When she didn’t hear anything she wandered into the formal living room just off the foyer and perched on the closest chair to the door. Her lashes drooped. She rubbed her knuckles over her eyes. In another five minutes she would fall asleep right where she sat.
“Craig,” she tried again. This was ridiculous. She was just around the corner from Trent’s house. She would just walk home. “I’m going to get going. I’ll just walk. Thanks for the ride.”
Silence greeted her. While half of her wondered what had become of him, the other half was burning with frustration. She headed out to the car, but when she tried the door handle, she realized it was locked. Unable to get her bag out, she returned to the house.
“Craig?” She headed up the stairs and was halfway to the top when she heard a sound coming from below. Turning, she spied him. “There you are. Look, if you still need to do things around here, I can walk home. I just need to get my bag out of your car.”
“Why don’t you stick around? I’ll make us something to eat.”
“I’m really tired and not very hungry.” And growing more irritated by the second. “I just want to go home.”
“Just a little while. Please.”
As she retraced her steps down the stairs, he moved to cut off her exit through the front door. His demeanor was casual and relaxed, but for some reason the hair on Melody’s arms stood on end. Why wouldn’t he let her go?
“I’m really tired.” She couldn’t see a way to get past him and reach the front door.
“Please sit down.”
“I don’t want to sit down. I want to go.”
He advanced toward her and Melody backed up. He herded her into the living room and gestured toward the couch. During her earlier assessment of the backyard, she’d noted that there was a tall concrete wall around the entire area. No way to escape there. She’d just have to play along until he decided to take her home.
“I am afraid I can’t let you,” he said.
Exhaustion and anxiety were blocking her ability to think clearly. “Why?”
“You need someone to take care of you and as you pointed out, you don’t listen when people tell you to slow down and take care of yourself and the baby. So I’m going to do that.”
How could he look so rational and say such outrageous things?
“What are you talking about?”
“You liked everything, didn’t you?” His smile was overly personal. “The roses. The baby gift?”
Fear burrowed into her muscles, rendering them useless. “That was you?”
“Yes. I wanted you to know how much I love you.”
“Those were very nice things, but you shouldn’t have sent them. I’m with Kyle.” Only she wasn’t with Kyle. She had left him in LA. And come back to Las Vegas with Craig. And now she was in terrible trouble.
“In time you’ll see he wasn’t good for you. Not the way I will be. We are going to be so happy.”
* * *
Kyle sat on the couch in his LA home and stared at the phone in his hands, willing Melody to call or text him back. He kept going back to her last message about spending the night in a hotel and cursing himself for not responding right away. At the time, he’d been so damned angry that he’d been afraid of what he might write back. But as night dwindled into morning, he’d sent her an apology and asked for her to call him as soon as she could. Now, lunch had passed without any response and his anxiety prompted a call to Trent.
“Have you and Savannah heard from Melody since last night?” Kyle said after Trent picked up.
“No. Haven’t you?”
“She left me a text last night saying she was spending the night at a hotel. I’ve called her several times today, but she’s not picking up.” Maybe he shouldn’t expect her to given the way they’d left things last night. She’d made it pretty clear she needed some time to think.
“Could one of you try her?”
“Savannah’s trying right now. Have you checked with Nate?”
“I haven’t called him yet. He and Mia were heading to visit his mom in Texas. They left first thing this morning. They should’ve arrived by now.”