Page 73 of Legends Luke

Ben ended his call, and something about the way he rushed over to Luke’s desk had him shaking off his despondency.

“Central City apprehended two members of the crew.”

“What do you know?” Luke demanded, feeling hope creep in for the first time since his investigation began.

“There were three who busted into the Central City Pharmacy. They came in through the back, cornered one of the pharmacists, and had her stuff whatever drugs were handy into their duffels. There were customers in the store, but they didn’t see what was happening. One of the pharmacy techs heard a commotion in the back and went to check it out. She ducked out of the way before the crew could see her, and she set off a silent alarm. Then she went back up front, and she got the customers and other employees out before the crew knew what was happening.”

“Smart,” English muttered. He and Becky had joined them after hearing Ben’s story.

“How did the third one get away?”

“They parked their getaway van in the alley behind the pharmacy. The cops blocked the alley, so the crew ran on foot. The third one was a young kid who shimmied up the wall behind the pharmacy and took off. A couple of cops gave chase, but he disappeared before they could catch up to him. The other two weren’t as agile, so they were apprehended quickly. One girl, age fifteen, named Laurie Smith, and one guy, age eighteen, named Chris Weaver. Both of them are from Waverly. No one was hurt. The CCPD detective said Weaver lawyered up, but the Smith girl is scared. He’s contacted her parents, but he thinks she may end up turning on Drummond. I’m going to head up there to see if I can find out more.”

“I’ll run some background on those two to see what I can find,” the Atlas tech spoke up.

Luke had already forgotten his name, but he would make a point to ask Alex or Drake about it. The guy had proved helpful, and he wanted to personally express his thanks when this was over.

Luke was about to ask Ben another question when Drake ushered Melody inside the office. At the sight of her, his mind blanked. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, evidence of the tears she’d shed before she arrived. Her riotous curls were pinned away from her face to fall down her back. Her jeans and top were loose on her frame, making her seem fragile, but she held her spine straight, her arms crossed over her chest in a show of strength. She was anything but fragile. Even afraid and worried, she was brave. He realized Becky was right. He was falling for the woman, and how she carriedherself in the midst of what she was going through was one reason why.

Luke met her halfway and enfolded her in his arms. He didn’t realize everyone stepped out of the side entrance of the office and out into the garage, which was closed to customers today. Chum was working on pending repairs and ignoring the influx of people around him. If Chum had suspicions about Luke and his brothers’ outside activities, he was smart enough to keep those to himself.

Melody rested her head against his chest, and after a few minutes, he felt dampness on his shirt. Luke pulled back, and his hand cupped her chin to raise her face. Her tears almost broke him. His thumb swiped the moisture from her cheek.

“Drake wouldn’t tell me, but I’m not stupid.” Her voice shook as she spoke, and Luke melted.

“No one would ever call you stupid. He didn’t tell you anything because I asked him not to. I wanted to be the one to talk to you.”

She drew in a shaky breath. “Lyric was the hostage, wasn’t she? They took her.”

Luke took her hand and led her over to a chair. Once they were seated, he grasped both her hands between his, and his thumbs rubbed gentle circles against her skin.

“Yes, they did. It’s the first time the crew has ever taken a hostage. We thought they would release her once they escaped law enforcement, but it doesn’t seem so.”

Melody chewed her bottom lip as she listened. “You’re saying no one has found her, but it doesn’t mean they haven’t…”

Her voice trailed off, but Luke understood what she wanted to know without asking.

“Baby, I wish I had the right words to make this all go away for you, but all I know to do is be straight with you, even if it’s not what you want to hear.”

She nodded. “I want you to be straight with me. I have to know, Luke, even if it’s not good news.”

“All right. When I say no one has found Lyric, I mean no one has found her. She’s not in any hospitals or morgues or anywhere they could have dropped her. I can’t promise they haven’t hurt her, but I don’t think they’ve killed her. I think she was useful to them once, so they think she may be useful to them again.”

He hated himself for the pain darkening her eyes, and he suddenly wished he had Ben’s knack for dealing with people. Luke wasn’t that guy. That’s why he spent more time with computers and engines than with his peers. But for Melody, he wanted to be that guy.

Melody nibbled her bottom lip as she absorbed the news. Then she nodded. “She’ll get a message to us then. We have to go out and look. It could be anywhere.”

Luke scowled. “What do you mean?”

“Lyric will figure out a way to let me know she’s okay. It’s something she started after our parents died. I smothered her because I was scared something would happen to her. She called me out on it, and her solution was to come up with a plan for us. We would invent scenarios that could happen to one or both of us, andwe would talk through what we would do to protect ourselves. We talked through scenarios about being kidnapped. We said we would leave clues. Like if you’re lost in the woods, you leave breadcrumbs to find your way back.”

She stopped. The hope left her eyes, and she dropped her head until she stared at their hands.

“It sounds silly to say it out loud. Lyric has to be frightened out of her mind. She wouldn’t have been able to think of a breadcrumb to leave behind. Besides, they would have seen her and maybe hurt her. God, I’m acting like this is a scene in a movie. It’s real life, and my sister is in the hands of crazy people who are getting desperate. Because they are, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Luke answered honestly. “We think Drummond is looking to disappear, so he sent his crew to saturate the area with crimes to pad their pockets before they leave. He knew some would get caught, but by hitting so many places at one time and so close together, he guessed the system would be overwhelmed, and he would get away with more than he lost. We’re pretty sure Erin is with him, but we don’t know if she was involved in anything happening last night and today. I think she may have been the reason they never hit Fire Creek before today, and so that tells me—”

“He no longer cares about Erin’s connections in town. He doesn’t care about what happens to her. Who is this guy?”

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