Chapter 15
Nolan
As soon as the game was over, I had my phone to my ear, needing to hear Zariah’s voice. Fuck, it had been three days since I’d seen her. We’d talked and texted throughout each day, though. I had big plans for us during her overnight trip to Boston, and if I was lucky, I’d talk her into staying after Sunday’s game.
The team was flying up to Boston midmorning the next day, and I’d be with my woman by that afternoon. The plan was to take her to all our old favorite places, but I didn’t know if we’d make it past my hotel room. I’d missed her so damn badly, and I needed to show her how much.
Her phone rang and rang, until eventually, it went to voice mail. Frowning, I hung up without leaving a message and tried again. This time, it rang three times before going to voice mail.
Shit, was she pissed at me about something?
Groaning, I shot off a text.
Me:Answer your phone, Red.
No reply came.
Me:Are you mad at me?
Still no reply, even after ten minutes of waiting. By that point, I was in my hotel room and pacing in front of the bed. I didn’t like this. She’d been up for coming to Boston, had even suggested she could fly out to watch me pitch in the Texas game. What had changed since the last time we’d spoken?
Could my father have come out of hiding and started trouble between us again?
Rage began to boil in my blood, and I called my stepfather. Ma didn’t know much about my dad’s whereabouts these days, and she didn’t want to know. But Frank kept tabs on the bastard. It was for his own peace of mind, to make sure that Joel didn’t randomly show up and bother my mother.
“Hey, son,” Frank answered after several rings, a laugh in his voice. “Saw the game tonight. Your mom got bored after the second inning since you weren’t pitching.”
I grunted. I’d been bored most of the night too. If I’d had my phone, I would have spent the evening texting with Zariah, but I always left my phone in my locker so I would keep my head in the game. Even when I wasn’t scheduled to pitch, something could always come up, and I might have to relieve someone.
“Where was Joel last spotted?” I asked, not wasting time with small talk.
“About that.” My stepdad cleared his throat, suddenly nervous. “I was meaning to talk to you about it, but—”
“Where the fuck is he, Frank?” I snapped.
“A hospice house in New Mexico,” he said with a sigh.
“What?” I breathed, caught off guard by the news. It was a relief that he wasn’t in New York, causing trouble with Zariah. But hospice? Didn’t that mean he was dying? “Why?”
“His liver, son,” Frank explained, sympathy thick in his voice. “At first, they thought it was just from all the years of hard drinking, but then they discovered it was cancer and it had already metastasized. That made him ineligible for a transplant.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Frank was quiet for a long moment before responding. “I just got the report last week, Nolan. I talked to your mom about it, and we decided to fly up to see you in a few weeks to tell you in person.”
“He could be dead in a few weeks,” I reasoned, but there was no steam in my words. I wasn’t pissed that he hadn’t told me. In a way, my father had been dead to me for a long time. Finding out this news about the man who had fathered me just made his being out of my life more final.
“I’m sorry. It’s what your mother wanted.”
“Okay. I need to go. I have something else to handle tonight.” I started to lower the phone, ready to hang up without saying goodbye, but I quickly lifted it back to my ear. “Frank? Send me all the information you have on him.”
“I will, son,” he promised. “But just let me know before you go out there.”
“Don’t know if I will,” I told him honestly. “I just want to read the details.”
I hung up and tried calling Zariah again. It only rang once this time before it switched to her voice mail. Growling curses, I scrolled through my contacts until I found Tony’s name. He’d given me his information for emergencies the morning I’d left for Baltimore.
“Can’t talk right now, Krenshaw,” Tony answered without hesitation, but something in his tone made me nervous. “I’m on my way to Canada right now. Just know she’s home, and she’s safe.”