“But you went missing, after…before. No one could find you.” Melody sat up. “And Joe Hunter hadn’t accepted your resignation. You can’t represent Ashton.”
Ryan waved his hand. “Semantics. It’s all a moot point anyway.”
“Moot? Why?”
“Ashton wants to settle. That was the reason I was coming to see you. I thought you’d want to know as soon as possible. And I wanted to tell you in person.”
Melody sat back, stunned. “But why settle?”
“I told him to.”
“You told him to? Why?”
“Because there’s no financial incentive for me to take this to court. There’s no percentage for me in losing a case. And he has no case. His financials are crap. He knows it, but he was too stubborn to give in and admit he got caught by his client with his hand in the cookie jar. I told him he’d lose the case, his reputation would be ruined and he’d be broke. If he settles, at least his reputation won’t be quite as badly ruined and he’ll keep some of his money.”
“But why didn’t his other attorney tell him that?”
“Bishop? Because Allan Bishop has no morals and would have dragged his client through a losing court case just on the off chance he could pull a win out of his ass, and get his own name in the papers. Give me some credit, Melody. I don’t treat my clients badly.”
Ryan waved his hand. “That’s all over with, Melody. What I want to know is what the hell was going on here, with Victoria. I never would have hired her if I thought she was unstable, or that she could have hurt you in any way.”
Melody sputtered out a harsh laugh. “But you and she…she’s been your spy, Ryan. You hired her to spy on me.” Melody was incredulous. There seemed to be no end to Ryan’s lies. But she frowned at the shocked look on Ryan’s face.
“Melody, I didn’t hire her to spy on you. If I want to know things, I find them out myself. I hired her because her resume was on the top of the stack you gave to Hunter. I thought you’d decided she was the one you wanted. I was doing you a favor, or so I believed. There’s no ulterior motive in what I did.”
“You expect me to believe you? She’s been telling you everything that happens here, everything I do, that Logan does. So you can use it against me.”
Ryan scowled, shaking his head. “I don’t know what I can tell you to make you believe me, but that’s not how it is.”
“But you’ve been obsessed with me, and jealous of Logan.”
“Melody. Again, give me some credit. I may be obsessed and jealous, but I’m not crazy. The last thing I would ever have wanted was to hurt you. There’s no fun in that…unless it’s consensual.”
Melody opened her mouth, not even sure what she could say to Ryan after a comment like that, but she was interrupted by a knock on the door. Joe Hunter stuck his head into the room.
“Melody. How are you? Is there anything you need?” He sat down at the end of the couch.
“No, I’m just confused.” She glanced at Ryan. “I wonder what possessed her to attack me.”
“Well, from the ranting and incoherent babbling on the way through the lobby, I would say she’s a rather obsessed fan of Mr. MacKenzie. I walked out to the ambulance with her and all she kept repeating was that you were taking him away from her.”
Joe held a slim manila folder and he extended it to Melody. “We found this in her desk drawer. It may explain things, if there is any explanation to be had here.”
Melody opened the file. Inside were pages and pages of lists, written in tiny cramped handwriting. She squinted and then her eyes went wide.
“Melody, what is it?” Ryan leaned forward.
“It’s everything I’ve ever said, anything at all that related to Logan. Snippets of conversations she and I had, transcriptions of phone conversations I had with Logan…all with the date and time.” She flipped through the pages. “It goes back to her first day here. If someone said Logan’s name, she wrote it down.” She looked up at Ryan.
“You’re in here too, Ryan. Everything… no matter how insignificant.”
Melody pulled one page from the rest. The handwriting was different, a flowing and elegant script, the text almost like a diary entry. “And then this.” She held up a single page, eyes scanning the paper.
“It looks like fantasy, make believe. Conversations with Logan, things he said to her…complimenting her on her clothes, telling her how beautiful she is.” She closed her eyes, stuffing the paper inside and shutting the file abruptly. “I can’t read anymore. She’s got something written about hav**g s*x with him.”
“Melody, I’m so sorry.” Joe leaned forward, his hand on her shoulder. “Consider yourself on indefinite paid leave. Do you feel well enough to go home now? I can have someone drive you…”
She shook her head. “No, thank you, Joe. I’ll call a cab.”
“Are you sure? You really shouldn’t be alone.”
“I’ll take her home…or wherever she wants to go.”
Melody jerked her head in Ryan’s direction. He held up his hand. “Really, Melody. It’s the least I can do. I promise…” He held up three fingers. “Scout’s honor, I will not do anything the least bit inappropriate.”
“Ryan, I’m not sure that’s appropriate.” Joe turned to Melody. “Shall I call you a cab?”
Melody regarded Ryan for a moment.
