Page 54 of Before the Storm
“That won’t be good for you. It will only add more time on your prison sentence,” Phoenix said. A shadow off to the right caught his eye.
Maverick. He knew that crawl anywhere.
“I won’t be going to prison because my daughter is going to tell the world it was all a lie. That she was forced to tell it by you.”
“That’s funny,” Phoenix said.
Janelle inched closer, grabbing his arm. “I won’t ever recant my story and if you hurt either one of those girls, I’ll make sure you pay.”
“I can sort of understand why you’d feel that way about the reporter. She had nothing but nice things to say about you. But the other one.” Adam shook his head. “She hates you.”
Phoenix’s phone dinged.
That was his cue.
A red light flashed in the distance.
Phoenix let out a sigh of relief, only it didn’t last long when Adam raised his weapon and pointed it directly at Janelle.
He stepped in front of her.
“One bullet, two birds.” Adam smiled.
Phoenix shoved Janelle to the ground.
Bang!
Bang!
Adam’s eyes grew wide. He lowered his gaze, clutching his chest. “You shot me,” he whispered as he crumpled to the stoop.
“Damn fucking right I did.” Phoenix grabbed the doorjamb. His lungs burned as he struggled for air. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch his breath. “Motherfucker.” God, he hated getting shot. He leaned against the wood frame and blinked.
“Phoenix!” Janelle pressed her hand on the wound.
“Shit, that hurts.”
“Sorry.” She let up.
He grabbed her hand and pushed it as hard as he could. Blood trickled between their fingers. “No. That’s the right thing to do.” Slowly, his legs gave way and he found himself on his ass, staring up at both his brothers and his mother.
“Paramedics are on their way,” his mother said. “Let me take a look.”
Janelle moved to the side.
“Don’t leave me,” he whispered.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She held his gaze.
“Bullet didn’t come out the back,” his mother said. “He’s losing a lot of blood. Where the fuck is the ambulance?”
“I love you, Janelle.” Phoenix gazed into her eyes and the world faded to black.
12
Janelle paced in the waiting room of the hospital. It had been ten hours since they’d brought Phoenix in and eight hours since he’d gone to surgery.
“Honey, you should sit down and eat something.” Dina waved her hand over all the food that Jack had brought from the restaurant.
