I had started to ask him what the hell he was doing when headlights caught my attention, and I saw Rush’s Range Rover pull in and park. What was going on?
“You got any Corona? Or just this Bud Light shit?” Woods called out from my kitchen.
I wasn’t even going to respond to that question. Uppity country-club owner.
Rush climbed the steps toward me. I watched him carefully. If this was some kind of intervention, I was beating both of their asses. I needed a good fight. Some way to release the pain.
“Relax, I’m not here to council you. Unclench your fists, and let me inside. I have something you need to hear,” Rush said as he stopped in front of me.
“Why is Woods here?” I asked, not sure I believed him.
Rush sighed and rubbed his chin. He was nervous. Shit. What did he need to tell me? “I just thought we might need some backup. What I’m gonna tell you isn’t something you’re gonna want to hear. But you need to know. So I have him here in case you react badly.”
“Is Harlow OK?” I asked, grabbing his arm as he stepped into the apartment. The instant panic that swamped me gave me the most helpless feeling I’d ever had.
“She’s fine. Let go and calm down. Let’s go in the living room,” Rush said, then shot a pointed look at my grip on his arm. I let go, and he walked past me. If Harlow was OK, I didn’t see how anything else could upset me. She was it for me. I didn’t care about anything or anyone else. Rush knew that, so his statement that Harlow was OK didn’t do much to ease my mind.
I stalked after him and found Woods on my sofa with a beer and one leg propped up on the ottoman, watching me. His eyes swung to Rush’s, then back to me. He didn’t look like he knew what this was about, either. The curiosity in his gaze wasn’t the same concerned look in Rush’s.
“Thanks for meeting me here,” Rush said, and Woods nodded his head.
“No problem. It sounded important,” Woods replied.
“Tell me what the f**k is going on,” I demanded, not willing to wait any longer. I wasn’t going to calm down, and I sure as hell wasn’t going to sit down.
Rush turned around to look at me. “Probably should sit down,” he said.
“No,” I barked.
“Didn’t think so, but I thought I’d try,” he replied. He didn’t move to sit down, either. “Mase called me about two hours ago,” he began, then ran his hand through his hair, which was a nervous habit of his.
“Is she with Mase now?” I asked, scanning the room for where I’d left my keys when I got home from work earlier. If she was in Texas, I would get on the next flight out.
“Grant. No. Stop. Listen to me,” Rush said in a sharp tone.
I swung my gaze back to his. “If she is in Texas, I’m going to motherfucking Texas! You can’t stop me. The cops can’t stop me. No one CAN. FUCKING. STOP. ME!” I roared.
“You need to listen to what I have to say first. It’s important.” Rush’s tone had turned commanding. Thing was, I didn’t give a rat’s ass. I was going to see Harlow.
“She can tell me what’s going on. I’m going to Texas,” I told him with enough determination that he knew I was serious. I had to get to her.
“There are things you need to know,” he said, raising his voice over mine.
“All I need to know is where she is. That’s all I need to f**king know!” I snarled. He was wasting my time. I had to get my keys and get out of here.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake! I didn’t want to just come out and lay this on you, but you’re so f**king stubborn!” he yelled as I turned away from him. “She’s pregnant. Harlow is pregnant, and she won’t get an abortion, and giving birth could . . .”
He didn’t finish. He didn’t have to. I knew what the rest of that sentence was. My knees gave way, and I grabbed the back of the chair in front of me while sheer terror squeezed my lungs and heart until I couldn’t take a breath.
Harlow couldn’t be pregnant. She couldn’t be. Oh, God, no. I couldn’t lose her. I needed her to live. Even if she wouldn’t talk to me, I needed her alive on this earth.
“Mase is worried. She’s determined to have this child. Mase said she refuses to tell you because she knows you won’t agree with her. You’ll want her to get an abortion. She’s unwilling to even consider it.”
“No. She can’t do this. I can’t lose her,” I said, shaking my head, refusing to accept this. I had to get to Texas. I grabbed my keys and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Rush called out.
“Texas.”
“I didn’t say she was there. I said I’d talked to Mase,” Rush said as he came after me.
“Then where is she? I won’t lose her. She can’t do this.” I was yelling so loudly that Rush couldn’t help wincing.
“You need a plan,” Rush said, grabbing my arm in a firm grip. “Mase told me more. If you’ll sit and calm your ass down, I can tell you everything. Being prepared is the only way you can get through to her.”
He was right. I hated waiting. I hated not being able to get to her, but he was right. I had to be levelheaded. If I was going to save her, I had to be ready when I saw her. Going after her in a wild panic wasn’t going to do anything but send her running to a new hiding place.
“Does she feel OK? Did he say if she was healthy? Is she sick?” I asked.