“Why?What’s happened?”
He looked very concerned. “One of my artists just attempted suicide.”
Janita was shocked. But then she suspected who. “Was it Kemberly?” she asked.
Hawk looked at her. How would she guess that? “Yes. Call your brother. I need him to take me to the airport,” he said, and then hurried inside the house to say his goodbyes.
Janita was floored as she phoned Von. Because Hawk didn’t just look as if he was worried about Kemberly. He looked as if he devastated by the news.
Which, given how Janita was beginning to feel about him, devastated her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The ride to the airport was a quiet one. Von was still elated that Mrs. Webster was safe and sound, but every time he glanced through the rearview mirror as he drove, he could see the anguish on his sister’s face. And he knew that look all too well. She gave it up to that joker, and now he was skipping town. Now he was leaving her in the dust like all those other jokers had done. And she was tired of it.
He knew she should have known better, but what did that really mean? You can’t control your heart. If it wanted to fall in love with the worst possible person to fall in love with, then that was what it was going to do. It was too early for love, he knew. But his sister was behaving as if it was something very close to it. He was as angry with her as he was hurting for her.
Hawk was leaned to the side as he sat on that backseat. He didn’t show it, but a part of him was torn up too. But when he saw his mother all cavalier about the stress and anguish she put them through, he was done. She reminded him how easily somebody could break your heart. And if his mother could do it, then anybody else could too. Especially someone as sweet as Janita.
But no way.
He wasn’t interested in anybody breaking any part of his heart.
He was getting out while he had a chance.
Although he also knew it wasn’t just his heart involved. Hers was involved too.
He looked over at her. She was seated in the middle, looking straight ahead like a deer caught in the headlights. But what could he do about it? Her life was here in Brackenridge and he wanted nothing to do with this town. And if he took her to his world, how would that work out? He was never home. He was always working. It would be worst than breaking her heart.
Getting out early was best for both of them. Somebody had to realize that. He realized that.
That was why, when Von pulled onto the tarmac that housed his private jet, and she was about to get out to open the door for him, he stopped her. “Don’t,” he said. “You and Von can go on.”
And then he got out of their SUV and made his way across the tarmac to his plane. And he didn’t look back.
Janita was hurt. But Von was pissed. “He could have said something to you.”
Like what, she wondered?I barely know you. You were the fool to sleep with me, and to do so twice. But I love you?
That would be crazy and she knew it. That man wasn’t going to be in love with her no matter what. He was leaving and that was a good thing. Now she could get her foolish head out of the clouds and go on with her life.
“Just go,” she said to her brother.
And he just left.
But as soon as they turned onto that long stretch of road that led from the airport back to town, a big four-by-four pickup truck rammed the back of their vehicle so hard that Von almost lost control.
Janita looked at the monitor of the back camera and saw that a gunman was leaning out of the passenger side window with an assault rifle in his hands. “He’s got hardware, Von. Floor it!”
And Von sped as fast as he could away from that big truck, but that big truck was right on their tail.
Janita pulled out her Glock as the bullets began firing. She crawled to the back of the SUV, and to position herself to fire back, but the gunman shattered the back window and forced her to hit the floor.
Von drove in a zigzag to avoid anymore incoming bullets, but it was playing a fool’s game. Any one bullet could take them out.
That was when Janita made the decision as she couldn’t even get up to fire back because of the hail of gunfire that was peltering their vehicle. “Hit a hard left, Von, and I mean hard!” she yelled out to her brother. “That’s the only way we’re gonna lose them.”
“Got cha,” a nervous DeVontay said as he waited until they got to one of those side streets. And then he did it. He slung their SUV so hard that it leaned until it was on two wheels and was threatening to go airborne.
