Rebels MC Blaze
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Skylar Greene
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410K
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33
Chapter 1
Melanie
Yawning, I grab my caramel macchiato and take a swig. While reviewing my paperwork, the tasty vanilla syrup and caramel sauce make me hum in satisfaction.
I need to focus on my client who is coming today. Since Maya and I moved here and started our business, we have had a good steady income. It’s not like we need to work considering our parents left us well off, but we’re doing what we love. I’m a software developer and she’s a software engineer.
I usually wouldn’t be this tired, but I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept having the same nightmare: my kidnapping. It’s been six months since that awful night, but no matter how hard I try to forget what happened, my nightmares won’t let me.
The night air was heavy as I walked out of my last meeting with my professor before graduation. Even though it was only six-thirty p.m., it was pitch dark outside. I pressed the button on my key fob to auto-crank my blue Mazda3. After taking a few more steps toward my car, I heard the distinct noise of footsteps.
Usually, I was never this nervous about getting out of class in the dark, but my ex-boyfriend had been leaving crazy messages on my phone. Speedwalking to my car, I got into the driver’s seat without looking behind me.
The first person I called was my sister, Maya. She answered after the first ring.
“What’s up, Melanie? How was class?”
My breathing was hard while I tried to catch my breath. I was hoping I could get my anxiety under control so I could answer her questions.
“Melanie, did something happen? Calm down and talk.”
“Sorry, Maya, it’s just that I felt like someone was following me.”
Maya scoffed, “Why don’t you put a restraining order out on Owen?”
Owen was my psycho ex-boyfriend who had become my stalker. I broke it off with him months ago. We only dated for two months, but he thinks we should spend the rest of our lives together. I realized he was an abusive psychopath and finally dumped him. He did not take it well and has been threatening me since.
“You and I both know that won’t stop Owen. His family has a lot of money, and they would just pay off the cops who try to help me. Maya, he’s done things I haven’t told you about. He knows my schedule. He shows up to my classes and the professors are too scared to tell him to leave. One professor did and the next day word spread that the professor was fired. His family has a lot of pull, Maya, and Owen isn’t afraid to use them.
Look, I see our apartment. I’ll be up in less than five minutes.”
I breathed a sigh of relief after parking in my designated spot and getting out of the car. Maybe it was all in my head. No one followed me out of class or home. I don’t know what happened next, but darkness took over before I could reach my steps.
My head was groggy as I woke up in a bed that looked similar, but I knew it wasn’t mine. My eyes snapped open and I quickly sat up. Why was I in Owen’s bed? All I remembered was getting out of my car, something going over my mouth, then darkness. I looked down and saw that I was in a flimsy nightgown with no undergarments. I hoped that Owen hadn’t taken advantage of me while I was knocked out. I was scared and hoped that I could talk him into letting me go.
My shoes were near the room closet door and I realized that I wasn’t that dizzy anymore, so I tried to stand. Once I got my footing, I put on my shoes and looked around to see if I saw my phone or anything else. The room was empty of my items except my shoes. I was so busy thinking I didn’t see when Owen walked inside his room. He saw me looking around with my shoes on, came towards me, and then slapped me so hard that I fell to the ground. I crawled backward away from him with my hand on my face.
“Didn’t I tell you we would be together, Melanie? See what happens when you are a bad girl. You make me do crazy things like slap you,” he said with fire in his eyes.
I was stunned at how crazy he was to try to make this my fault. “Owen, can we please discuss this like adults? I’m sure my sister is looking for me,” I pleaded with him.
He said something that made me even more scared.
“Your sister is not worried. I already let her know with your phone that you are safe.”
I was trying to figure out what he told her because she knew that he was crazy, and I wanted nothing to do with him.
He continued, “Don’t worry, she doesn’t know you are with me. She just thinks you are staying with a friend.”
I felt relieved because I knew my sister wouldn’t believe that. She knew that she was my only friend. I hoped she was looking for me.
Owen came closer to me then picked me up and threw me on the bed. I was afraid of how aggressive he was with me. He climbed on top of me, and I kneed him in the balls, trying to move away. He grabbed me by the hair and yanked me back towards the bed, breaking the lamp by the bed. I landed on the bed and reached out for a piece of the broken lamp.
He climbed back on top of me and tried to kiss me. I took the broken piece and cut his face from the top of his head to his chin. It was a deep cut and blood was leaking everywhere. I used this distraction to jump off the bed and run out the door. I made it outside and ran until I couldn’t run anymore. I stopped to take a breather then looked around to make sure he didn’t follow me. I continued to run until I got to my apartment.
Once I stepped inside, I saw my sister in tears running towards me. “What happened, what did he do?”
She was holding onto me tightly crying. Through her tears, she said, “I called the cops, but they said since you texted you were with a friend then they wouldn’t look for you until after twenty-four hours.”
She finally let me go and stopped crying. She was now finally looking at me and I could tell she was freaked out about the blood.
“It’s not my blood, Maya, it’s his. I cut him to get away. We must leave here for good. He won’t stop until he has me, or I am dead.”
I rushed to the bathroom to take a quick shower; while washing my face I felt the pain on my lips from the slap. I tried not to think of it then packed my bag and told Maya to pack hers. We packed everything we could and jumped into my car to get away. Grabbing her phone, I tossed it out the window. I didn’t want him to find us ever. I drove until I was tired and we were hours away from him.
Maya walked into my office, interrupting my thoughts.
“Melanie, look alive, he will be here soon. Remember, Crue said this guy is all about business,” Maya said as she walked into my office.
“Yeah, yeah,” I waved her away. “Make sure the conference room is ready. It’s about time I meet him since we’ve discussed on the phone what he wanted with his software for the past two and a half months.”
Crue is our only employee. He’s a young guy, probably no more than twenty-two. Our receptionist, who seemed excited to work for the new girls in town. We planned to keep a low profile but after some work for some people in town, word spread of our company. We hired Crue because he said he needed a job. Maya and I didn’t like talking on the phone for a long time.
“You don’t want to have the meeting in your office since it will just be the two of you?” Maya asked.
It’s not until she winces that I realize I’m glaring at her. “No. The conference room will do.”
I walked past her and went to the conference room down the hallway. Crue smiled when he saw me. For some reason, he had on this black jacket that I’d never seen before. I settled in my best office chair while staring at Crue.
“What’s with the jacket?”
He laughed nervously, “I have to wear it today.”
I nodded, not wanting to get into his business. As long as he did his job, then I was good. A few seconds later, I heard loud boots walking toward the room. I was momentarily stunned by the sight in front of me.
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