Free Rocked by an Angel by Sophia Hampton

 
    ROCKED BY AN ANGEL
     
    Melody Turner needed a break. Her manager knew it, her band members knew it, even her fans knew it. But Melody was nothing if not stubborn. It took a crazy fan with a pocket knife to make her realize that this was not the dream life she had always thought she had.
     
    True, being a famous rock star had its perks. She had gotten out of the sleepy biker town of Madena and had made something of herself. She had promised herself that she would never look back and until recently she hadn't.
     
    Realizing your life is in danger will do that for you , she mused to herself. She liked to think that she lived her life without fear...but that's crazy. No one can keep that up for long. She had no family left and few friends, besides her band mates. She slept little and had no social life. Whoever said that she had the lifestyle of the rich and famous, clearly didn't understand what that meant. If it meant TV dinners, long nights of practice, and virtually no time off unless you were sick...then yes - she definitely had the life!
     
    Melody stopped strumming when her manager, Ricky, walked in. He sat down on the RV cushion and just looked at her. She knew she was in for a lecture and tried to head him off.
     
    "I know, Ricky. I've already booked the plane tickets."
     
    Ricky looked surprised, and then quickly gathered it together. "Where are you headed?"
     
    She thought for a moment, wondering who it was safe to tell. Nowadays, she felt like she couldn't trust anyone. "Back home."
     
    This time Ricky didn't even bother to conceal his shock. "But...but you hate it there!"
     
    She sighed because he wasn't wrong. She had spoken often enough about how much she disliked the quiet town full of bikers and librarians. She had to think of her safety though, and as much as she despised having everyone know her business, she knew the town would not put her in any danger if they could help it.
     
    When she didn't answer, he piped up, "How long will you be gone for? We don't have another tour until September."
     
    "I'll be gone as long as it takes. Not sure exactly how long that is. But, I'll miss you," she added playfully. Over the years, her manager had become as close to a friend as she had.
     
    They shared a quick hug, and then he let her get back to work. A few days later, she flew out of Denver to the small airport in Madena. Not knowing who still lived in the town, she rented a car and drove out to her parents' house. She hadn't been back since the funeral, so she spent most of the afternoon going through old photo books and digging through her mother's hope chest.
     
    After an exhausting day, she decided to head to Minnie's, the local coffee shop, to grab some caffeine before unpacking. Standing in line, she couldn't help but hear the guys behind her who were doing their best imitation of a stage whisper.
     
    "Mmmm...I'd like a little drizzle of cream on that vanilla latte." They cracked up, and she rolled her eyes inwardly.
     
    "Looks like she's got some honey stowed away on her," another said. The bad puns continued until she got up to the register. When one of them went too far, she heard someone walk up behind them. A shock of awareness jolted through her when she recognized the voice.
     
    "Leave her be, Tommy." The deep voice resonated with an unspoken threat.
     
    "You don't have your posse here, Kent. No one to back you up now, is there?" Tommy let out a snicker and his buddies joined in.
     
    The man let out a slow chuckle. "I didn't need help the last time, did I?"
     
    The laughter died out, and she half turned to catch a glimpse of Tommy flying through the air and landing on his back, a stool tipping over in the process.
     
    She looked at the broad back, recognizing the familiar lines, and noting all the new muscles that added to his already impressive size. He had been working out. Like, a lot .
     
    The other diners went back to munching on their food. Clearly, this was not the first bout