Adam negates it by slapping my ass in a very non-sister way.
“Looks like you’re coming home with us, Echo.”
Four sets of eyes wait for me to answer, like I have some kind of choice. But we all know the truth; I go quietly, or they make me.
I’ve never had a choice.
“You can’t just–” I start to argue, but Kai just sighs and picks me up. “Put me down!”
“You’re coming with us. And that’s that, Sync, so get used to it.”
They all have a mix of delight and acceptance, as I smack Kai’s back, trying to get him to put me down. Reis' eyes narrow as a slow, sinister grin covers his face that promises pain. Adam shakes his head, looking down and biting the collar of his shirt in reluctant acceptance, while Markus follows along.
And not one person watching us tried to help.
“How long am I going to be cuffed to you, Kai?” I ask rudely, being jostled around in the middle of the dark SUV.
Neither Kai or Reis has mentioned my sudden lack of fishnets, but I have caught them checking out my bare legs two or three times each. They must be too occupied fucking kidnapping me to see the difference.
I don’t know where they’re taking me and to be honest, I just have to surrender to it. I’m not getting away from them anytime soon, especially not when I’m cuffed to Kai. I don’t think they’ll hurt me, but seven years of apparent growing anger can definitely change a person.
“Until I know you’re not going to run away from me, Sync.” He shrugs, looking out the window and spreading his fingers over my knee.
I grind my teeth, and turn away from him as much as I can.
I didn’t fucking run away, you did. Why do you keep fucking saying that? I so badly want to scream at them, but keep my mouth shut.
“Sync?” I ask instead, looking at him with annoyance.
“Sync.” Kai nods. “It’s your new nickname. Short for syncopation.”
“Syncopation?”
“Syncopation. Is there an echo in here?” Kai smirks, flashing a dark smile at Reis.
I snarl. I just really do not have the mental energy to deal with Kai and his shit today.
“I’m giving you one more chance, crazy boy.” I hold up one finger and growl at him. “One. If you don’t think I’ll strangle you with these handcuffs, you’re dead wrong.”
“Kinky.” Kai smirks, leaning into my space with a dark look in his eyes. “But fine,” he sits back and runs his free hand through his hair. “Do you understand music theory?”
My eyes close slowly, dramatically, and I keep them closed while I give him a deep breath that tells him I’m running out of patience.
“Fucking get to it.”
“Fine!” Kai laughs, “So fucking feisty when you’re pissed off. Syncopation is where in a song the beat doesn’t hit where you think it should. It makes the weak beats strong. If done right, it can bring the whole fucking song together, it can make everyone focus and make your chest flutter with how…special it is.”
“And you think that can apply to me?” I raise an eyebrow with a knowing look and cross my arms, the handcuffs pulling at my wrist painfully.
Not that I’d let him know.
“I think it applies to you perfectly.” Kai drops that piece of information like it’s nothing, and turns forward, effectively dismissing me from the conversation.
“How far until we’re there?” I grumble.
“Fifteen minutes,” Reis snaps, throwing the words over his shoulder. They have a fancy-pants driver, but Reis is acting like he rules the freaking roost. “Type what you need from your house into this,” Reis says, handing me his cell.
“Or you guys could just drop me off and let me pack a bag. Or better yet, let me go and move on with your lives.”
“We aren’t letting you out of our sight, Melody. Not yet at least.” Kai smiles sinisterly, his white teeth slightly glowing in the limited light.
“It’s okay,” Adam whispers to me, trying to keep me from freaking out. He rests his hand on my upper thigh, his warm hand bringing me some kind of comfort. Markus leans forward from the third row and kisses the back of my neck, still exposed from when I put my hair up.
“Why the fuck are you two touching her like that?” Reis snaps, and I see his eyes glaring at me from the rearview mirror.
“It’s none of your business,” I snap right back. “What happened to the nice Reis that I met backstage, huh? We go to a club and you turn into Mr. Hyde?”
“Don’t anger it,” Adam whispers in my ear and the whole car falls silent as the tension thickens.
