Chapter 26 – A Thousand Reasons

Little Rock – Two days later – October 5, 2014

1st parcel is in the trunk. Wait a cpl days and pk a few s and j.

Melissa looked at Eric's coded message across her cell phone screen and felt a pressing fear in the pit of her stomach.

You're sure this is going to work? she typed out on her keyboard.

To an outsider, their crazy “text code” would be difficult, if not impossible, to completely decode. They didn't have a set coding system, but they were mostly of one mind that she could figure everything out easily. 'Parcel' was suitcase or baggage. 'S' and 'J' stood for shirts and jeans. 'Pk' was short for 'pack' – all so it would be harder for Derek to figure out.

Gradually, over the next few days, she would pack up only a few of her things – just enough to add up over time, but not enough that it would be obvious to Derek that her clothes were going missing – and all the luggage and baggage she could gather up would be hidden in several places...Eric's trunk, his garage, a few things in his office at the precinct. When she was ready, and when she had an opportunity, it would be there waiting for her, and so would Eric. He would load her and her things into his car and drive her straight to the airport. Every day, she was saving five or ten dollars out of her tips – all she could manage without Derek noticing that she wasn't getting as many – and Eric was setting it aside for a plane ticket.

At the rate she was going, it would take her weeks to save up enough. But that was okay with her because the more she thought about it, the more she was feeling like it would take weeks to get up the guts to go through with this.

Eric called the escape plan “flawless” - but she knew that nothing about escaping Derek would be flawless. He had too much confidence. She wondered if she put too much confidence in him as well. She deleted all of Eric's text messages before Derek got a chance to see her cell phone every day. Even if he went to the cell phone company and had them print up records of all her text messages, they had the code to fall back on. Besides, these days, he was always too drunk to form coherent sentences, much less make an appearance at the cell phone company to check up on her text messages.

But there was always a chance that he, or someone who knew him, would figure it out before she could follow through.

It'll work, came the reply. U gotta trust me.

Even if it was Eric, it was becoming harder and harder to trust that the plan was flawless.

“Mel, you have a customer. Table five.”

Melissa looked up from her phone but Gina had already passed her. She sighed and put her phone in the pocket of her apron, and walked through the swinging door to enter the lobby.

When she saw the person at her table, she froze in her place. Adeline was sitting in the seat, young Liam standing up in his seat playing with his mother. Right in the same booth, seated across from her, was Stephanie.

Gina came through the swinging door holding two plates full of food and, not expecting a frozen body right in front of her, slammed into Melissa's back and almost spilled food all over.

“Mel!” she said in surprise, then chuckled once she regained control over the plates. “Mel, what's wrong?”

“I...I can't wait on them,” she responded. All she could think of was that he could be watching outside or come in the diner at any minute during their conversation. If Addy gave any indication that she knew Melissa, she didn't want to think of what things could cross his mind to do to her...and Liam. “I'll trade you tables – you take her and I'll take one of yours.”

Gina laughed. “What is wrong with you lately? Didn't one of them used to be like, your best friend? It's not like she bites. Or maybe she does – maybe Lance likes that sort of thing.”

Gina giggled and Mel resisted the urge to tell her that she wasn't even close to being right.

“Besides,” Gina continued, “she asked for you personally.”

Gina walked away with both plates and Mel sighed. She had no other choice but to talk to Addy. If she didn't go up to her, if she refused to serve her, she could get fired – and then she couldn't imagine what Derek would do to her. She didn't want to risk the chance of putting her friend and little Liam in danger. It was a no-win situation.

She steeled herself to start walking to the table, grabbing her order book out of the other side of her apron.

“What can I get for you today?” she asked as she walked up to the table.

As Addy turned to her and smiled, she tried to remain looking at the paper and pen in her hands.

“You can't come here, Addy,” she whispered, fearful that he could have come in and she missed him. “You shouldn't be in here.”

Addy remained smiling.

“I believe the policy is 'no shirt, no shoes, no service',” Stephanie said lightly. “I have shoes, I have a shirt on--”

“Thank goodness,” Addy responded.

“I see no reason you should refuse us service.” Stephanie looked Mel straight in the eyes. “Ma'am.”

Mel looked over at Addy, and caught her winking her eye. One look in her eyes told Mel that she knew something and was playing along...for now.

“The spaghetti and meatballs looks killer,” Stephanie said, glancing at her menu quickly before folding it and handing it to Mel. “I'll take that, with a Dr. Pepper...oh, and, we're here to help you.”

Melissa was about to ask Stephanie to repeat herself when Addy interrupted.

“I'll start out with a glass of that iced tea,” she said, looking at her menu briefly. She lowered her voice. “You have to get out.” Then she looked up and her voice raised again. “That's freshly made, right?”

“What?” Mel couldn't help her voice being strained and hoarse when she spoke.

“The tea,” Addy said. “It's freshly made?”

“Oh,” Mel stuttered. “Yeah. Every morning and afternoon.”

