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She stared up at him, wide-eyed, as if what he was saying was in a foreign language. A part of him hated that she’d never been told by anyone that she deserved to be treated well. The other part of him, the part he wasn’t ready to think about too deeply, swore to show her just how much he appreciated her efforts from now on. On his family’s island, women were treated as equals—with the upmost admiration and opportunity. And he might be estranged from his homeland for the time being, but such things were ingrained in his blood, a part of his character.
“Right.” He took a deep breath to calm the rioting adrenaline in his system that seemed to fizz each time he allowed his gaze to drop to her soft pink lips. Kissing her now would be disastrous, with Heath sitting across the room. In truth, kissing her at all should’ve set off warning sirens in his head, but he didn’t have time to think about that now. He squeezed her fingers reassuringly and forced what he hoped was a polite smile. “Now, let’s get over there and make amends with your ex before it’s too late.”
She gave him a wary look but followed behind him this time. As they reached the edge of Heath’s booth, Daveed reluctantly let go of Melody’s hand and greeted his friend. “Hey, buddy. Sorry we’re late.”
“We’re?” Heath scowled then glanced back to where Melody stood just behind Daveed. “Aw, hell no.”
“Wait.” Daveed held up his hands in a placating gesture. He’d never thought his skills as a terrorism negotiator would come in handy in midtown Manhattan, but holiday miracles never ceased, it seemed. “Please. She’s been most helpful to me in deciphering Aileen’s notes and also in my investigation earlier today. Listen to what she has to say before you rush to judgment. That’s all I ask.”
Heath gave him a peeved stare, his gaze flickering from Daveed to the spot where Melody now clutched his arm. Daveed could feel her trembling behind him and wished he could do something to comfort her, but that would only make their tenuous situation worse. He also didn’t miss the flicker of incredulousness in Heath’s eyes when he met Daveed’s gaze again. They’d worked enough missions together across the Middle East to have a visual shorthand. And right now, Heath’s eyes all but screamed so-you’ve-got-the-hots-for-my-ex-girlfriend.
Ignoring his sudden urge to throttle his best friend for automatically thinking the worst of him, Daveed helped Melody into the booth on the opposite side from Heath, then slid in beside her. His thigh brushed hers, but instead of pulling away, he left his leg there, hoping to convey a bit of comfort through the covert touch. He wasn’t sure why that was so important to him, but it was.
“I don’t want her here.” Heath took a long swig off his bottle of ale. “This is a private matter.”
“And as I’ve said, she’s been helping me with Aileen’s notes. She’s already involved.”
Daveed loved Heath like one of his own brothers, but damn. The man could be a stubborn ass when he wanted to be. From his sullen expression and slumped posture, he wasn’t prepared to give an inch. And yeah, Daveed could understand him being pissed about the break-up, not to mention the way it was splashed all over hell and back by the media, but the venom in Heath’s tone seemed a tad too much, especially after Melody had told him that their marriage was little more than one of convenience. Heath couldn’t have loved Melody. Hell, he’d barely even spent any time with her over the last few years. So, it had to have been his pride that was hurt. He decided to appeal to that instead. “Listen, I know you’re upset and you have every right to be. But at least hear her out. She wants to apologize.”
He gave Melody’s leg a slight nudge under the table.
Her pale cheek was barely visible from beneath the wide brim of her scarlet hat, but even that small view allowed him to see the slight gray tinge to her normally creamy complexion. She was terrified. Without thinking, he reached his hand out under the table and took her icy fingers with his, rubbing them with his thumb for encouragement.
Heath raised a brow in her direction. “I’m waiting.”
Melody swallowed hard. “I-I’m sorry.”
“Brilliant. Is that all you have to say?” His sharp tone had Daveed giving his buddy a pointed stare. He knew Heath had a temper, which he kept under tight wraps. But he also knew the man had a sense of honor that usually overrode everything else. The fact that he was being so rude to his ex-fiancée spoke volumes to the level of anger and hurt inside the guy. “What about how you dragged my name through the muck in the tabloids? How about an apology for running off with that crappy actor to some love nest in Tahiti? How long were you fucking him behind my back, huh?”
Melody visibly flinched under the harsh words, and Daveed clasped her hand tighter for support. She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled sharply. “You’re right. And I deserved that. No words can tell you how sorry I am about what happened that night with Jefferson Hanks. But believe me, nothing happened between us. He’s… he’s gay.”
Heath snorted. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better? Did you call the press before or after you decided to elope?”
“I didn’t call them at all.” She stiffened and met his gaze finally, a hint of pink tinging her pale cheeks, for which Daveed was glad. Maybe some of her fire was returning after all. “I had nothing at all to do with the tabloids acting like a pack of ravenous hyenas.”
Her blue eyes were sparkling with indignation now and Daveed didn’t think he’d ever seen a more glorious sight. Not that he’d tell her that. Or that he should even be thinking that right now. What the hell was wrong with him? Frowning, he stared down at the graffiti-carved tabletop again.
“Right.” Heath shook his head then downed the rest of his bottle of ale before hailing the waitress for another. Daveed took the opportunity to order himself a bottle too. Melody declined a drink. “Sorry, but I’m not an idiot,” Heath went on. “Look, I know our marriage wasn’t a typical love story, but I respected you. We had an agreement and I was ready to honor that. Then you went and screwed it all up without so much as a fuck-you to me. How exactly am I supposed to just get over that and move on, huh?”
She pulled her hand away from Daveed’s her rigid posture all but vibrating with anger now. “Hey, I get that you’re upset about being the brunt of the media’s jokes the past week or so, but why are you so angry at me? From the lack of communication, you couldn’t care less if I lived or died since our engagement. I’d think you’d be relieved the inconvenience
of our marriage was taken off your hands. You never even came to look for me.”
Her raised voice drew the attention of several nearby patrons, but neither Melody nor Heath seemed to care at this point. Daveed thanked the waitress who dropped off his ale and Heath’s refill, feeling as out of place as a fart in church. He took a swig from his bottle, grateful for something to do as his best bud and Melody glared at each other over the table.
“Look for you?” Heath’s words held an edge of steel. “In case you hadn’t noticed I’m kind of busy right now searching for my friend Murphy’s missing sister.”
“Of course you are.” Melody crossed her arms, her expression mulish. “Because it’s always something with you, isn’t it? Always some reason why you can’t see me or spend time with me or even deign to acknowledge that I’m anything more than some stupid cow who’s waiting at home to spend your money and wear your ring. I came here to apologize and make amends for my mistakes, but you make it so difficult.”
“Oh, I make it difficult.” Heath shook his head. “That’s crazy. We both went into our relationship with open eyes. We understood each other, I thought. Then you went and changed the rules on me with no warning. I—”
Whatever he’d been going to say next was interrupted by the sound of camera shutters and bright flashes. Soon, the crowd of patrons around them was infested with paparazzi all vying to get the next great shot of the unhappy couple du jour.
“Again?” Heath growled across the table at Melody. “When the fuck will it be enough for you, huh?”
“I didn’t know they would be here, I swear…” she started, but it was too late. Heath was already on his feet and shoving his way toward the back of the bar and the exit there.
Visibly shaken, Melody cowered into the corner of the booth, doing her best to shield her face with her hat and her hands while Daveed’s protective instincts kicked into overdrive. Not knowing what else to do, he climbed out of the booth and helped Melody, then put his arm around her shoulders to pull her tight into his side. They needed a distraction, something to throw the media off the scent of this story, something to keep them at bay until he could get Melody out of here safely.