“I think I’ll take Ryan up on his offer, Joe. I’ll be fine.”
Joe left, muttering a final warning beneath his breath. Ryan watched him go.
“I can’t say that I blame him.” He turned back to Melody. “I’ll go get the car and pick you up out front. Will you be alright getting downstairs?”
Melody nodded and stood, tentatively, feeling the strength return to her legs. She dropped the blanket on the couch and went to her office. She found her purse and took out her cell phone and called Logan. The conversation was brief.
“I’m coming home. Something’s happened.”
* * *
Ryan deposited her at the security door of the hotel. Logan was there, pacing back and forth and at the sight of him, tears began rolling down Melody’s cheeks.
“I’ll understand if you don’t invite me in.” Ryan’s voice held its usual smug tone.
She turned to him, shaking her head. “You really are a piece of work, Ryan. Truly.”
“I am. And now you’ll never know what we could have had. I see you’re smitten with him…” He nodded at Logan, who was walking toward Ryan’s car.
“And you best get out. I don’t feel like being assaulted a second time today.”
Melody opened the door of the car, turning to Ryan. “Thank you for the ride, Ryan. I can’t say it was good to see you, because it isn’t. But you’re the only hold I have on my sanity at the moment, odd as that seems.”
Ryan’s laugh startled her. “ ‘Better the devil you know than the angel you don’t.’ Or something like that? I get it. Now get out.”
Logan was reaching for Melody’s hand. “What is going on Melody? Are you alright? And what the hell are you doing here?” Logan was looking in at Ryan, tension evident in every muscle in his body. Melody put her hand on his arm.
“Logan, it’s okay. He gave me a ride, that’s all. I’ll explain upstairs.”
She slammed the car door and Ryan drove off. Logan watched the car for a moment before turning to Melody. He tried to pull her against him, but she put her hands on his chest, holding him at arm’s length.
“Take me upstairs, Logan. I don’t want to fall apart down here.”
* * *
Logan had given her a glass of something strong to drink.
“Macallan? Does it fix everything?” She drank the last of the amber liquid, feeling the warmth spreading outward from her center. She’d finally stopped trembling, her sobs reduced to shaky breaths and hiccoughs.
“It’s not Macallan. I’m not sure what it is.” He was sitting next to her on the couch, after helping her change out of her clothes into a robe and then wrapping her in a blanket from the bed. She had clung to him, from the minute he’d closed the door, the pent up emotions finally letting go, her body shaking uncontrollably as she cried against him.
“What the hell happened?” He was holding her hand, chafing her knuckles with his fingers.
“Victoria…she wasn’t someone Ryan knew. It turns out she was after you. She was a stalker. This was her way of getting close to you, I guess, working with me. But she figured out we were together, so she decided I should…that she would…so she tried to…” Melody’s voice broke. Logan pulled her against his chest.
“Shhh…stop talking about it for now. She’s gone, she’s not here.” He rocked her back and forth, settling her more firmly against him, murmuring Gaelic words into her hair. The warmth of the alcohol was working through her body, her knotted muscles finally relaxing. She closed her eyes, resting her head on Logan’s shoulder.
He held her for a long time, his words changing slowly into a song, the same song he’d sung to her the other night. She tried to ask what the words were, but her mind and body were floating, and she let herself fall asleep in Logan’s arms.
* * *
They’d been in Scotland for almost three weeks, Melody on indefinite leave from the firm. Logan had made good on his promise, taking her to the Highlands, to see remote lochs and mountains, and a cave, all of it wild and beautiful. She’d been entranced by everything she saw. There were times she couldn’t even imagine going back to New York.
At night, they’d made love, endless times, on deep featherbeds with canopies overhead. They’d fallen asleep, wrapped in each other’s arms, beneath soft eiderdown comforters. Melody couldn’t remember a time she’d slept so deeply, or so much. Logan teased her that she was getting harder to wake up each morning, convinced his lovemaking was tiring her out.
“Even if that’s the case, don’t think I’m willing to get by with less. I’d rather have ye as many times as I want and get used to you sleeping late, than not have ye enough.”
She stretched, breathing deeply. The scent of their lovemaking rose up around them, as heady as any perfume, making her want him again.
“It’s all the fresh air and exercise, not you.” She rolled over on top of Logan, pinning him to the bed. “Although you are wonderful, and I’m not complaining.”
“Ye better not be complaining. You’d be wounding my male pride if ye did.”
“Your male…pride seems to be just fine.” Melody squirmed against Logan, giggling, as he thrust himself gently against her.
“Well, that…and my pride…are two different things, ye ken. That…” He slowly rocked his h*ps against her again “…works just fine, regardless if it’s been insulted.”