Page 24 of Before the Storm
“You’ll be safe. There will be no interaction between you and Pam. My brothers, me, and my dad will all make sure of that. Once Stacey has done her job, we will escort Pam off the premises and make sure she’s gone before you leave this office. I will personally drive you home and take the rest of the day off to make sure she stays clear.”
Janelle folded her hands in her lap and stared at them. “So, I will spend my time here in fear.”
It was as if she’d resigned herself to that fact.
Which Phoenix didn’t believe was true. Pam was a lot of things and while what she’d done bordered on crazy, Phoenix didn’t think it could escalate. It wasn’t the first time Pam had been mean to a new employee, although the worst thing she’d ever done had been giving the new girl the wrong schedule, making her look bad, as though she’d not come into work. It had been dealt with and Pam had been on her best behavior, until Janelle showed up.
Phoenix knew he needed to send his own message. That he wasn’t going to let Pam bully him—or anyone—at his restaurant. He honestly believed this would be the end of it. Pam wasn’t a physical threat, but she couldn’t get away with tormenting anyone.
“Look. I understand that what happened is scary. However, Pam has never done anything like this before. She doesn’t have a past history of violent behavior. She doesn’t have a criminal record. No one has ever accused her of doing anything except being a mean girl.” He held up his hand. “I’m not excusing her behavior. That’s why I’m taking action.” Pulling his cell from his pocket, he tapped the screen. “My friend Stacey is waiting for my text.”
“The state trooper who lives down the street?”
He nodded. “Once Pam realizes she was caught red-handed and faces the consequences of her actions, I know her well enough to know she’ll back down.”
“And what if she doesn’t?”
Oh boy. That question alone told Phoenix that all his suspicions about Janelle having been in an abusive relationship were true. “That’s why I want a restraining order. If she breaks it, she can be arrested. That should be enough to scare her into leaving both of us alone.” He lifted her chin with his thumb. “It’s going to be okay.”
“I’m sorry. I feel a little foolish. I don’t know how all this works and I don’t like confrontation.”
“No one does and trust me, I don’t take any pleasure in doing this. But we have to.” He quickly sent a message to Stacey, telling her to head straight to his office.
“I don’t want to see Pam. Is that possible?”
“Yes,” Phoenix said, squeezing her shoulder and staring out the window.
Stacey strolled through the door, decked out in her uniform. She stopped at the bar for a moment before making her way up the stairs.
Phoenix greeted her at the door. “Thanks for coming,” he said. “You remember Janelle.”
“I do.” Stacey smiled. “I’m sorry we have to meet again under these circumstances.”
Tentatively, Janelle rose, stretching out a shaky arm.
“I just came from the tire place and examined the damage. It was definitely done on purpose. That I can tell just from looking at the tire,” Stacey said, pointing at the computer. “Mind if I take a look at the footage?”
“Please.” Phoenix nodded.
Stacey positioned herself at the desk, using the mouse to click on the play button. She watched the video five times beforestanding tall and looping her fingers in her belt. “I’m going to need that footage as evidence.”
“I’ve already made copies.” Phoenix curled his fingers through Janelle’s hand, grateful she didn’t pull away. “You can have the original.”
“I appreciate that.” Stacey peered through the window. “You mentioned that Pam is still here and that you haven’t said anything to her about this.”
“That’s correct. I thought it was best to let you handle this. We don’t want to cause a scene or make things difficult for Janelle.”
“Do you want to press charges?” Stacey stared at Janelle.
“I want to make sure she doesn’t do anything like this again,” Janelle said softly. “Phoenix mentioned something about a restraining order.”
“Has she threatened you? Made any comments that have made you uncomfortable? Given you reason to fear that she’ll harm you?” Stacey asked.
“She’s not nice to me,” Janelle said. “And slashing my tire does concern me.”
“Understandable.” Stacey widened her stance. “The value of the tire, unfortunately, makes this a misdemeanor. It’s still an arrestable offense. I can charge her. She’ll be taken down to the station, fingerprinted, the whole nine yards. But we won’t keep her. She’ll go to court where she’ll be fined and since it’s her first offense, she’ll most likely be put on probation and do a little community service.”
“I have more.” Phoenix pulled up the text messages. “I believe this borders on harassment.” He handed Stacey his cell.
