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I see my phone on the side, charging, and check it as they both leave, seeing a couple of messages from Fleur.
Fleur:What’s going on? Why is Sawyer wondering where you are?
Fleur:Although he had your phone so no point in me messaging you right now
Fleur:Please let me know when you’re back and safe, I’m worrying like crazy!
Fleur:Sawyer, is she okay???
I quickly type out a message, not feeling the strength to call her right now, my eyes already drooping.
Me:All good, they’re drama queens. Call you in the morning x
But I don’t think they’re being dramatic at all. The missing hours have anxiety gnawing at my stomach, and even as I get under the covers and the guys join me, caging me in with their warm bodies, I can’t relax. Even as sleep takes me under, the tension in my body remains.
CHAPTER FIVE
Sawyer
I’m awake long before Harlow is, the nightmare of me opening my eyes and finding the bed empty too strong to let me drift off for any decent length of time. This whole thing was my fault. If I had just told Harlow what had happened at the gym, she wouldn’t have been doubting me. She wouldn’t have walked off to take the call, gone outside alone. Then whatever happened in the lost two hours wouldn’t be such a mystery.
As weak early morning sunlight makes its way under the curtains, I give up on sleep for the night. Instead, I head into the kitchen and get started on a pot of coffee. I’m mindlessly watching it brew when a soft tap comes at the door. If I hadn’t been out here, I’d never have heard it.
Making my way over, I pull it open quietly and find Nico there, looking just as rough as I’m sure I do right now, dark rings under his eyes and his hair wild. Guess neither of us are getting any sleep. He eyes me warily with a pissed-off look on his face, which is fair. He didn’t deserve the right hook to the face, I guess—he just brought Harlow in from outside—but it was just a reaction to seeing him with her when she’d been missing. I step back and hold the door open for him to come in before closing it behind him and going back over to the coffee pot that’s just about ready.
“You want a cup?” I ask him, and he grunts a no. At least I think it’s a no.
“I just came to check on Harlow. How’s she been?”
“Okay. She woke up and had a bath, but she’s sleeping now.” He nods as if that settles something inside him.
“She remember anything?”
“Nope.”
It’s quiet as we both think over what that could mean, but neither of us have anything else to add. What’s the point in speculating? I’m minutely calmer about the whole thing now she’s back and safe with us, so I can think a little bit more reasonably, I guess. Speaking of which...
Listen,” I say, turning with my mug of coffee to face Nico. “Sorry about before. I saw you with her like that and freaked out.”
“Don’t mention it,” he mumbles.
“I guess I needed somewhere to expel the pent-up anger. Sorry it happened to be you.”
“Honestly, Sawyer, you shouldn’t apologize.” I frown at the wording of that, but he’s moved on. “About the baby...” I wince at spilling that secret mere moments after finding out, but there’s not a lot I can do about it now. I hold my hand up before he carries on.
“Don’t ask me anything, because I don’t know it. I don’t have any answers. We know there’s a positive pregnancy test and that’s it.”
He frowns. “What does that mean?”
I sigh, preparing to tell him even more that I wasn’t planning on sharing. “We found it on Harlow’s phone while she was missing. She didn’t tell us, and we haven’t exactly had time to discuss it yet.” He nods his head as if he has a million thoughts about it already, but he only shares one.
“At least this puts her out of The Games.”
“She’s got three years,” I remind him. It’s not like she’ll be pregnant when they’re on.
“She can’t go in with a child, born or not,” he insists, muttering mainly to himself, it seems. “It rules her out.” I don’t think that’s an official rule, but I wouldn’t exactly be upset if it turns out to be true. “I’ll see you later,” he says, and leaves as abruptly as he arrived.
***
