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We made it. He didn’t find me.
Then the car came to a quick halt. The driver opened the glass between the front and back.
“Miss, quickly pull the seat up and get in it,” the driver said. “The police are approaching the car in about thirty seconds.”
I would climb under the car if it meant I could escape Brice. There wasn’t much space and it was stuffy. Panic riddled through me when Sienna sat on the seat above me, and I felt it close in on me.
Just breathe. You can get out if you need to. Breathe in. Breathe out.
I heard a tap on the window, then I heard it go down. Sienna must have laid down across the seat because I felt the weight of her spread out.
“What do you want?” Sienna literally yelled. “Why are you looking at me. Daddy said no one would look at me like this.”
“Sorry to bother you, ma’am, but there is a criminal on the loose, and for everyone’s protection we’re checking every car leaving the premises. Can you step out of the car?”
Chapter 4
AUGUST
I’d slept, showered and eaten breakfast on the flight home. I hated the long flight, but it gave me an opportunity to get work done without interruptions.
Mom had called me in-flight within an hour of the latest scandal hitting the tabloids. I’d been a little concerned this time for Asher because she didn’t go off on a rant. All she did was demand his presence at a family meeting Friday night. Whenever Asher got in trouble, we all had to be involved, especially when it affected the family businesses and stocks around the world.
My driver John was there, coffee in hand. You had to appreciate an employee that knew what you wanted before you knew. I waved to my pilot and headed out to my office. My mind wandered back to the girl from the elevator and whether she got away.
What kind of a man beats up on a woman like that?
“Mr. Hawthorne, would you like me to bring your luggage home after I drop you at the office?” John asked, pulling up in front of my office building. “What time should I be back?”
“John, I need to go out to my parents tonight. Can you stay over?” I motioned for him to not get out of the car. “I can open my own door.”
“I’m all yours,” John said. “Should I have the housekeeper repack you for the weekend?”
“You know what? Yes, I’ll send her a text what to pack and be back at six.” I stepped out of the car and headed to the building. I had a full day of work and it wasn’t gonna go away.
“Mr. Hawthorne,your brother Parker is on line one and your mom is on line two,” my secretary Cynthia said from the doorway of my office. “It’s 4:30, by the way. Your mother told me to make sure I push you out of the office by six.”
“Thanks Cynthia. Can you get the blueprints together for the Madison job and Hawthorne Hotel in Sydney, Australia?” I asked, picking up line two.
“Mom! Great to hear from you,” I exaggerated. “What can I do for you this fine Friday afternoon?”
“August, I wanted to talk to you about Asher before tonight,” Mother said, ignoring my sarcasm. “You’re going to Australia next week to meet up with Kellan, right?”
“Unfortunately yes, I do need to go back. Did you need something? I shouldn’t be gone longer than three or four days this time.” I asked, sliding the files for the two projects into my briefcase. “Did you have thoughts on the hotel?”
“No, I trust you and Kellan to get it perfect.” Mother said, sounding a little distracted. “I want Asher to go with you to Australia. So before I give him my ultimatum tonight, I wanted to make sure it was okay with you.”
“You know I’ll do whatever you need me to.” I said. “You wanna tell me about this ultimatum?”
“Not right now, I’m still putting it all together, but I think he needs to leave the country for a bit,” she said. “Do you want to ride with me or are you taking your own driver?”
“I may need to get back to the city before Monday, so I’ll have my driver bring me,” I said. “Make sure there’s a room for him in the guest house, please.”
“Of course. I’ll see you tonight. Find me as soon as you get there,” she said, without saying goodbye.
I hit the button for line one.
“Hey, you never call me in the middle of a workday,” I said, holding the phone between my shoulder and ear. “Let me guess, the family meeting?”
