Melody Unchained Read Online Free PDF

she had them settled down with three point two kids, a minivan and a golden retriever. “I’ve got another call coming in.”
    “Fine. Just do me a favor and keep up with this girl. She needs you. I have a good feeling in my heart about her and you.”
    The good feeling he got from Melody centered a little south of his heart. And right above the good feeling, he had a sick feeling. “Thanks, Stella.” He disconnected her and picked up the other call. “Detective Howland.”
    “Jerry?”
    Oh God. Speaking of the lunatic he was supposed to take care of, and she sounded like she’d been crying. “Hello, Melody, what can I do for you?”
    “The super said I can’t live in Billy’s apartment because I’m not on the lease. He said he’s going to change the locks tomorrow. The rent is paid through the end of the month. He can’t kick me out like that, can he? Will you talk to him?”
    “Melody, the people you need to talk to are at Fair Housing.”
    “What’s Fair Housing?”
    “They handle landlord-tenant disputes. You can look them up in the phone book.”
    “The phone book?”
    “Yes, Melody, the phone book. It’s huge and yellow and somebody delivers a new one every time you turn around.” He couldn’t be responsible for this girl. He just couldn’t.
    “Why can’t you handle it?”
    Jerry looked at the case file on his desk that wasn’t investigating itself. The terrible part was, he wanted to handle it for her. Drop everything and run right over there to tell the super where to stick his locks. Then he wanted to go up to her apartment and accept her gratitude. That kiss this afternoon had been enough to make him forget his name. He could do with a few more like that in his life. The sick feeling in his gut kept pace with the lust in his groin. How wrong is this, let me count the ways.
    “Jerry?”
    “Okay.” He flipped open the file. He needed to check out the clerk’s shoes at the Citgo up the road from her that had been robbed the day before yesterday anyway. Third robbery on the kid’s shift in two months and after each one, he’d gotten a brand new pair of really nice sneakers. Imagine that. Scumbags to the left of me, scumbags to the right and I’m stuck in the middle trying not to become one with Melody. “I’ll stop by and talk to him.”
    “Thank you, Jerry. You’re very good to me.”
    “Yeah, I’m a prince.” He disconnected the call and grabbed his coat. All the way to her building, he cursed himself. What was he trying to do anyway? Save her? Screw her? Earn perfect karma? Do a hat trick? She was crazy and she’d hunted him down at home. Apparently, he was also crazy because he hadn’t told anyone she’d stalked him. He should have reported it immediately in case she became a threat. But no, he’d made a coffee date with her and now he was riding to her rescue to save her against the evil dragon who wanted to kick her out on the streets.
    Melody was gorgeous and Stella was right about her being innocent. The whole I’m three thousand years old thing could have been trauma. Hell, he’d had days when he felt at least three thousand years old. There might have been some kinky reason Welsh had her in that apartment. Just because the old guy couldn’t function anymore didn’t mean he didn’t want a hot little girl walking around half naked and calling him master.
    Jerry mopped sweat off his brow. The image was skeevy and exciting at the same time. Melody wasn’t a girl though. If he had to guess, he’d say she was at least twenty. Convenient for him, since even if he’d guessed two years too old, she was still legal. He parked behind the tall, red brick building with Art Deco architectural details and went to the intercom. Welsh must have moved in here when the place was high living and stayed through the downfall and gentrification of the neighborhood.
    “What?”
    “It’s Detective Howland from the police. I need to talk to you about one of your tenants.”
    The