Page 80 of Legends Luke

“You did,” she said softly. “It was my choice to run after Blake and Lyric without waiting for you. It was a snap decision. I was afraid they’d get away before I could get everyone’s attention. It was stupid.”

“Drake wasn’t far behind you. One of the cops in the yard alerted me. We would have caught up to you, but at some point, we took a wrong turn and lost you. We heard a scream and tracked it. By the time we caught up, we saw you taunting Drummond. I have to tell you, Mel, I was about to lose my shit.”

“I wasn’t taunting him exactly. I thought if I kept him talking, you would get there and stop him before he could kill us.”

“I appreciate your faith in me, but I wasn’t at my best. I saw him talking crazy and pointing a gun at you. I thought I was too late.”

She placed her hands on either side of his face. “It was you who fired the shot, wasn’t it?”

The image of Melody on the ground, shielding her sister with her body, facing down a crazy, armed man resurfaced. Fear had choked him, but his hand was steady when he raised his gun and waited. As soon as Drummond stepped into his line of sight, he fired, putting the bullet in the man’s temple, killing him instantly.

“Yes.”

Tears welled up in her eyes. She leaned forward, touching her lips to his in a brief kiss.

“I’m sorry you had to, but thank you. I owe you my life.”

He shook his head. “You don’t owe me. For you, I’d do anything.”

“I don’t deserve you.”

“I think that’s my line.”

She smiled and leaned over to rest her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”

He shifted to place an arm around her shoulders, hugging her as close as the chairs would allow. “No place I’d rather be.”

∞∞∞

Melody barged through the door of her house, barely taking time to lock the door before rushing to her room.

“Hey!” Lyric called in her wake, but Melody didn’t slow down. She didn’t have the time to waste.

She wasted no time in hopping under the warm spray of the shower as Lyric opened the bathroom door.

“What’s going on?”

Melody lathered shampoo in her hair. “I got stuck at work and stayed later than I meant to. Luke’s going to be here to pick me up in a few minutes, so I don’t have much time to get ready.”

Lyric wasn’t deterred. “Everything all right at work?”

Melody ran her head under the water as she answered. “Yes. Sandra was back today.”

“How are they doing?”

In the months following the day Blake Drummond abducted Lyric and held her and Melody at gunpoint, everyone involvedhad gone through adjustments and healing. The children working for Drummond were counseled and punished if warranted. Many of them were runaways or foster children searching for a place to belong. They were targets for Drummond’s manipulative ways, and last she heard, they had a long road ahead of them to put their lives back together.

The police had even found Drummond’s sister, Blair. She’d been shot, and they had yet to figure out who killed her. No one in the crew seemed to know for sure, so that would be a piece of the puzzle that would go unsolved.

Erin received a suspended sentence and probation for her role in the crew’s crimes. Sandra and Hayden took leaves of absence from their jobs to spend time with her and repair their relationship. Erin healed from her injuries at Drummond’s hands, but her spirit was crushed.

“They’re trying to find a new normal,” Melody answered, adding conditioner to her curls. “But Sandra said they’re in a good place. It was good to have her back and looking happy.”

“That’s good. So where is Luke taking you tonight?”

“It’s a surprise. He told me to dress casually, but I don’t know. I can’t help but feel like there’s something special about this date.”

“Aaahhh,” Lyric drawled. “Well, if anyone deserves a special night, it’s you two. You found a good one with him, Melon. I wish he had a younger brother for me. Fire Creek is not exactly crawling with eligible men my age.”

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