Free Broken Melody (Rock With You #2) Rock Star Romance by Adriana Hunter

polished surface.
    “First,
let me apologize on behalf of the firm for Mr. Marshall’s actions. They were absolutely
unconscionable.”
    “Thank
you, Joe. That means a great deal.”
    “As
you know, with a case like this, we’d have gone through all of the proper
steps, starting with your filing of a grievance. We’d have gathered evidence
from both sides and then worked toward a settlement. But something has happened
to alter that process.”
    “What’s
happened? Has someone else come forward? Has someone come forward backing
Ryan’s story?” Melody’s mouth went dry and her heart gave an uncomfortable
lurch in her chest.
    “No,
not at all. Nothing like that.” He paused, his face reflected his apprehension.
    “Ryan
Marshall has disappeared.”
    Melody
shook her head. “No, I just saw him… this morning.”
    “Where?”
Joe sat forward, frowning deeply.
    “Here.
In his office, I mean. I went to get a case file and he came in after I did.
Said you’d given him permission to get some personal items from his desk.”
    Joe
sat back, the color draining from his face. “I never did. The last I talked to
Ryan was yesterday, in his office. He left shortly after that. I told him he
was on administrative leave until further notice. Until we’d started a formal
investigation.”
    “I
don’t understand. How do you know he’s missing?” Melody’s hands were trembling
and she clutched them together beneath the table.
    “He
called me last evening, to tell me he had decided to resign. I was out to
dinner, told him I’d call him back. When I tried calling him on his cell phone,
he didn’t answer. I tried his home number but his…I believe she’s his
housekeeper…said he wasn’t home. And then I called again this morning, several
times, and no one answered, not even the woman who had answered the night before.”
    “But
he was here…how?” But Melody knew. Ryan had keys to everything.
    Joe
shook his head. “He’s a partner, a senior partner. There’s really no place he
can’t access.”
    “What
do we do?”
    “Nothing,
really. Unless he’s threatened you.” Melody shook her head.
    “About
this morning, technically he’d be trespassing, except there’s no formal
resignation on file. It’s a bit of a gray area at the moment. We’re not even
sure if we should contact the police. He’s an adult, obviously, but…it’s just a
bit out of the norm for us.”
    Uneasiness
crept up Melody’s spine. She wanted to run, find Logan, and go far away. But
there was no overt threat; just the knowledge that a potentially unstable man
she’d humiliated in his own firm was not where he should be.
    “We’ll
let security in the building know, along with the receptionists. He should be
allowed on our floors, but there’s nothing keeping him from being in the public
spaces of the building.”
    Melody
sighed. Her thoughts were churning, her mind in chaos.
    “There’s
something else I wanted to discuss with you, Melody.”
    She
started, the frown on her face deepening. “There’s more?”
    Joe
held up his hands, hurrying to continue. “No, no…nothing bad this time.
Actually, we’d like to make you the interim managing partner of the department.
There is quite a heavy caseload here and we do need someone to manage the
department. That is, until we find a permanent replacement for Marshall.”
    “Oh…Joe.
I don’t know what to say.” This was all becoming too unreal for her and her
mind was reeling. Maybe running away to Scotland and living in a cave
wouldn’t be such a bad idea…
    “I
don’t need a decision immediately. But I would need one soon. Say, next Monday?
That would give you the weekend to think it over.”
    “The
senior partners back this idea?”
    “Oh,
yes. They’re behind you being made junior partner. You have an exemplary record
with us.”
    Melody’s
mind was racing. Apparently Ryan hadn’t told anyone about her affair with Logan.
“Did Ryan have anything to say about me,