Broken Melody (Rock With You #2) Rock Star Romance (8 page)

“If
so, then you’re weaker than I thought, not really partner material, in any
sense. If you’re so easily manipulated by any man that exerts the slightest bit
of control over you, real or implied, then what are you? A pawn in a man’s
world.”

Ryan
straightened and before she could move, he was standing in front of her, close
enough for her to feel his hot breath on her cheek.

“And
in a man’s world such as this, you’re never going to succeed. Never.”

And
then he was gone. With a start, Melody realized she was trembling. She drew a
deep breath, took a hesitant step forward, then another. By the time she was at
the elevator, she was calmer. And by the time she was back in her office, she
was no longer shaking. But her mind was in turmoil, playing back Ryan’s words.

* * *

She
was distracted during the interview with Logan. He answered her questions
patiently, but the underlying tone of his voice made it obvious he knew
something was wrong.

After
an hour she dropped her pen. Logan reached for her hand and she let him massage
her fingers.

“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 her 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?”