“Seems ages ago you were doing this upstairs in the conference room, and I was still mad at you for taking advantage of me.”
Logan regarded her for a moment, his eyes serious. “It does seem like a long time ago. So much has happened. And you remember what we said, we’d trust each other, no matter what. No secrets either.” His grip tightened on her hand.
“Now tell me what’s wrong.”
She drew a breath before answering. “Ryan was in his office. We had a…chat.”
At the sound of the man’s name, Logan’s jaw clenched. “You shouldn’t have stayed there, Melody. The man’s deranged…dangerous. You should have come back here.”
“I know, but…he took me by surprise and then...you know, when he starts talking, it’s like I’m hypnotized by him, by his words. I can’t move.”
She shook her head impatiently, pulling her hand away from Logan, standing up to pace the room. “I’m disgusted with myself for even listening to him, for letting what he said bother me. Because you’re right, he’s not stable.”
“What did he say this time?” Logan’s voice was tight, a scowl darkening his features.
“It’s all nonsense, I know, but he said if I was so easily manipulated by him and then by you, how was I to succeed in a man’s world?”
Despite knowing Logan was right, Melody started to cry. Logan rose, enveloping her with a hug.
“You know he’s wrong. You’ve made it this far in life on your own, Melody. Without being a man and without tagging on the coat tails of one.”
Logan held her face in his hands, his gaze intense. “You know that, don’t you? And our little scheme with Ryan… that was all you. I take no credit for that, save for an off-hand comment.”
Melody nodded. “I know. It’s just…he knows how to hit close to home, how to say something that hurts and then twist it even more. The things he’d said about you, same thing. None of it is true, but when Ryan says it, somehow it sounds like the truth.”
“He’s a bastard, is what he is. An abusive manipulator. Has he a wife?”
Melody shrugged. “I don’t think so. Maybe divorced, but I’ve never really known. He’s always been very private about his own personal life.”
Logan hugged her briefly before stepping away. “Are we done here then? Do you need to stay?”
“You’re incorrigible, you know that? Yes, I have work to do. I do have other clients, ones that I’ve neglected. I have to…”
The chirp of Logan’s cell phone lying on the table interrupted her. He glanced quickly at the display before double tapping a button on phone. The ringing stopped.
“You were saying? You have to…come back with me to the hotel?” He was smiling at her but there was a shadow lurking in his eyes. Melody shook head.
“Are you avoiding someone, Logan? That’s at least the third time you’ve done that. Is it someone from the band? Or Ashton? If it’s someone harassing you, I need to know.”
Logan shrugged, looking at Melody. “No, it’s nothing like that. I was just…I was hoping the calls would stop.”
“Why? Who is it?”
“Claire.”
Even though she’d never heard the name before, Melody’s hands grew clammy and her heart began skittering erratically in her chest.
“Claire?” Her voice was a dull whisper. And then Logan confirmed her darkest fear.
“Aye. I told you about her. She’s the girl I was engaged to, back home in Scotland.”
* * *
Melody sat down heavily in her desk chair. “Why is she calling you now?”
Logan paced back and forth, looking down at the floor. “I don’t know. I haven’t answered any of her calls, nor listened to any of her messages. I’ve just been deleting them.” He nodded toward the phone on the table. “Except for this last one.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Like I said, I was hoping she’d just go away.” Logan shrugged disconsolately. “Like you with Ryan, I guess. I just didn’t know how to tell you. You were busy with…him. And I was busy breaking up the band. It just was one more thing out of everything I didn’t want to deal with.”
“But she’s kept calling?” Melody watched Logan closely. The worry lines she’d thought were gone had returned, furrowing his brow.
“Yes. She’s been calling more often. Odd times at night, during the day.”
Melody sat forward in her chair. “Listen to the message, Logan. Let’s figure out what she wants. Otherwise, if you avoid her, it’s only going to get worse. Like you told me, you need to trust me.”
Logan nodded. “I know. It’s just…I haven’t spoken to her, ever, since that night. I’m not sure I really want to know what she wants.”
“Logan, it’s not…there’s not any chance…could she have been pregnant?”
The dismissive shake of his head and the scowl on his face told Melody all she needed to know. “No. Not a chance. She’d told me enough times she didn’t want children, ever. Was probably the only thing we ever argued about. But it was the biggest.”
“You want children?” Melody’s voice was low, her heart suddenly beating in an oddly erratic way in her chest.
“Aye, more than anything. When the time’s right. And it wasn’t, not when I was with Claire, not then. But it will be…it could be.” He met her eyes, and the pain she saw there almost broke her heart.
“Do you?” His voice was barely audible.
Melody nodded, not trusting her voice. Logan crossed the space between them, kneeling in front of Melody. He took her hands in his, his face turned up to hers. The love she saw in his eyes was almost overwhelming, the strength of it taking her breath away. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“If we’re meant to be together, and I believe in my heart we are, then promise me you’ll tell me when it’s time. I want a family and I want it with the woman I love. I want that with you.”
