Melody's POV

Watching Tia getting taken away by Zane last night was great. She deserves what he's going to do to her. I remember the first time that I met him.

*Flashback*

Mom and I were in the French Alps heading to our Chalet when a car sped past us at a dangerous speed.

Crash,

The car crashed into a vehicle that was turning to the right.

"Oh, shit," Mom pulls the car safely to the side of the road and turns to me. "Stay in the car. I'm going to help."

"Okay, Mom."

Mom pulls her seatbelt off and jumps out of the car. She heads for the car, and I see her talking to a man. He's tall, has brown hair and brown eyes, and is well built.

I watch as Mom climbs into the car. She grabs a boy who is close to my age out of the car and tells the boy to go over to our car.

When he gets close, I open the door for him. He sits next to me. "Hi, I'm Levi."

"Melody,"

"Nice name."

"Thanks, yours is cool."

Levi looks out the window, and tears roll down his face. He wipes at them. "Please save, Mommy and Baby." He repeats those words over and over again.

The trunk of the car opens, and Levi's Dad is there. He grabs the spinal board from the car and rushes over to Mom with it.

Opening the door, I climbed out and ran over to Mom. She told me that one day, I might need to help her put someone on it, and today might be that day.

Mom looks at me and says. "Melody, I need you to help me move her on the board. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Mom." I climb into the car and set the board behind the woman's back. She is heavily pregnant, and some blood seems to be on the green dress she's wearing.

"Focus, Melody." She reprimands. I know this is confronting. Just help me get her on the board safely." Mom ensures the woman is okay before we put her on the board.

"You need to get out of there." The man says.

"Not yet." Mom yells.

I see flames start to come out of the engine. "Mom, I'm scared."

Mom looks me in the eyes. "We need to tie her down. Can you do that?"

"Yes," I tie the woman onto the board and climb out. Turning to the man, I say. "Can you help Mom get the woman out of the car?"

"Sure," the man said, moving to the car and taking one side of the boat.

I watch as Mom comes out the other side. They make it a couple of meters before the car catches alight.

When we get to the car, Mom puts the spinal board on the woman in the back of the vehicle. We climb into the car and she rushes to the nearby hospital.

At the hospital, the doctors and nurses move quickly. They take the woman to the OR and then check on the man and Levi.

Mom sits beside me and holds my hand. "You were a brave girl today, Melody. I'll take you to get some ice cream. I want to ensure the family is okay before we leave."

"Okay, Mom."

Levi and his father walk out of the room fifteen minutes later. The man walks over to Mom and says. "Thank you for saving us. I'm Zane, this is my son Levi."

"It's nice to meet you both," Mom says, pulling a lollipop out of her purse and handing it to Levi. "You were a brave boy today. Thank you for listening."

Levi smiles at Mom. "Thank you for saving us, Mrs."

Mom touches his cheek. "Stryker, however, you can call me Janet."

Levi put the lollipop in his mouth. "Okay," he said, moving over to me and starting to talk.

After a couple of minutes, Mom turns to me. "Let's go, Melody." She turns to Zane. "We will see you around."

Zane looks at Mom before saying. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

Mom smiles at him. "Thank you, Zane." She grabbed my hand, and we left the hospital.

*end flashback*

I climb out of bed, grab my uniform, and head to the bathroom to prepare for the day. After the shower, I head into the kitchen and see Hunter leaning against the counter with a glass of Orange Juice.

Hunter looks at me with a smile on his face. "Good. Morning, Keegan. Shall we join everyone in the dining room?"

"Sure," A smile spreads across my face. "I'm looking forward to seeing everyone this morning. Things are looking up since last night."

Ding,

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I look at it and see that it's a message from Zane.

Zane: Tia's in custody.

Me: Good, she deserves everything that's coming to her.

Zane: Tia sure does. My nephew isn't getting away with things either. I promised to protect you for the rest of your life and will keep my word.

Me: Thanks, Zane.

Hunter looks at my phone and asks. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," A smile spreads across my face. "Tia's in custody, and I don't think she will be out in a long time. Zane has a way with people, and most won't go against him."

Hunter starts moving ahead of me. "Are you going to tell me how you know, Zane and why he would protect you like he does?"

We exit the wing and make our way through the house. "When I was eight, Mom and I vacationed here. We were heading home when we witnessed a car crash into Zane's. Mom helped Zane's family. She got their son out first and then rescued his heavily pregnant wife. We saved the life of Zane's family without hesitating, and since then, he has kept his vow to keep us safe."

"There's more to the story that you're leaving out. When you're ready to talk, I will listen."

A smile spreads across my face. "Thanks, Hunter." I kiss his cheek before we walk into the dining room. I move over to Thalia and sit next to her.

