Page 74 of Legends Luke

“It doesn’t matter. We’re going to get him. I swear to you we will take him down. I don’t make promises, but I’m making this one to you.”

She lifted her head. “I don’t care about him. I care about Lyric and Erin and the other young people this guy has screwed with. I care about what’s happening to them.”

He smoothed her hair where it framed her neck. “I know. I do too. I wish there was more I could do for you, though. I’m not very good at offering comfort.”

“I think you’re better at it than you think. Is there something I can do?”

Luke shook his head. When he opened his mouth to reply, he was interrupted by not one, but two phones ringing. He and Melody pulled their phones from their pockets before looking at each other. The remote odds of them receiving calls at the same time didn’t escape their notice. When he saw his call was from PJ, he glanced at Melody’s screen to see hers was from Sandra Bleekley. He nodded for her to take the call as he answered his own.

“You need to get to the hospital. Now!” PJ said.

Luke’s heart stuttered in his chest. “What’s going on?”

“The girl came back. She’s in bad shape. I called you as soon as I called an ambulance. The paramedics should be here any moment. There’s no asking her questions right now. I don’t know how she got here. They have security cameras, and I’ll stay behind to check those if you want to meet them at the hospital.”

“I’m on it. Keep me posted.” Luke hung up the phone and realized Melody sat holding her phone, her body in shock. He took the phone from her and saw the call had ended. He placed it on the tablebehind him and ran his hands up and down her arms, hoping she’d snap out of her trance.

“Baby, are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Melody visibly swallowed hard. “Erin is back. She’s hurt. They beat her. She’s on her way to the hospital.”

“So are we. If you’re up for it.” Luke stood but waited until she processed what he told her. “You don’t have to come with me. Drake can take you to Reagan’s, and I’ll call as soon as I know more.”

She shook her head and stood. Her tears were gone. A rosy hue stained her cheeks.

“No. I’m going. I want to be there for them. I can’t do anything for Lyric at this point, but I can at least help someone else. If Lyric was here, she’d tell me to do the same.”

He wrapped his arms around her and drew her close once more. His lips brushed against her hair. He took a moment to relish the feel of her in his arms before he pulled away.

“I need to brief everyone else. Take a moment. Freshen up. I won’t be long.”

She stood on her toes and lightly kissed his cheek. “Thank you for this, for everything.”

He caressed her cheek, words failing him. Then he went in search of the others, not wanting to waste any more time than he had to.

Chapter Thirty-One

Melody’s heart clenched. Her eyes burned with unshed tears. Her brain told her feet to move forward, but her body refused to comply. She wasn’t the only one in the room, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at anyone else. She focused on the young girl in the bed, unrecognizable but familiar.

“Melody, come in. It’s okay. Erin asked for you.”

Sandra’s voice snapped her out of her trance. She looked over to the woman she admired as her boss, trying to reconcile that with the woman before her. Sandra seemed to have aged ten years. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, lines formed around her mouth, and her hair hung limply about her shoulders. She had dragged the stiff hospital recliner over to the bed and clung to her daughter’s hand as she balanced on the edge of the seat. Silence hung heavy in the room.

“How is she?” Melody’s tone was soft, befitting the stillness in the room.

“Broken ribs, fractured right arm, broken jaw, contusions and bruises. Her eye is swollen shut as you can see. They had to wire her jaw shut as it heals. She’s been in and out of consciousness since she showed up at the house, but they gave her something to help her rest.She’ll sleep a few minutes, then wake up asking for you before falling back asleep. She’s difficult to understand with her jaw closed, but she was insistent until I assured her you were on your way.”

Sandra’s tone was strong and even, but Melody noted a slump in her shoulders. Sandra’s eyes sparkled bright with unshed tears. Melody moved to stand next to Sandra and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“PJ told us she showed up on your doorstep and managed to knock on the door before she collapsed.”

Sandra nodded. “We asked what happened, who did this to her. But all she would do is ask for you. I can guess what happened. The bastard did this to her. She trusted him for whatever reason, and he treated her like shit. He probably turned her against us, and that’s why we’ve had such a difficult time connecting with her. I hope they catch him. I want to see his ass fry in court.”

“I trust Luke and his brothers and all the people working with them. They are doing everything they can to help the police find Blake Drummond, and I believe they will.”

Sandra smiled. “Your boyfriend is a good man. You lucky to have found each other.”

Melody didn’t bother to correct her boss’ assumption. Now wasn’t the time, and she also enjoyed how it felt to think of Luke as her boyfriend. There would be time later to analyze what that meant to her. Erin started to stir, and Sandra leaned forward even more, a warm smile on her face.

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