He released her hands and she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her. He buried his face in her neck and the soft shaking of his shoulders set her own tears loose. They stayed like this, wrapped in each other’s arms, gently rocking back and forth.
The ringing of Melody’s phone broke the moment. Logan rose, turning away from Melody, but not before she saw him swipe a hand across his face.
“Melody Lawson.” To her own ears her voice sounded thick and she cleared her throat.
“Melody, Joe Hunter. I’d like to come down and talk with you. It’s about Ryan Marshall.”
“I’m just finishing up with a client, if you’ll give me about ten minutes.”
Logan shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. She stifled a laugh, turning her attention back to Joe.
“I’ll see you in ten then.” The line went dead.
“Back to work? I guess I’m a free man then, for the rest of the day.” Logan scooped up the cell phone and Melody watched as his face fell.
“I guess no listening to messages then?”
“Do you want to wait till I come home, and we’ll listen together?”
The smile that spread across Logan’s face took her by surprise. The bemused look on her face made the smile turn into a chuckle.
“Home…you said when you come home. I like the sound of that. It sounds good.”
Melody stood and Logan pulled her against him in a hug. The rumble of his laughter against her cheek made her smile.
“You’re an incurable romantic, you know that, Logan?”
“Aye. I am. I’m not afraid to admit it either. You bring it out in me. Words, songs, poems…you’ve triggered the flood.”
She raised her head, looking up at him. “You’re writing songs? When can I hear them?”
Logan shook his head. “In a bit. They’re just scratching’s on paper at the moment, things that come to me at odd times. But it’s been a long time since I’ve been inspired to write anything. I owe that to you.”
There was a knock on the door. Logan kissed the top of her head, releasing h
er from his arms.
“That’ll be Mr. Hunter. He said he had something to talk to me about, something to do with Ryan.”
Logan took a step away from Melody, adopting a client-like demeanor. Melody opened the door to Joe Hunter.
“Melody. Ah, Mr. MacKenzie.” Joe extended a hand and the two men shook. “I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“I’m just on my way out. It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Hunter. Melody, you have my number, if you need anything.”
Melody closed the door after Logan, taking a seat at her worktable. Joe sat across from her, his hands folded on the polished surface.
“First, let me apologize on behalf of the firm for Mr. Marshall’s actions. They were absolutely unconscionable.”
“Thank you, Joe. That means a great deal.”
“As you know, with a case like this, we’d have gone through all of the proper steps, starting with your filing of a grievance. We’d have gathered evidence from both sides and then worked toward a settlement. But something has happened to alter that process.”
“What’s happened? Has someone else come forward? Has someone come forward backing Ryan’s story?” Melody’s mouth went dry and her heart gave an uncomfortable lurch in her chest.
“No, not at all. Nothing like that.” He paused, his face reflected his apprehension.
“Ryan Marshall has disappeared.”
Melody shook her head. “No, I just saw him… this morning.”
“Where?” Joe sat forward, frowning deeply.
“Here. In his office, I mean. I went to get a case file and he came in after I did. Said you’d given him permission to get some personal items from his desk.”
Joe sat back, the color draining from his face. “I never did. The last I talked to Ryan was yesterday, in his office. He left shortly after that. I told him he was on administrative leave until further notice. Until we’d started a formal investigation.”
“I don’t understand. How do you know he’s missing?” Melody’s hands were trembling and she clutched them together beneath the table.
“He called me last evening, to tell me he had decided to resign. I was out to dinner, told him I’d call him back. When I tried calling him on his cell phone, he didn’t answer. I tried his home number but his…I believe she’s his housekeeper…said he wasn’t home. And then I called again this morning, several times, and no one answered, not even the woman who had answered the night before.”
“But he was here…how?” But Melody knew. Ryan had keys to everything.
Joe shook his head. “He’s a partner, a senior partner. There’s really no place he can’t access.”
“What do we do?”
“Nothing, really. Unless he’s threatened you.” Melody shook her head.
“About this morning, technically he’d be trespassing, except there’s no formal resignation on file. It’s a bit of a gray area at the moment. We’re not even sure if we should contact the police. He’s an adult, obviously, but…it’s just a bit out of the norm for us.”
Uneasiness crept up Melody’s spine. She wanted to run, find Logan, and go far away. But there was no overt threat; just the knowledge that a potentially unstable man she’d humiliated in his own firm was not where he should be.
“We’ll let security in the building know, along with the receptionists. He should be allowed on our floors, but there’s nothing keeping him from being in the public spaces of the building.”
Melody sighed. Her thoughts were churning, her mind in chaos.
“There’s something else I wanted to discuss with you, Melody.”
She started, the frown on her face deepening. “There’s more?”
Joe held up his hands, hurrying to continue. “No, no…nothing bad this time. Actually, we’d like to make you the interim managing partner of the department. There is quite a heavy caseload here and we do need someone to manage the department. That is, until we find a permanent replacement for Marshall.”
“Oh…Joe. I don’t know what to say.” This was all becoming too unreal for her and her mind was reeling. Maybe running away to Scotland and living in a cave wouldn’t be such a bad idea…
“I don’t need a decision immediately. But I would need one soon. Say, next Monday? That would give you the weekend to think it over.”
