Page 139 of Reckless Harmony

“I’m adopting the babies as well,” he said.

More silence before she said, “I’m sorry?”

“I’m adopting Molly and her babies,” he said.

“All three of the babies?” Gianna asked.

“Yes,” he said. “Send me adoption contracts for Molly and the three babies.”

“Okay,” she said, sounding a little dazed. “We’ll do that. Thank you, Mr. Stark. Have a good evening.”

He ended the call and stared at Molly for three seconds before jogging from the bedroom to the den. He stared out the window, muttering a curse when Rayna’s driveway was empty. He called her, pacing the den in large strides, snarling out another curse when it went straight to voicemail.

“Ms. Abrams, call me immediately,” he snapped before shoving his phone into his pocket.

What the fuck was going on?

Stark stared out his office window, scanning the parking lot as his entire body nearly vibrated with anxiety and impatience. Where the fuck was Lucas?

He cursed himself for about the fiftieth time. He’d called and texted Rayna multiple times, but she hadn’t read his texts or returned his calls. His plan to stare out the den window until Rayna returned so he could talk to her in her damn driveway, if necessary, had failed miserably.

He hadn’t slept well all week, and the lack of sleep had finally caught up to him. He’d fallen asleep in the chair in the den, waking up early this morning to a kink in his neck and Molly standing on his chest.

He’d immediately checked out the window. Rayna’s driveway was empty, although he could see fresh tire tracks in the snow, and he’d cursed so loudly that Molly had run from the den.

He rubbed at the kink in his neck as he craned to see the far end of the parking lot. Where the fuck was Lucas?

“Isaac!”

He spun around, staring in disbelief at Hollis, who was standing in his office. “Did you just call me Isaac?”

“Yes,” she said. “Because you aren’t responding to the seventeen Mr. Starks that I practically shouted at you.”

He rubbed harder at his neck. “Sorry. I didn’t… what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” she said. “It’s time for our usual Monday morning meeting.”

He glanced at his watch. “Shit, sorry. Um… right. Do you know why Lucas isn’t in the office yet?”

“He’s here,” Hollis said. “He was upstairs the last I saw him, but that was five minutes ago.”

“Fuck,” Stark snapped before heading toward the door. He brushed past Hollis. “Can we meet later? I have to talk to Lucas.”

“Sure,” she said.

He stepped into the hallway, his anxiety cranking up a notch when he saw Lucas walking into his office at the far end of the hallway. “Lucas!”

He nearly ran down the hallway, barging into Lucas’s office without knocking. Holding a cup of coffee in one hand, Lucas arched an eyebrow at him as he sat in the chair behind his desk. “Hey. What’s up?”

“We need to talk,” Stark said. He shut the door and sat in the chair across from Lucas’s desk. “Why is Rayna closing the rescue?”

Lucas’s face shuttered closed immediately. “That isn’t my story to share.”

“A volunteer called me about moving Molly and her babies and said the rescue is closing. Rayna won’t return my calls,” Stark said.

Lucas sipped at his coffee, and Stark glared at him. “Tell me, or you’re fired, Lucas.”

Lucas laughed hard, and Stark flushed. “Okay, sorry, you won’t be fired. But something is obviously wrong. Rayna sold me her property, and she’s shutting down the rescue. I’m worried about her. Tell me what’s going on.”

---