Instead of answering me, Reis averts his eyes and stares out the window. Like a coward.
And I scoff.
“Figures. I call you on your bullshit and you ignore me like we’re still in high school.”
“But we aren’t anymore, are we, Mel? We’re grown up now and we’ve been apart for a long time. Things can change.” His chocolate eyes glare at me through the mirror, and I so badly want to meet his challenge, but I realize he’s admitting something.
He’s admitting that we’ve grown. Now, I don’t know if that means these jagged, scabbed-over wounds have healed wrong as we grew, but I’m not going to let him know just how deep he buried his knife in my back all those years ago.
“That they can.”
“We’re here,” the driver says awkwardly, breaking our staring contest and the icy, uncomfortable tension in the car.
“Thank fuck,” Markus mutters from the backseat.
“Where are we?” I ask, trying to see out the window, but Kai’s wicked smile widens. Reis smirks, opens his door, and that’s when I hear it.
Jet engines.
“Where are we?” I ask again, louder. “Adam?” I turn, grabbing his hand that’s holding my leg.
“Melody, we’re–”
“Have you ever been to New York?” Markus asks, leaning forward on the seat as Kai opens his door, and drags me out with him.
“New York?!” I can’t fucking go to New York, I have work. I have responsibilities. “I can’t go to New York!”
“Tough shit. You’re going. We have too much unfinished business.” Reis steps around the car, yelling to be heard over the jet engines. “So unless you have a boyfriend–which I doubt– going on a quick trip should be an easy thing.”
This motherfucker…
Kai very pointedly laughs at me and I can feel my cheeks redden with angry embarrassment.
“I’m not leaving Oklahoma just because the guys I used to be friends ask me to! And fuck, you’re not even asking!”
“You’re right.” Kai nods, pursing his lips in thought. “We’re not.”
Without warning, he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. Again.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” I scream this time, kicking and hitting him as much as I can. Not only am I being fucking kidnapped, but I’m showing my vag to the world because this neanderthal doesn’t care about covering me anymore. “Put me down! Adam! Markus!” I call out to them for help, but when I look back, I see that they’re in on this too. They might not agree with it, but they accept it and are going to let it happen.
Adam unties the flannel from around his waist and throws it over my ass so at least I’m not flashing everyone.
“Can’t have everyone seeing what’s mine,” he mutters and I growl at him, baring my teeth.
“Who says any of you are getting anything from me after this?”
Adam shakes his head, his eyes widening in shock, while Markus laughs boisterously. “We all know how this is going to end, Mel. Some of us are just going to fight it longer than others.” He looks pointedly at Reis, who’s already climbing the stairs to get on the plane.
Fucking confident, cocky assholes. The whole lot of them.
The engines make the air whip around us and the hairs that have come loose from my bun stick to my face haphazardly. With one final smack to Kai’s back, I go full dead weight.
He wants to carry me? He can. But I’m not going to make it easy work for him.
“That’s a good girl,” Kai coos, patting my ass twice before stepping up onto a metal staircase.
“Fuck you,” I snap, rolling my eyes. “You kidnapping fuckers better make sure to get my laptop and all the cords. And clothes. I’m not wearing my concert-going outfit for the foreseeable future.”
“Who says you’ll be wearing anything?” Markus winks.
“You’ll be in my clothes.” Adam crosses his arms over his chest, rolling his eyes at Markus.
“I like my plan better.” Markus nudges Adam’s arm like they’re both in on the joke, and they climb the stairs.
Goddamn millionaire assholes, owning a private jet. I’m seething in anger and the insults just keep coming. Pretentious pricks. Earth-killing dicks who just want to flaunt their wealth.
Kai bends slightly, and I look around as best I can. It’s a sleek plane, all dark leather and glossy tables. The seats are turned to face each other rather than all facing forward with a few extra chairs around. There’s already a guy in all-black with an ear piece standing in the far back of the plane.
