"Nothing that can't wait," Ash said, gesturing him in.
Gavin strode over and sank into the chair opposite Ash's desk. "It's getting really weird out there."
Ash didn't have to ask what he meant. The mood around the office had been tense for the past couple of weeks. He could only assume it was due in part to the security leaks. It wasn't openly discussed, but at this point everyone knew.
"That's why I stay in here," Ash said.
"You're lucky you can. You should try working with Logan Emerson."
"I did notice that he doesn't exactly seem to fit in."
"He kind of creeps me out," Gavin said. "It seems like every time I look up, he's watching me. Then I caught him in my office the other day. He said he was leaving me a memo."
"Did he?"
"Yeah. But I could swear the papers on my desk had been moved around. There's something not quite right with him. There are times when he doesn't even seem to know what the hell he's doing. Doesn't seem like a very smart hire to me. If it were my firm, you could bet I would do things differently."
But it wasn't. He knew Gavin dreamed of branching out on his own, of being the boss, but talk like that could make some people nervous. Ash just hoped Gavin wouldn't undermine the integrity of Maddox and leak information to Golden Gate to suit his own interests.
Gavin's cell rang and when he looked at the display he shot up from his chair. "Damn, gotta take this. I've got a lead on a new client. I don't want to say too much, but it could be very lucrative."
"Well, good luck."
When Gavin was gone Ash looked at the clock. It seemed that time was crawling by today. It was still four hours until he picked up Mel for dinner. It was going to be tough sitting through the entire meal, knowing the ring was in his pocket. But he knew that the water was one of her favorite places, so that was where he wanted to do it. He'd timed it so that the sun would be setting and the view would be spectacular.
He'd planned it so precisely, there wasn't a single thing that could possibly go wrong.
Melody was running late.
She leaned close to the mirror and fixed the eyeliner smudge in the corner of her eye. Boy, she was out of practice.
Ash stuck his head in for tenth time in the past fifteen minutes. "Ready yet?"
"One more minute."
"That's what you said ten minutes ago. We're going to be late for our reservation."
"The restaurant isn't going anywhere. It won't kill us if we have to wait a little longer." It was their first real night out since the accident, and she wanted it to be special. She'd bought a new dress and even curled her hair and pinned it up.
"Mel?"
"Fine! Jeez." She swiped on some lipstick, dropped the tube in her purse and said, "Let's go."
He hustled her into the elevator, then into the car. Her new car sat beside his, and though she had been a little nervous at first being back in the driver's seat, now she loved it. She even made excuses to go out just so she could drive it.
Ash got in the driver's side, started the car and zipped through the garage to the entrance. He made a right out onto the street. Traffic was heavy, and Ash cursed when they had to stop at the red light.
"We're going to be late," he complained, watching for a break in the traffic so he could hang a right.
"What is it with you tonight?" she asked, pulling down the mirror on the visor to check her eyeliner one last time. "Are you going to turn into a pumpkin or something?"
He started to move forward just as she was flipping her visor up, and at the same time a guy on a bike shot off the curb and into the intersection.
"Ash!" she screamed, and he slammed on the brakes, barely missing the guy's back tire as he flew by in an attempt to beat the light.
"Idiot," Ash muttered, then he turned to look at her. "You okay?"
She couldn't answer. Her hands were trembling and braced on the dash, her breath coming in short, fast bursts. She suddenly felt as though her heart was going to explode from her chest it was hammering so hard.
"Mel? Talk to me," Ash said, sounding worried, but his voice was garbled, as if he was talking to her through water.
She tried, but she couldn't talk. Her lips felt numb and she wasn't getting enough air.
Out. She had to get out of the car.
The car behind them honked so Ash zipped around the corner.
He put his hand on her arm, keeping one eye on her and one on the road. "Mel, you're scaring me."
She couldn't breathe. She was trapped and she needed air.
She reached for the door handle and yanked, not even caring that they were still moving, but the door was locked.
Ash saw what she was doing and yanked her away from the door. "Jesus, Mel, what are you doing?"
"Out," she wheezed, still struggling to get a breath. "Get me out."
"Hold on," he said, gripping her arm, genuine fear in his voice. "Let me pull over."
He whipped down the alley behind their building then turned back into the parking garage. The second he came to a stop she clawed her door open and threw herself out, landing on her knees on the pavement. Her purse landed beside her and its contents spilled out, but she didn't care. She just needed air.
She heard Ash's door open and in an instant he was behind her. "Mel, what happened? Is it your head? Are you hurt?"
It was getting easier to breathe now, but that crushing panic, the instinct to run intensified as adrenaline raced through her bloodstream.
She closed her eyes, but instead of blackness she saw a rain-slicked windshield, she heard the steady thwap of the wipers. The weather was getting worse, she thought. Better get home. But then there was a bike. One second it wasn't there, then it was, as though it materialized from thin air. She saw a flash of long blond hair, a pink hoodie. She yanked the wheel, there was a loud thunk, then rolling-
"No!" Her eyes flew open. She was still in the parking garage, on the floor. But it happened. It was real. "I hit her. I hit the girl."
"Mel, you have to calm down," Ash said sternly, then she felt his arms around her, helping her up off the ground. Her knees were so weak, her legs so shaky she could hardly walk on her own.
"There was a bike," she told him. "And a girl. I hit her."
"Let's get you upstairs," he said, helping her to the elevator.
As the doors slid shut she closed her eyes and was suddenly overwhelmed by the sensation that she was rolling. Rolling and rolling, violent thrashing, pain everywhere, then wham. A sharp jolt and a pain in her head. Then, nothing. No movement. No sound.
Can't move.
Trapped.
"Mel."
Her eyes flew open.
"We're here."
Disoriented, she gazed around and realized she was back in the elevator, on their floor and he was nudging her forward. Not in the car. Not trapped.
He helped her inside and sat her down on the couch. He poured her a drink and pressed it into her hands. "Drink this. It'll help you calm down."
She lifted it to her lips and forced herself to take a swallow, nearly gagging as it burned a trail of fire down her throat. But she was feeling better now. Not so panicked. Not so afraid. The fuzziness was gone.
He started to move away and she gripped the sleeve of his jacket. "Don't go!"
"I'm just going to get the first-aid kit from the guest bathroom. We need to clean up your knees."
She looked down and saw that her knees were raw and oozing blood, and the sight of it made her feel dizzy and sick to her stomach.
She lay back and let her head fall against the cushion. She remembered now, as clear as if it had happened this morning. She was in the car, knowing she had to get help. She had to help the girl. But when she tried to move her arms something was pinning her. She was trapped. She tried to see what it was, thinking she could pry it loose, but the second she moved her head, pain seized with a vicelike grip, so intense that bile rose up to choke her. She moaned and closed her eyes against the pain.
She tried to think, tried to concentrate on staying conscious. Then she felt it, low in her belly. A sharp pain. Then cramping. She remembered thinking, No, not there. Not the baby.
The baby.
Oh, God. She had been pregnant. She was going to have Ash's baby.
The final piece of the puzzle slid into place. That was why she left Ash. That was why she ran to Texas. She was pregnant with Ash's baby, a baby she knew he would never want.
The relief of finally having the answers, finally seeing the whole picture, paled in comparison to the ache in her heart.
They could have been a family. She and Ash and the baby. They could have been happy. But how could she have known?
Ash reappeared and knelt down in front of her. He'd taken off his suit jacket and rolled his sleeves to his elbows. "This is probably going to sting," he warned her, then he used a cool, damp washcloth to wipe away the blood. She sucked in a surprised breath as she registered the raw sting of pain.