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“What the fuck, Abbi. It’s Jace,” Josie snaps. “And if not for him, I need you. I’m freaking the fuck out. They’re talking about blood transfusions and he might lose his arm. He’s a mechanic. He needs his arm.”

I shake my head, annoyed I’d even think I shouldn’t go. I have to. She’s absolutely right. This is Jace.My Jace. “Okay, okay. I’ll be there.”

“When?”

“I’ll see if I can get a ticket for today. It’s a four-hour flight though, so maybe sometime late tonight.” I calculate the time in my head, knowing it’s around noon. I might be able to get a flight out tonight if I’m lucky and be there in the morning. “I’ll call you back.”

“Okay.”

“Josie.” Twisting to the side, I turn away from Griff, who I can feel staring me down from his place at the table. “Is he… does he know you called me?”

“No. I haven’t talked to him. He passed out before Barron got to him. They said he went into hemorrhagic shock.” A muffled cry rakes through her. “I don’t even know what that means.”

That does nothing for my anxiety. My mind races with everything I learned in medical school about trauma and blood loss. “It means he went into shock and passed out. It happens when you lose more than 20 percent of your blood. It’s your body’s way of shutting down to protect your organs.”

“Okay… okay. Justpleasecome,” Josie begs. “I need you.”

“I will,” I assure her just before I hang up. I grip my phone tighter, my palms sweating. My body feels numb. It’s like I’m losing blood, my body shutting down to protect itself from further damage, but I can’t. I need to get to him. I have to.

I must be as white as a ghost when I make my way back to the table because Griff’s mom, Georgia, stares up at me, her bright red lips parted in surprise. “Oh my God, honey, what’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“I’m sorry.” I swallow hard and reach for my bag hung on the back of the chair. “I have to go. There’s been an accident.”

Griff’s folds his napkin on the table and leans forward, as if he’s about to stand up, brows drawn together, and I’m surprised to see concern on his dark features. “Is it Rhett?”

I shake my head and realize that’s not the only thing shaking. My entire body is trembling. “No, but family. I have to go.”

“Who was it?”

I point over my shoulder toward the street where my car is parked, my cell phone still in hand. I drop it on the ground and then rush to retrieve it. “I uh, I need to get a plane ticket back to Amarillo for today.”

Griff stands, his shoulders stiff. “Who is it?”

“Jace,” I whisper, avoiding the questioning stares from the realtor and Georgia. “I’m sorry but I have to go.” Turning around, I rush toward the entrance, tears nearing.

It’s not until I’m at my car that Griff catches up with me. “Abbi, wait.” He jogs to catch me. “What are you doing?”

“I need to go home for a couple days.”

He places his hand on the top of my door, blocking me from opening it. “For him?”

I stutter over breaths and words. “No.” I shift my weight from one foot to the next, holding tightly to my keys. “Josie wants me there. They don’t know anything about this kind of injury and Jace needs his arm. She wants me to make sure they don’t make any decisions that could harm his career.”

He doesn’t say anything but by the stone-faced expression I gather he’s not happy with me.

“I’m not going for Jace. I’m going for Josie. My friend needs me.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Sure about what?”

His jaw works back and forth. “That you’re going for medical advice and not to be by his side.”

“I’m sure.”

He licks his lips and nods, opening my car door for me. “Buy two plane tickets.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck!My throat tightens and I find it hard to breathe again. “Why? You’re on call.”