Thalia hugs me. "Tia looked scared last night. Do you think she had an easy time with Zane?"

Shaking my head, I say. "I doubt it. Tia went after someone that Zane cared about, and that's never a good thing. Dean won't be getting away with a thing either."

Ring, Hunter's phone rings. Pulling it out of his pocket, he says. "Excuse me." He walks out of the room. "Wallace, is everything okay?"

The door closes behind Hunter. He's gone for a couple of minutes. When he returns, Hunter moves towards me. "A guy named Levi is at the gate, and he wants to talk to you. Should I let him in?"

Looking at Hunter, I say. "Don't ever let him inside these gates." I stand and head towards the gate.

At the gate, Levi is leaning against a black BMW with his arms folded and legs crossed. His skin is tanned from the amount of time he spends outside. Sunglasses cover his brown eyes, and his brown hair is tousled. The Italian suit he's wearing makes him look like he's here for business. "What are you doing here, Levi?"

Pushing off the car, he moves towards the fence. "I wanted to see my favourite girl. I heard about all the shit you've been through." He lowers his voice. "I've taken care of my cousin and that bitch, Tia. After the torture I gave them, they will be looking over their shoulders while they rot in prison. If you want, I will have someone teach them a lesson while behind bars."

"Levi," I shake my head. "They deserved what you did to them. For now, let them recuperate before continuing their lesson."

Levi laughs. "I miss you, Melody. Do you remember all the trouble we got into every time you came to town?"

"I remember it all. Do you still race?"

"Of course. There's a race next weekend. Say the word, and I will have someone bring a car for you."

"I'll be there, Levi. That sweet ride you have will be mine before the race ends."

Levi's mouth drops open. "You can't take my ride."

"Of course I can." Pulling my phone from my pocket, I scroll until I hit Zane's name. Showing him the phone, I say. "Do you want me to call your Dad?"

"You wouldn't." Levi tries to reach through the fence.

Pressing the call button, the phone rings several times before Zane picks up.

Zane: Are you safe, Melody?

Me: I'm fine. However, I have a visitor at the gate of Hunter's mansion.

Zane: Who's there, Melody?

Me: Levi.

Zane: Put my son on the phone.

A smile spreads, and I put him on speaker phone.

Me: Levi's here, Zane.

Zane: Son, are you causing problems for Melody?

Levi: No, Dad. All I did was tell her about the race next weekend, and now she wants to race me for the BMW.

Zane: Give Melody whatever she wants. If she wins, she gets it. If she loses, she walks away with nothing.

Levi: What do I get out of it?

Me: VIP tickets to my concert in Venice.

Levi looks at me and says. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, however, you must keep your killer instincts at bay. You'll be attending my concert. If I need you, you can use your talents." I wink at him.

Zane: Is everything sorted now?

Levi: Yes, Dad. I will see you in an hour.

Zane: Okay, son. Bye, Melody.

Me: Bye, Zane.

After hanging up, I turned towards Levi. "Was it hard to do that from the beginning?"

Levi shakes his head. "I forgot how well you play when it comes to my father." He looks at the house. "I can't believe you're spending the entire Winter break at this house."

"I'm not only spending time at this house. I'm falling hard for one of the men in this house."

"Which one?" Levi cracks his knuckles, "I'll teach the fucker a lesson."

"No, you won't, Levi." I turn towards the house. "I'll see you next weekend, Levi. Just text me the information about the race."

"I will." Levi turns away from me and gets into his car. He revs the engine before speeding away and letting dirt fly around us.

Asshole.

When I return to the house, Hunter waits at the door for me. "Are you okay?" he asks.

A smile spread across my face. "Yes," I said, leading the way to the dining area. Levi wanted to tell me about what happened to Tia and Dean. Then he asked me to meet him next Saturday night for the race."

Hunter crosses his arms. "The street race?"

"Yes,"

"That's illegal."

"I know," I whisper. "It's such a rush to do something and try not to get caught doing it."

"Damn," Hunter says. "You're going to get me in trouble, Keegan. If you enter, then I'll do it too."

"Enter what?" Suri asks as she walks through the door.

"Street race," I tell her.

"Hunter," Suri shakes her head. "You're going to die again?"

"Yes," Hunter hugs his sister. "It's been a while since I've exceeded the speed limit, and I have to show Keegan that I'm great behind the wheel."

We enter the dining room.

Suri clears her throat. "Next Saturday we'll be attending the street race."

Thalia looks at me and says. "Are you going?"

"Yes, but I won't be watching. I'll be one of the drivers. Hunter will be driving too."

"Do you have a car here?"

Shaking my head, I say. "A friend is letting me use his."