“Good, I'll take that,” Addy said. Her eyes ran back over her menu. “The chicken parmigiana sounds delicious.” She paused. “We know what he does to you, Mel,” she whispered.

Melissa wrote down the order with shaky hands.

“Anything for the little one?” she asked, her eyes finally looking at Adeline.

“Juice and a small order of macaroni and cheese,” she said as she put an arm around him and he leaned into her. “He probably won't eat it anyway. He snacked too much in the car on the way here.”

Mel wrote it down. “Anything else?”

“We'll be wanting dessert after, as well,” Stephanie said. “We expect top-notch service, and you'll be rewarded with a handsome tip.”

Mel didn't know Stephanie that well, but she knew her well enough to know that she was being a jerk intentionally – not because she didn't like Mel, but to act like any other rude customer. Even so, her snide tone hurt. She clicked her pen on the notepad and shoved both of them back in her apron.

“Your food will be a few minutes, and I'll be back with your drinks shortly – ma'am,” she bit.

She gave the cook the order and made the drinks, but when she took them back to the table they were thankfully too busy entertaining Liam to say anything more. She busied herself wiping down a few empty tables and helping Gina take orders to her tables while she was waiting for the food to finish.

So far, Derek hadn't shown up and she hadn't seen him in the diner – but she wasn't out of the woods. She wouldn't be surprised if he was sitting out in his car in the parking lot, waiting for her to get off her shift in less than two hours, watching her every move. She didn't know if it was just paranoia that sometimes left her feeling like she had eyes on her or if it was instinct. Whatever it was, she had that feeling today, so she left the girls the drinks she had ordered and quickly walked away from the table to get back to work.

She had stopped shaking by the time the order was ready, and she took the food to the table, her nerves finally calmed a bit.

“Here you go,” she said, setting the plates down in front of them. When she leaned down to place a small plate near Liam, she whispered, “What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be with the guys?”

“Small pit stop,” Addy responded. “Steph and I needed to get away from the tour for a bit. We'll be joining them again in a couple of days.”

“Where are they now?” Mel asked.

“Michigan?” Stephanie said. “Indiana? One of those cold-ass, lake states, anyway.”

“Michigan,” Adeline responded. “Detroit. Don't worry; nowhere near here.”

“You really know?” Mel looked around cautiously, feeling only slightly braver.

“We all know. How can we not know after what you told us about him?”

Neither one of them connected eyes with each other.

“Chris is worried about you,” Adeline said. “Lance, too. Everyone is, actually.”

“I can't just leave,” Melissa whispered. “It's not that easy.”

“I know it's not,” she responded. “You have to have the courage and opportunity. They don't always come at the same time – but I hope to give you both today.”

Adeline looked up from helping Liam with his food, to look Melissa in the eyes.

“Chris loves you, Mel. He'll take care of you, you never have to worry. And if it's safety, we have five huge, scary bodyguards around the guys at almost all times.”

“The guys,” Melissa said. “Not me.”

“They'll protect whoever myself, Chris and Lance tell them to protect,” Addy said. “You have safety with us.”

“No, I don't. At least when I was on the run from him before, I had anonymity,” Melissa said. “With Chris, anonymity is impossible.”

“Difficult, yes – and that's exactly why the guys intend to have protection for you.”

“They can't protect me all the time, Addy.”

“Melissa!”

Melissa turned to look toward the counter and saw George staring her down. When she looked up, he narrowed his eyes and pointed at one of her tables where three customers sat, with no drinks or menus.

“I have to go do my job, I'm in enough hot water as it is,” Mel said. “I'll bring your dessert menu shortly.”

She walked away to grab three menus at the counter and grab the glasses of water, apologizing to George as she passed him. As she served the customers and took their orders, she thought about what Addy had said.

On one hand, if there was any safety anywhere for her, with the guys probably offered one of the safest places – with fans that constantly mobbed them, they had protection around them at almost all times. They were always moving from town to town for shows, hardly ever staying in one place for more than a week at a time, which was more than she had done when she was on the run before she settled in New York and met Addy and Lance. Being with the guys offered protection on its own. They would probably all willingly lose an arm or leg protecting her or Addy if it was necessary.

But the fact that they were celebrities, even more so now that they were reunited, put her too much in danger. Nothing in their personal lives was sacred. If Mel was with Chris or any of the rest of the guys, it would be publicly known. All Derek would have to do to find her would be to follow them on tour. He could take his opportunity at any moment.

The thing that she couldn't bear to risk wasn't what he might do to her if she ran and he caught her – it was the thought of what he could do to the group. Especially Chris.

She avoided their table except to offer refills, bring a dessert menu and take that order. She immediately grabbed the slices of pie and brought it to the table, setting it down in front of them.

“I hate to order and run without eating dessert,” Addy said, gathering up Liam, “but we have to get on the road. I guess you'll have to enjoy this pie yourself. Your tip, for excellent service.”

She held up a single hundred dollar bill in her hand to show it to Mel, whose eyes widened.

“But I believe that waitress--” She pointed at Gina in the corner, taking another table's order. “--has something else for you, that she was instructed to give you in private after we leave. You'll want to destroy the note after you read it.”

