Page 23 of Before the Storm
“Let me speak with her alone. I don’t want her to feel like she’s being ambushed.” Phoenix shifted his gaze between his brothers.
“Fair enough.” Maverick slapped his shoulder before making a beeline for the door.
“Call us if you need anything.” Nelson followed his brother out the door and down into the bar area.
Phoenix watched from the window as they greeted their father and Janelle.
He studied her with a watchful eye. She appeared nervous as she fiddled with her bag strap. Slowly, she took the stairs, glancing twice over her shoulder.
“Hi,” she said softly. “Your dad wouldn’t tell me what was going on and I get the feeling this isn’t about the new job responsibilities.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not.” He stood, offering her his chair. “I have some disturbing information about your tire.”
“What?”
“Sit. I want you to watch the security footage of the parking lot last night.”
“Um, okay.” She set her bag on the floor and scooted in close to the screen. “It’s fuzzy and dark.”
“It is. But it definitely shows exactly who slashed your tire.”
“Huh?” She bolted out of the chair, sending it right into his leg.
“Humph.”
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“No worries.” He waved his hand. “Just watch, okay? And then we’ll talk about what I’m going to do about it and what I think you should do.”
She squared her shoulders and plopped into the chair.
“Ready?”
She nodded.
He pressed the return key and the footage rolled.
“Is that Pam?” Janelle asked. “Oh my God. What is she… did she take a knife to my tire?”
“She did.” Phoenix tapped the escape key. “I should have told you last night that I suspected foul play, but I didn’t want to scare you. It wasn’t until I got confirmation about two hours ago that it was a clean cut that I pulled out the security footage and I saw that.”
“Is Pam here?”
“She is, but she doesn’t know you’re here. I made sure that I had enough warning from my dad to keep you and Pam separate.” He pulled up one of the other chairs and took Janelle by both hands. “Pam is going to be fired today. I can’t have someone like that working here. We’d like you to file a police report against her and it would be in your best interest to obtain a restraining order.”
“I don’t want to cause problems.”
“Jesus, Janelle. You’re not. Pam is. You’re protecting yourself from the likes of that woman. Trust me when I say I’ll also be filing against her.”
“It’s just going to make her angry and lash out more.”
That was a reasonable point. “Only that tells her she can get away with stuff like that and she’ll do it to someone else. Not on my watch. I can’t force you to do anything, but I’m not letting this go. She’s done some things to me that are upsetting and frankly, scare me a little, and that’s tough to do.”
“Can I watch it again?”
“Of course.” He tapped the keyboard. “A friend of mine—and a neighbor—happens to be a state trooper. She’s outside waiting for a text. When we’re ready, she’ll come in, view the footage, take our statements, and then interview Pam?—”
“While I’m here?” Janelle asked with a quiver in her voice.
