“What are you thinking about?” Thomas asks from the chair across hers, a glass of scotch in his hand.“Nothing.”“Are you thinking about him?” he asks before taking a sip of his drink. Melina doesn’t need him to say the name to figure out who the “him” is.“No,” she says, wondering why he’s asking.“You should learn to do a better job at lying.” “I’m sorry,” she says, hoping he doesn’t make a big deal out of it.“How did you guys meet?” Did he just ask her that? “Tell me,” he says, taking a sip of his drink. “I want to know everything since we are going back to where it all started. You guys were high school sweethearts, right?” he leans back in his seat, eager to hear what she has to say.“Yes,” Melina doesn’t like that he’s curious about how she and James met. Anything she says could set him off, and she doesn't have much room to hide on the plane.“Fell in love when you were both 16 and

Melina and Thomas walk into the restaurant, trailed by his bodyguards. All eyes turn to face them as they walk in. Melina didn’t even want to imagine the theories going through their heads right now. She bets most of them are wondering what she’s doing with men with ink all over their skin; it’s not that having tattoos is bad, but we all know how the world misjudges people with tattoos like theirs. And in this case, they are right because they are people you shouldn’t mess with; if she had known this as well, she might not be here today.Thomas is the only one whose tattoos aren't visible, but he's also the most frightening of the bunch. As a businessman, he made certain that his tattoos were only drawn in places where his clothes could cover them.Thomas and Melina take their seats at the first empty table they come across, while the bodyguards stand around them. Melina is puzzled as to why he went into the restaurant with his bodyguards today. While they were dating, Thomas never we

“She slapped me, Thomas,” Kimberly whines like a child. Melina looks at her, astonished she’s going to play that card right now.“You did what?” Thomas shouts, arching his eyebrows at Melina.Fear grips Melina as she realizes that slapping Kimberly back might not have been the best idea.“She slapped me first,” Melina tries to defend herself. She knows it won't help, but she’s still willing to try.“And that makes you think you have the fucking right to hit her back?”As his words register in Melina's brain, a stray bullet enters her heart. Melina has never felt more betrayed by Thomas than she does right now. Melina knows she shouldn’t expect him to take her side, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.“No, it doesn’t.” Tear fill her eyes.“Apologize to her.”“What?” Melina knows he won’t take her side, but this is too much. Her heart breaks a million times more. She couldn’t believe he’d do this to her.“Fucking apologize to her.” The tears escape her eyes, flinching as he yells.

Thomas drags her down to the basement of an unfamiliar house. The place is enormous and filled with scary-looking men with tattoos and scars on their bodies. His grip on her hand is firm. A bruise will definitely form by tomorrow. She bites her lower lip to keep from wincing. They stop in front of two holding cells. Why does he have a holding cell in the house? Melina looks at the two men in each cell and realizes that her suffering is nothing compared to theirs. Her hands fly to cover her mouth as one raises his head. His face is badly beaten, and she can bet people who know him will no longer recognize him. Looking at Thomas, she wonders why they are standing in front of these two battered men.“Pick,” he says.“Huh,” she asks, confused.“Pick one,” Thomas growls at her.She wishes to ask why but knows he won’t tell her. Melina looks at the two men in front of her, who are already at heaven’s gate. They’ve both been badly beaten. She wonders if he’s asking her to pick the one she fe

Melina is startled awake when the nightmare ends. She closes her eyes and tries to calm her racing heart. Melina just had the same nightmare again. It’s the same one she has been having for three weeks. Opening her eyes, she runs her hand through her hair and drops her legs to the side of the bed. Melina can’t believe she really thought if she left that house, the memories of what happened would vanish. She sighs and places her hands on her temple. These past three weeks have been hell. She even wishes she hadn’t come out of numbness. Melina gets out of bed and walks to the bathroom to take a shower. Her body is sticky from sweating all night. While taking off her clothes, she recalls something that may help to alleviate her guilt. She noticed his chest move slightly before she left that day. Melina knows she might just be making things up to feel better, so she will ask Leo tomorrow if he’s dead or not. The man’s chances of survival are slim, but she remains hopeful. She knows it’s