Chasing Serenity (River Rain 1)

But mostly, when the boys’ short, forty-five-minute-or-to-ten-points matches brought the final two competitors together, and it was Dad and Matt, it had, according to Judge been So cool, you wouldn’t believe it. They’re both so good, everyone stopped to watch. It was fucking amazing.

The “everyone stopped to watch” thing concerned me.

But Matt and Dad battling it out on a court concerned me more.

Fortunately, the very next text shared I think they got something out, baby. At first, it was weird. Not ugly, just weird. Then they started messing around and joking and you could tell it was their gig. Duncan was hyped up but he started to relax and Tom and Matt hugged when it was over. By the way, your dad won. He’s still totally got it.

I could feel his happiness through the text. Maybe it was for Dad and Matt, but also it was for me, because that was the best family news I’d had in a very long time, and Judge knew it would be.

Even though that was big (huge), what was bigger was that Judge sounded excited and happy. He’d enjoyed his day (as he would, not everyone got to play against Tom Pierce, and Judge had in his life now twice, and so far, they’d both taken a match).

And I was beside myself and would be forever grateful to Mom that, after all that had happened in the last few days, she had arranged things so Judge had some relief from it.

At the spa, I had opted out of a facial, because I didn’t like to wear makeup after I had one delivered by a professional, and instead had a blowout and a cosmetics application after my services.

I was in the middle of the last when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dru hurrying to me.

She’d had a facial, her skin was dewy and gorgeous, and her look was something that never needed makeup, no matter how fancy our dinner was going to be tonight.

Yes, she was that striking.

“Excuse me,” she said to the lady swiping mascara at the base as a final touch to my fake eyelashes. Then to me, she got close and whispered urgently, “We have to go.”

“We do?”

“Yes. The press knows your mom and dad are here, and Duncan, and my dad, and Judge and what happened to his mom. They’re swarming the front of the hotel. I guess it’s so bad, the police had to come and put up barriers.”

I nodded to my stylist, she backed away, and I got out of the chair, murmuring my apologies to her, my thanks, and then moving with Dru toward the dressing rooms.

“I suppose we should have known we couldn’t escape this,” I noted irritably as we pushed through the doors to the dressing room.

“I don’t know,” Dru replied.

I stopped and looked down at her. “Why don’t you know?”

“They’re all back from the club. Dad and the guys. They had to run the gamut out there to get into the hotel. And, Chloe…” She got closer to me. “The reporters were shouting questions so Dad knows that Granddad pulled his usual antics.”

I stood completely still as I whispered, “His usual antics?”

“Well, I mean, you know, sorry…but everyone knows about Genny and Duncan and your dad. They didn’t care about that. Sully told me they were shouting at my dad. And Judge.”

My blood ran cold.

“What were they shouting at Judge?” I asked through stiff lips.

“Stuff about how he turned his back on his mom and—”

She didn’t finish.

I was a flurry of motion, pulling off my robe and getting dressed.

Then she and I dashed out of the dressing rooms to the checkout desk.

“I’m sorry, can I possibly deal with gratuities and—?” I began.

“Ms. Swan has explained things, Ms. Pierce, and taken care of everything,” the lady behind the desk said. “She asked me to ask you when you were done to go directly to your suite, if you would. Thank you for being our guest. We hope to see you again.”

I nodded, relief flowing through me, and more gratitude for Mom, and Dru and I rushed out.

I wanted to kick the elevator, it took so long to get to our floor.

And then we both ran down the hall to my room.

It was fair to say we burst in, but I couldn’t help it.

However, we were only spared glances upon our dramatic arrival.

All attention was centered on someone else.

My eyes moved through my loved ones, and it didn’t make me feel better that each and every one looked pissed.

And then I found Judge.

He looked much like he did yesterday in his mother’s home.

Enraged.

I started to rush to him but didn’t get all the way there.

An arm around my belly stopped me.

I looked up to see who’d detained me, my mouth opening to protest, but Dad gave me a firm head shake.