Page 47 of Legends Luke

Luke grew thoughtful as he thought over Jackson’s theory. The more he mulled over the pieces, the more the puzzle started to take shape. He threw one last pass to Jackson before starting toward the truck.

“I need a shower and my laptop,” he shouted over his shoulder, expecting Jackson to follow.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.”

Jackson jogged over until he caught up to his brother. He grasped Luke’s arm to stop him, and Luke scowled first at his brother’s hand and then at his expression.

“What? You wanted me to talk about what was bugging me. I did. Now let’s go. I have work to do.”

“And you told me thatpartof it was the case. That means there’s another part, and I’m guessing it’s a pretty woman with curly hair and a friendly smile.”

Luke pulled out of his brother’s grasp. “Can we not do this?”

“Can you not be an ass? You can pretend this is not a big deal, but Melody is the first woman, outside of Becky and Reagan, who we’ve told about the Legends. Hell, she’s the first one to wind you up in knots. Why her? Why is she special? Don’t get me wrong. I like her. But what makes her different enough for you to want to risk telling her what we do?”

Luke shrugged. “I don’t know, man. I just — I don’t know.”

“Bullshit.”

“I like her. Is that what you wanted me to say? I like her. She’s real. She holds nothing back. For once, I didn’t want to either. Happy now?”

“So, what happened after you guys left our house?”

“She asked for time. I’m giving it to her.”

“And if she decides to tell someone about the Legends?”

“She won’t. Even if she decides we’re done, she won’t tell anyone.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think so either. If I was you, Iwouldn’t give her too much time to think. From the way she looked at you, she’s not done. Not by a long shot.”

Jackson slapped his brother on the back and walked over to get in his truck. And Luke realized what he hated more than anything in the world.

When his brother was right.

Chapter Twenty

Melody sipped her iced tea as she selected the icons on her car’s Bluetooth screen to send a call to her sister. She was on her lunch break, and from what she knew of Lyric’s final exam schedule, she suspected her sister was stepping through the door to her apartment about now.

She was still amazed at how quickly Lyric bounced back from her ordeal. The police said the guys who came after her were securely in jail and would likely stay for a while. They had no means to pay the bond the judge set for them. They were repeat offenders with a reputation for skipping their court dates. No bail bondsman would help them, and the judge was not going to be easy on them.

After her scare, Lyric threw herself into her schoolwork, spending long hours in the university’s resource library or at the local coffee house. Melody worried her sister was going to burn out before she finished the semester, but Lyric assured her there would be time to rest once her diploma was in hand.

Melody took a small bite of her chicken salad sandwich while she waited for Lyric to answer or her voicemail to pick up. She wasabout to swallow her bite when her sister’s greeting carried over the car’s speakers.

“Hey, Bird. How was your exam this morning?”

“Brutal, but I think I did okay. I only need a seventy-five to keep a B in the class, so I should be good. It’s my toughest class, so the rest of them going forward shouldn’t be as tough. How’s work going?”

“It’s been slow today, so I’m having a hard time keeping my mind on things. Sandra has a big case coming up, and between that and her daughter, she’s not had much time to keep me busy.”

“Sounds like you’ve had a lot of time to think about your hero boyfriend,” Lyric teased.

Melody rolled her eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend, and I don’t know if I’d call him a hero. He’s...complicated.”

“Uh, oh. Please don’t tell me he’s turned into a dud like the others. Because I don’t think my heart can take it. I already have a small crush on him after he helped me out the other night. You have to admit he was equal parts sweet and badass. Well, maybe seventy percent badass and thirty percent sweet.”

Melody sighed. “I wouldn’t call him a dud or a jerk. He’s nothing like any other man I’ve ever dated. Or met.”

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