Page 69 of Escorting the CEO
That was unusual, and I picked up immediately.
“Mr. Barrington.” It was Davis, the north gate guard, his voice neutral in an alarming way. “I apologize for the interruption, but there’s a woman at the gate requesting access to the property.”
“Who is she?”
He paused. “She says she’s the mother of your fiancée, sir. A Ms.—” I heard someone yelling in the background.
“Tammy Harris,” he said quickly.
“Tammy Harris?” I repeated, and all the blood rushed from Rory’s face.
“That’s correct, Sir.”
“Let me talk to my daughter!” A female voice screamed in the background.
“She’s requesting entrance.” Davis paused again as more yelling ensued. “Requesting is actually a nice word for it, Sir. And she’s making some claims.”
“About…?”
Davis cleared his throat. “About Miss Harris.”
“She’s being held in there against her will, goddammit!” The mother yelled. “You let me see my daughter right now, or I’m calling the police!”
“Do not let her through the gate,” I said. My voice came out level, which was a feat of engineering. “Under no circumstances. I’ll be right there. Keep her where she is.”
“Understood, sir.”
I hung up.
Rory stood beside me, her face white. Her eyes were fixed on my face. She already knew. “That was the gate,” I said.
“I heard.” Her voice was very small.
“Your mother is here.”
“Oh, I heard her, too.” She pressed her lips together and looked at the floor. “Rhodes, I need to tell you something?—”
“Later.” I was already moving. “Come with me.”
Philips intercepted us at the foot of the main staircase with his typical uncanny prescience. “I’ve been informed of the situation at the north gate.”
“Of course you have.”
“I’ve taken the liberty of redirecting the board members toward the east terrace, where coffee and refreshments have been arranged. Mrs. Furst expressed a wish to see the grounds. The north gate is entirely out of sightline from the east terrace.”
“This is why you’re my favorite, Philips.”
He arched an eyebrow. He’d navigated decades of Barrington family emergencies and considered this a Tuesday.
“I should have just said thank you, Philips.”
“My pleasure.”
I grabbed Rory’s hand and hustled her down the hallway that would bring us to the North entrance, where all hell was about to break loose.
I heardTammy Harris before I saw her.
“I’m not gonna stand here while some fancy lawyer tries to take away my kids!” she hollered. “My ownchildren! You tell him—you tell whoever’s up there in that big house?—”
