We both climbed out of the truck and headed for the stairs at the same time. Rush didn’t knock; he slid his key into the door and opened it. I was surprised he had a key. That must be Kiro’s doing.
“Nannette,” Rush called out when he swung the door open.
I followed him inside.
“In here,” Nan called from the living room. Rush stalked toward the sound of her voice.
He paused when he walked into the room, and I stopped behind him and looked over his shoulder.
She hadn’t been lying.
Nan’s lip was busted and a black eye was already appearing on her pale skin. Her bare arms each had handprints on them that would be bruises soon enough. Nan sat there with her knees pulled up against her chest tightly. Black streaks of mascara ran down her face. She’d been crying.
This wasn’t the Nan I knew. It was the one I had known. She reminded me of the little girl I had once felt sorry for. The one whose problem I had wanted to fix just as much as Rush did. The bitter, angry bitch wasn’t in her eyes as she looked at us. Instead, she was scared.
“What the f**k,” Rush growled and took two big strides until he was in front of her and sitting down on the sofa beside her. “August did this?” Rush asked. His fury was barely contained, and as I stood there and looked at her, my anger began to boil, too.
I didn’t care what she had done. No woman deserved this. August was a dead man walking. If Rush didn’t kill him, I would.
“Yes. He got mad because”—she glanced over at me and then back at Rush—“I was upset about Grant and Harlow. I didn’t want to go, then he wanted to have sex and I didn’t want to. He tried to force me, but I fought back. Then he just snapped, and when I woke up on the floor he was gone.”
Rush’s body went taut. “He knocked you out?” Rush asked.
She nodded, and her gaze shifted to me again.
“He’s gotten angry before, but never like that. I didn’t know he was like that. I knew his wife left him and it took him two years before he got to see his daughter again. I believed him when he said he never hurt her. That she was a liar,” she said in a shaky voice.
“You need to see a doctor. If you were unconscious, you could have a concussion. Grant, take her to the hospital and have them check her out.”
Me? “What? Why can’t you?” I asked. I didn’t need to be taking her anywhere. I was gonna beat the shit out of August, but that didn’t mean I wanted to haul Nan around.
“I’m going to find August. I need you to take her to get checked out. Please,” Rush said, standing up. “I’ll call Blaire and explain.”
Which meant he would make sure Harlow knew what was going on and why. I just hoped she understood. Rush believed Harlow was strong enough for this emotionally, but I wasn’t sure I agreed. He didn’t know how insecure she really was.
“Can’t I find him?” I asked.
Rush shook his head. “No. I have Dean to make sure I don’t serve time. You don’t.”
He had a point.
“He doesn’t have to take me. I’m fine to stay here,” Nan said.
Rush looked at me, silently pleading. Shit.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” I looked at Nan. “Can you walk?” I asked.
She nodded and stood up. “Just a little dizzy.”
Rush put his arm around her and I let him help her to the truck. I wasn’t touching her. I would help, but I wasn’t touching her.
I followed them to his Range Rover. He put Nan in, then turned to me.
“I’ll take Nan’s car. Get her completely checked out.”
“Call Blaire and check on Harlow for me,” I replied.
He nodded. “Doing that now.”