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“I will.”
“I need to go. I have a meeting in a few minutes. I’m so relieved you’re safe. I love you, Holden.”
“Love you too, Mom.” I ended the call and bowed my head. The shit was getting thicker and thicker.
“Are you going to move in with Catherine?” Brynn asked softly. “It will be hard to be there without River.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she sniffled.
“You’re welcome to stay here, man,” Chance offered. “Hell, I’d rather help you with whatever you need concerning the club. Maybe you can rebuild or design it from the ground up. It will give me something to do. I don’t have to work, so I’ll simply take time off and help you.”
“Thanks. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about 4 Play yet. It depends on how much damage there is. And, at least for tonight, I’ll take you up on crashing here.” I took a long drink of my beer. “I need another one of these, too.” I rose from the floor and stretched.
“The guest room is ready. Hell, no one has even slept in it yet.” Chance batted his eyelashes at me. “You’ll be my first.”
Jace chuckled, then his expression grew serious. “Damn, I wonder if the playroom is destroyed.”
“Regardless, it’s too dangerous to be in the building. It will take a while before we’ll even be allowed in and that’s only if it’s safe. For all I know, I’ll have to knock it down and start over.” I grimaced at the idea. “Right now, all I want is River beside me.” I kicked at the rug with the toe of my tennis shoe. “I hadn’t told you guys, but when everyone came up to see the penthouse for the first time, I was going to ask River to marry me. I was looking at the ring in our new bedroom when Zayne called me, and I learned that she’d been taken.” Fire squeezed my lungs and burned up the back of my throat. I couldn’t breathe as panic ripped through me. She had to be okay.
“Dude, that’s harsh the way it worked out. You’ll have another opportunity so hang on to that.” Jace fisted his hand over his heart.
“I guarantee you one thing,” Chance began, “River is bound and determined to make it back to you. She loves you like mad.”
“Thanks. I obviously feel the same way.”
“Holden,” Brynn said, standing and approaching me. “She’ll be back. You’ll still get to propose.” She slipped her arms around my waist and hugged me. I rested my chin on the top of her head and eased my free arm around her.
“I hope like hell you’re right. I’m not sure I’ll make it if I lose her and the baby.”
Brynn peered up at me. “Did you suspect about the pregnancy when you bought her engagement ring?”
“No. I had no fucking clue. I swear I thought she just had the stomach flu. It seemed like she was too sick to be pregnant.”
“Honestly, I think it was a bug on top of morning sickness.” Brynn stepped away from me, then returned to her seat next to Chance.
“I’m with Brynn. River will make it. Shit, that girl survived Dan, then Logan, and a car accident. She’s smart and strong. She’ll make it back to you, dude.” Conviction danced across Jace’s face.
“I agree with Jace,” Chance added. “She’s had a lot of life experience and she’s street smart. This shit isn’t over yet.”
“When I find out who took her …” My hand clenched and unclenched.
“We’ll all take care of the problem. We love River, and no one can fuck with our family,” Jace added, a threatening tone in his voice.
My heart warmed with the support of my friends. God only knew where I’d be without them.
We all crashed at Chance’s place. It was a two-thousand square foot, one-level home with three bedrooms which meant that Brynn would share a bed with either Jace or Chance. Neither of them minded. If I hadn’t been with River, I’d have brought her to mine. And even though we wouldn’t have crossed a line, it didn’t feel right to have her next to me when all I wanted was River.
Thank God Chance and I were almost the same size. He loaned me a clean basic T-shirt and black basketball shorts. We tossed my clothes into the washing machine. I wasn’t sure if the smell of smoke would ever come out, but it was worth a shot since I had nothing else to wear.
I stared at the ceiling, the red numbers on the clock were an ever-changing beacon in the dark. Although the queen-sized mattress was comfortable, it was firmer than mine and Rivers. The décor from the living room flowed into the bedroom as well: a black dresser and bed frame, flatscreen TV on the wall, and a small but adequate en suite bathroom. Chance’s designer had done a spectacular job with the house.
It was after three in the morning. I was mentally and physically drained, but my mind was racing with the events of the day. Thank God no one else had died in the fire. I hoped Tim would be caught and charged with arson and murder.
I muddled through my meeting with him at breakfast. He swore he didn’t have anything to do with River, but how could I trust a man that possibly had another family? More than that, Tim had hidden his true nature from me. He’d obviously perfected lying through his teeth.
Lacing my fingers behind my head, I closed my eyes. They were burning from the smoke and lack of sleep. My mind began to wander back to River. Was she hurt? Was the baby okay? My eyes snapped open, and my heart hammered against my chest. I took a slow, steady breath, willing my overactive pulse to calm down.
I threw my legs over the side of the queen-sized bed and placed my feet on the plush, tan rug. Dragging my fingers through my hair, I stifled the scream threatening to tear through me. I’d never been good at waiting, and I was afraid I was going to lose my sanity.
A soft knock at the door pulled my attention away from my dark thoughts.