There’s a freaking security guard on the plane, watching them kidnap me, and doing nothing about it.
How much fucking influence do these guys have? Jesus Christ.
The lights are bright and very artificial, almost blinding me from the abrupt lighting change, when the air is knocked out of me as Kai throws me in a chair. “Oof.”
“Sorry,” Kai says mockingly apologetic, leaning down to buckle me like a toddler.
“I am able to do that myself, you know.”
“But would you?” Reisyn snarks, putting his hands into his pockets and looking at me with such a condescending look, I want to smack it off his face.
“I don’t like being told what to do.” I arch my eyebrow and set my jaw. A clear challenge in my demeanor and I should’ve known he’d rise to it.
“You used to.” Reis' eyes turn dark and his words are heavy with innuendo. Too much for someone who never touched me romantically a day in my life.
“Like you would know.”
His eyes narrow at me and he clenches his jaw as his nostrils flare with frustration. Or embarrassment.
Reis turns around quickly and marches into the cockpit, leaving me with the others.
Markus and Adam sit on one side of the table, looking at me with loaded expressions. Like they want to tell me something, but can’t. They always were the worst secret keepers in the world.
At least some things haven’t changed.
Adam looks down, fiddling with his hand–the one that he got me off with–and sucks on his finger, before looking back up at me through his eyelashes. He slowly drags his fingers out of his mouth and then pulls his shirt collar up around his nose.
Breathing me in.
A small moan leaves my lips before I’m able to control myself but it’s too late. Kai heard it.
“Oh, my. What was that sound, and how can I help you make it again?” He leans into me, speaking darkly in my ear, and trailing a finger down my face softly.
I’m so fucking conflicted. I want to lean in, to let him touch me, to let them all touch me, but there’s so much we need to sort out.
“Here,” Reis hands me a drink, a Diet Coke from the smell of it. “Non-alcoholic.”
“Oh, damn, where’s the fun in that?” I say sarcastically and roll my eyes, but take a sip anyway. “Fuck, that’s good.” I unbuckle my seatbelt and turn to look at them. How has so much time gone by that I barely recognize them? There was a time I thought we’d forever be entwined.
How things change.
I take another long drink of my cold pop and sigh happily for this one small thing.
Diet Coke and I are definitely in a relationship. It’s the only consistent thing in my life.
I take another drink, and Adam’s eyes widen. “Reis,” he says, dragging the name out slightly in concern.
Reis nods at him, answering some unasked question. But before I could ask what’s wrong, Adam lunges at Reis, punching him square in the face and knocking him to the ground.
Markus and Kai both jump up to pull the guys apart, and because we’re handcuffed together, Kai drags me over and I stumble to my feet. Kai tries to pull Adam from Reis, but I’m… something’s wrong. Everything’s… slowing… down…
It’s like my brain… can’t think…
“Kai?” I call for him softly, trying to pull him back so I’m not tripping over things, “Kai…” Kai whips around and his eyes widen in worry.
“Mel, what’s wrong, baby?” He cups my face, looking all over to see what’s happening, but I don’t know what to tell him. But something is wrong. Very wrong.
“Help,” I say softly, barely able to keep my eyes open as sleep tries to pull me under.
Right before I fall to the floor, I hear yelling, and Reis' low laughter.
EIGHT
Seeing Melody after all these years is like a bullet to the heart.
I never thought I’d want to see her again after overhearing her that day. Hearing the words repeating over and over in my head for years has made me crazy. Well, more crazy than I was.
The girl I loved talking to some chick that wouldn’t leave me alone about how much she didn’t like me, didn’t like any of us, just liked having us at her back. Her cruel laughter had hurt, but the denial of any true feelings hurt more.
I felt heartbroken and wanted to go lick my wounds, but Reis… Reis wanted revenge. Once we got to the City, it was like any of his light was snuffed out.
Instead of breaking down, he broke angrily.
Through all these years, his need for revenge grew. Reis wouldn’t so much as speak her name during the day, too fueled by his anger and determination, but then…
