He shook his head. “I think Ray wants to talk to me alone, but thanks for offering.” He kissed her forehead. “Go, take care of your errands. I’ll call you when I know anything, okay?”
She nodded, but as he started to leave the room, Deanna called him back. He stopped and quirked a brow. “I love you,” she said, needing to say it once more before they went about their day.
He crossed the room in two strides and took her mouth in a hard, possessive kiss. “I love you too. Take care of yourself today, kitten.”
Deanna shivered, knowing darn good and well that if she lived to be a hundred, she’d probably still get that little thrill down her spine whenever Jonas kissed her.
“You too,” she murmured.
As Deanna watched Jonas walk out of the kitchen, she knew the truth—Jonas showing up at their family picnic had been the luckiest day of her life.
Noon on the dot, Deanna noticed as she saw the time on her phone when she turned it to vibrate and tossed it into her purse. She walked up to Terrance’s door and rang the bell. Too late, she forgot how much she hated his doorbell. It played an annoying little jingle that grated on her nerves a little more each time she heard it. She just wanted to get the fabric and leave. A gust of bitter cold wind blasted her face, and she pulled her coat closed a little tighter, willing Terrance to hurry. The door opened, nearly paralyzing Deanna with a bout of nerves as realization dawned. A drug dealer, Deanna thought, not a harmless businessman.
“Miss Harrison,” he said as he opened the storm door. “Please, come in.”
He stepped back to allow her entry into his foyer, and fear snaked down Deanna’s spine. No way was she going anywhere near that particular lion’s den. She smiled and hitched her purse up higher on her shoulder. “Oh, no, that’s okay. I’m sure you’re busy. I can just wait here while you grab the swatches; then I’ll be out of your hair.”
His smile instantly disappeared. Too late, Deanna realized her blunder—the man was nearly bald. Oops.
“Of course,” he bit out. “I’ll go get them for you.”
He shut the storm door in her face, and Deanna wanted to kick herself. “Great, you’ve managed to piss off a drug dealer,” she mumbled to herself after he disappeared into another room.
Just then, a truck pulled into the drive. Curious, Deanna turned her head in time to see a man jump out of the driver’s side. He left the door hanging open as he came toward her, his strides eating up the distance. Two things struck Deanna at once. The first was the crazed look in his hazel eyes. He didn’t just look upset; the man was in a full-on rage. The second was the gun he held tight in his right hand.
Too late, Deanna registered Terrance out of the corner of her eye. Unaware of the drama unfolding, he opened the storm door and handed her the fabric. At the same time, the stranger wielding the gun lifted his arm and fired. Deanna screamed and watched in helpless disbelief as Valdez fell to the ground, his body landing half in and half out of the house, blocking the doorway. He clutched at his chest and groaned.
As blood started to form a macabre circle on his chest, Deanna tried to kneel down, her only thought on helping a dying man. The gunman grabbed her by her forearm and shoved her into the house. Next, as if Valdez weighed no more than a bag of flour, the man picked Valdez up by the shirtfront and tossed him into the foyer behind her. When he kicked the door shut, Deanna knew things had just gone from bad to worse.
26
Emotionally wiped from talking to Ray, Jonas drove out of the hospital parking lot and hit the freeway. Cade was going to make it, but it’d been touch and go for the first few hours. Ray had been understandably distraught. Almost out of control. When Cade had opened his eyes and called out for his dad, Ray had calmed and taken charge. He’d been the picture of strength for his son. Jonas had left to give the two of them some privacy.
As he got into his car, Jonas was more than ready to hear Deanna’s sweet voice. He missed her. He still couldn’t believe she loved him. He, more than anyone, knew Deanna deserved better, but hell if he was going to give her up. She’d handed her heart over on a silver platter and he wasn’t about to return it for a refund.
He took his phone out of the middle console, where he’d stored it during the hospital visit, and hit speed-dial 2. After several rings, it went to voice mail. Jonas frowned. “Home,” he mumbled as he remembered his conversation with Deanna earlier. She was supposed to be working on that new bathroom design. Jonas hit speed-dial 3 next. It rang four times before the answering machine picked up. Okay, now Jonas was beginning to get a little worried. It wasn’t like Deanna to be completely unavailable at both numbers. He wondered if maybe Wade had talked to her. Jonas dialed his friend’s cell.
Wade picked up on the second ring. “Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Have you talked to your sister today?”
“No, why?”
His hand clutched the steering wheel a little tighter. “She’s not answering at her house or her cell.”
Wade was silent a minute. “Have you called anyone else? Mom? Dean?”
“No,” he answered between clenched teeth. “I tried you first.”
He heard some clanging in the background. Dishes? Jonas wondered if he’d interrupted Wade at lunch. “How long have you been out of touch with her?”
“It’s only been a few hours. I’ve been at the hospital all morning. Ray’s son OD’d.”
“Damn, you’re kidding.”
Jonas rolled to a stop at an intersection. “I wish I were. He’s okay now, but he came damn close to meeting his maker.”
“Hate to say it, but maybe being so near death will force the kid into rehab.”