“The senior partners back this idea?”
“Oh, yes. They’re behind you being made junior partner. You have an exemplary record with us.”
Melody’s mind was racing. Apparently Ryan hadn’t told anyone about her affair with Logan. “Did Ryan have anything to say about me, yesterday? About me being made partner, I mean? Anything negative?”
“No. He had nothing to say yesterday, other than to deny everything and proclaim he was being framed. But nothing regarding any hindrance to you being made partner. He’s actually been quite supportive of your promotion. Why do you ask?”
Melody shook her head. “It’s nothing…it’s just…some of the things he’d said recently, his threats to derail my nomination for partner if I didn’t…acquiesce to him. Honestly, I’m not sure what the truth is anymore.”
She received a sympathetic smile from Joe. “Don’t worry. Right now, you’re exactly what this firm needs. Young, hard working, dedicated. And with a winning track record in court.”
Despite her anxiety, she smiled. “Thank you, Joe. I’ll give you a decision on Monday.” She blew out a breath, sitting back in her chair. “This has been one crazy week. I’ve never had so many ups and downs crammed into so few days. I’m not sure how much more I can handle.”
* * *
Melody spent most of the day working through Logan’s interview answers, deciding the best strategy to handle the counter claim from Ashton and then getting caught up on the rest of her case load.
By early evening, for the first time in what seemed like ages, she sat back and gave a contented sigh. Her desk was still full of papers and files, but the chaos was down to a minimum and she actually felt like she’d done a good day’s work.
“Victoria! Come take a look.”
Victoria peeked around the door frame, a questioning look on her face. Melody spread her arms wide.
“Look. You can actually see some of the actual desk.” She pointed to a corner of the mahogany desk visible between two stacks of case files.
“And it’s thanks to you, Victoria. I couldn’t have dug out of this without you. Thank you.”
She got a shy smile in return. “It’s my job…and, well, my pleasure. I enjoy working with you, Melody. I know we got off to a rough start, with Melissa and everything else that’s happened.”
“I didn’t give you a very fair start. You did land in the middle of a mess, in more ways than one.” Melody glanced at her watch.
“Go home. It’s late and it’s Friday. You’ve done more than enough today. Monday, we have several filings due. Lori will be back and I want you to go over those with her, have her help you.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Victoria lingered in the doorway a moment longer. “Can I ask you something?”
Melody leaned back in her chair. “Sure. What is it?”
“What’s he like? Logan MacKenzie, I mean. He’s just…well, I know I’m probably going to meet quite a few famous people here. I knew that when I took the job. But he’s…I’ve been a fan for such a long time. And he’s just so sexy. I know that’s really unprofessional of me to say but… you know, I’m just a huge fan.”
There was a part of Melody that wanted to share with someone exactly what Logan meant to her, but now was not the time and Victoria was certainly not the person. She shrugged, hoping the flush she felt creeping up her cheeks wasn’t noticeable.
“I’ve only met him a few times, here at the office. He’s nice. Very professional. Very private about his personal life, from the little conversations we’ve had that weren’t about the case.”
Victoria’s face fell in disappointment. “Oh. You two seemed somehow closer. Like you knew each other. And you came
in with him today. I just thought…it looked like you were friends.”
Melody’s inner warning bells were sounding. She’d have to make sure instances like this morning didn’t happen again. If that were how closely others paid attention, she’d have to make sure she paid even closer attention to when she might be seen with Logan.
“He happened to be in the lobby when I came up. Coincidence, I guess.”
“But he wasn’t on your calendar…”
“We talked about it yesterday…after the…incident in Mr. Marshall’s office.”
Victoria shook her head, the disappointment on her face replaced with concern. “Such a horrible thing. It must have been so terrible, being put in such a position, hearing those horrible words.”
Melody regarded the woman standing in her doorway, something tickling the back of her mind. Words. Ryan’s words. What the hell is it? What words?
Of all the people she’d come in contact with that day, Victoria was the only one who had yet to say anything about the events in Ryan’s office. There had been a few whispers, some stares and several people who had stopped by out of sheer noisiness. There had also been a few colleagues who had stopped by to check on how she was, if she needed anything. But the one person she worked most closely with had said nothing.
The warning bells grew louder. Melody tensed behind her desk, suddenly anxious to be out of the office.
“You know, it’s late. I think I’m going to head out now too. Take off, Victoria. Go home. You’ve earned it today. Enjoy your weekend.”
Melody rose and Victoria finally moved away from her door, heading to her cubicle, gathering her purse. As soon as she’d turned off her desk light and waved good-bye, Melody closed her door. She picked up the phone and dialed Logan’s cell phone. He answered after the first ring.
“When are you coming back? It’s late. I called earlier, but somehow ended up talking to your paralegal. Victoria, I think? She said you were in a meeting, not to be disturbed.”
Melody closed her eyes, sighing in frustration. “I’m on my way now. I’ll meet you in your room.”
Broken Melody (Rock With You #2) Rock Star Romance Page 6