Risqué Business (Club Risqué #8)

Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

M icah grabbed the phone off of his desk and answered it by rote, his head not really in the game since he’d let Melody head off with Charlotte that morning.

As much as he wanted her to find her independence, he hated when she was out of his sight. He fought the response more often than he’d like, always aware of his overwhelming need to look out for her. To take care of her.

“Mr Flynn…” A voice he struggled to place greeted him. “You had a second viewing booked for Rose Cottage later this week,” the man said, and Micah finally recognised him as the realtor.

“Oh, yes. That’s right,” he responded, recalling the property he was considering buying for himself, which he truly believed Melody would adore.

“I’m ringing to cancel the appointment,” the realtor continued, pulling Micah from his thoughts. “The property has been sold.”

Micah shook his head, trying to concentrate. “What?” But he was talking to dead air.

“Damn!” He cursed as he hung up. Apart from the considerable amount of work that needed doing, the place had been pretty much perfect. Everything Micah imagined for his forever home. He should have acted already, but he’d been dragging his feet because Melody seemed so hesitant about every property he’d encouraged her to look at so far.

Sighing, he leaned back in his office chair and rubbed his hands over his face as he let out a beleaguered sigh. Why did it suddenly feel like everything was falling apart?

Sitting back up, he slapped his palm on the table, annoyed with himself. He wasn't usually this indecisive. He should have just gone ahead with the purchase of the property when he’d first had the urge to buy it, instead of procrastinating.

He was still berating himself an hour later when his phone rang a second time. Snatching it up, hoping it was the realtor to say the sale had fallen through, Micah tried not to be disappointed when he recognised Charlotte’s voice at the end of the line.

“Hey Micah. Is Melody there?” she asked. “I was wondering how she got on this afternoon, but I can’t reach her on her cell phone.”

Micah frowned. “What do you mean? I thought you were with her,” he asked, his stomach knotting, even though he told himself there was no need for concern.

“I was this morning,” Charlotte explained. “But she set up another viewing for this afternoon and insisted on going alone. Said it was time she started doing everything for herself.”

“Well, that’s great,” Micah managed to say, even though he felt like he was choking on the words. “I’m glad she feels capable of doing all that, even though I never thought she wasn’t. She’s always been so much stronger than she thinks she is.”

“Ummm… yeah.” Charlotte sounded uncertain. “I - uh - take it she’s not there, from the way you’re talking.”

“No, she isn’t back yet. Do you think she should be?”

Charlotte was quiet for a moment, and Micah felt his anxiety spike. “I mean, I dropped her off at the property a little over three hours ago. I’d expected her to be done by now.”

“Perhaps she arranged another viewing,” he responded, trying his best to be logical and level-headed. That was surely the reason.

“No,” Charlotte replied quickly. “The realtor said there was nothing else available to show her at short notice. Micah - she’s not answering her phone, and I don’t have any missed calls from her. I said I’d pick her up, but she was going to call an Uber. Do you think the property’s in a dead spot? It was pretty isolated. Maybe she’s stuck without a signal.”

“Damn,” Micah cursed. “Hang on. Let me try her.”

Putting the landline on hold, he dialled Melody’s number from his personal phone and tried not to let panic take hold when he got the ‘number unavailable’ message. Reconnecting the call with Charlotte, he reined in his turbulent emotions and tried to stay calm as he explained. “Where did you take her?” he asked. “I’m going to take a drive out there in case she got stranded like you suggested.”

“Pick me up. I’m on route,” Charlotte declared. “I’ll show you the way. It’s easier than trying to explain.”

Micah didn’t wait around to argue, cutting the call and taking the stairs two at a time as he hurried down to the parking lot. Though he’d never been a crazy driver, he barely managed to keep to the speed limit on his way to Charlotte and Jake’s place.

He got there to find the cavalry had been mobilised, and Desi, who lived on the same street, was there to watch Jacob and baby Daniel, along with her own daughter, Daisy, so Jake could tag along.

“I called Logan, too,” his friend revealed as he climbed into the car. Charlotte’s going to drop him a pin and he’ll meet us there.”

Knowing Jake had engaged the help of the Blackwood company lawyer did nothing to calm Micah’s nerves. “You know this is probably overkill, don’t you? Melody’s probably just out of signal.”

“I sure hope so,” Jake muttered. “But better safe than sorry.”

As Charlotte directed him down the quiet country roads, Micah began to recognise where he was. “Shit, I looked at a house down this way myself.”

Surely it couldn’t be the same one. That would be the ultimate irony.

“This is it,” Charlotte said, confirming his suspicions as the familiar driveway came into sight.

“Who the fuck does that car belong to?” Jake asked, as the three of them stared at the dark Honda.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Micah announced, pulling up and cautiously opening the door.

“Stay here, Charlotte, but be ready to phone Andy Storer,” Jake told his wife, referring to the detective who was a member of the club and a personal friend.

There was a muffled sound, as the two men rounded the hood of the car and the pair of them stopped short, completely shocked at what they found.