“Today, you have a thousand reasons to decide to do what is necessary to protect yourself,” Stephanie said.

Mel shuffled out of the way as Adeline and Stephanie scooted out of the booth, Addy with Liam in her arms, handing the bill to Melissa discreetly. It immediately caught Melissa's eye that her friend's stomach was swollen, yet again.

“I've given you opportunity, and hopefully after you read that note, you find some of that courage I know that you have hidden in there,” Addy said. She looked at Melissa one last time before turning her head to the toddler in her arms. “Come on Liam.”

Melissa stood in her place as she watched Adeline walk away, cooing at Liam, and heard the bell above the door ring as they all walked out. She sighed and gathered up all the plates and glasses, including the plate of pie. She couldn't eat it now, even if she was allowed to, because her stomach churned with nervous butterflies. She used the rag in her waistband to wipe down the table and booth seats for the next customer and carried the dishes back to the sink, where Gina was waiting for her.

“Are they gone?” she asked.

“Yeah, they're gone,” Mel responded.

Gina reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a plain white envelope, folded in half.

“What is it?” she asked excitedly.

She took the envelope from her and unfolded it, opening the unsealed flap. When she pulled out the thin stack of money, Gina's eyes widened.

“It must be one damn good story!” Gina said. She grabbed the money from Melissa's hand and counted each bill. “Six...seven...eight...Mel, there's nine hundred dollars here!”

“Ten,” Mel said, shocked herself, holding up the hundred dollar bill that Adeline had given her. “She gave me this too.”

“A thousand dollars,” Gina said, panting and smiling. “That's one hell of a tip!”

Mel thought back to what Addy had said about giving her opportunity, and about having a thousand reasons to do what was necessary to protect herself – it was running money. They wanted her to run.

She remembered what Adeline had said about a note, reading it and destroying it. She reached back into the envelope and pulled out a folded sheet of lined school paper.

“There's more?” Gina said, even more excited.

“I can't read it,” Mel said, handing the letter over to her. “If I read it, I'll be sick. Read it to me.”

Gina took the paper and unfolded it, clearing her throat before reading.

“April 5, 2014

Maryland has been nice. Jace's parents have been great, having us over for dinner every night since we've been here. It's been a nice break from the constant fast food and stopping at diners and convenience stores. We'll be headed out tomorrow for Richmond, for our next show, and I'll miss being around a 'family', even if it's just Jace's parents and not my own. (Sorry, Karen, I still love you!)

It was a great idea of Mel's for us to keep these tour journals. I mean, I thought it was kind of silly at first, what would I have to write about, but it's kept me busy and I've discovered there's a lot more to talk about while on tour than I thought.

Wherever she is, I hope she's writing in hers too.

I can't stand the thoughts every night that go through my head – him hitting her, pushing her around, saying horrible things to her. I've lost so much sleep, I'm sick over it. Addy lectures me. I know I should try to keep myself healthy, eating enough and getting enough sleep, but when I think of what Mel could be going through...it makes my stomach turn. When Stephanie told me what had happened to her, how her ex had beat her and raped her...I can't stand the thought of anything like that happening to Mel. If I ever find out that it did, I'll find him and kill him myself.

Even worse, she would be safe here. With me. I'd do anything to protect her, even if it risked my life in the process. I think the other guys would too. Even though they don't show it as much, I can tell they want her to come back too.

I keep the ring in the pocket of my old tour jacket. I figure it's safe there. If Justin found it, I'd catch so much hell. If Mel were here and he did that, she'd somehow convince Addy to help her stuff him into a compartment and leave him there until he cried for their mercy. Addy threatens, and now that Steph is here she and Justin annoy each other until one of them is chasing each other down the hotel hallways, but nobody acts quite the same as if Mel were here.

When Mel comes home – if she comes home – I'll do it. I'll ask her to marry me.

Oh, bedtime. Justin poking around, trying to read over my shoulder. Write again soon.

C”

Melissa felt nauseous, but resisted her urge to run immediately to the bathroom. When she finished reading the letter, Gina looked up wide-eyed.

“Whoa,” she said.

The door to the kitchen opened and an angry-looking George peeked through to look at them both.

“Are you girls going to work or is it time for book club? You'll have plenty of time to read on unemployment.”

“Sorry, George,” Gina said apologetically. “We'll get right back to work.”

George rolled his eyes and disappeared from the door, while Mel was still staring in shock.

“Gina, burn that,” she said.

“What?” Gina exclaimed. “Mel, you just found out Chris wanted to propose to you, and now you want me to burn this? Are you crazy?”

“If he sees that letter,” Melissa said forcefully, “I'm toast. Chris is in danger, too. All my friends are. Hide the money and burn the letter. Now.”

Melissa walked away quickly back to the front, leaving the slightly star-struck young girl behind, hoping she would do as she was asked and not put Melissa in further danger. She couldn't believe that they continued to do this to her, knowing what risk they put her and themselves in.