Page 90 of Lethal Danger

“Okay, great.” Hawthorne didn’t look as happy as his words sounded. A faraway expression coated his eyes.

“You’ve thought of something else, haven’t you?”

He redirected his gaze to Jazz, seeming to come back to the present. “I was just thinking. If Sam’s dad has such a volatile temper, I wonder if Sam could’ve inherited the same tendency.”

“What if he did?”

“Could’ve led him to fight. With Randall or anyone else.”

“Like the other young guys he might’ve been with at the fair?”

“It’s still only a theory. I don’t even know that Sam was in that rowdy group. But it’s the best lead I have so far.”

“What about Desmond Patch? You saw him?”

“Oh, yes.” Hawthorne turned back to the wheel and clamped it harder this time.

“Do you think he could be behind any of this? Sam? The sabotage?”

“I definitely wouldn’t put it past him to have made an example of Sam.” Hawthorne kept his grip on the wheel as he threw Jazz a glance. “He favors harsh discipline with kids.”

She winced inwardly at the implications. Had Hawthorne suffered from such so-called discipline as a child?

“But…” His hands loosened their hold and lowered to the bottom of the steering wheel. “He’s smart. Very smart. He wouldn’t declare to the world he sabotaged the fair if he was really behind it. Unless his sense of invincibility has become so great as to make him believe his own lies.”

“It’s a possibility. Sometimes even genius leads people to insane actions.” Jazz touched Hawthorne’s muscled shoulder. “I have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow. I’ll stay on him.”

Hawthorne’s brow furrowed.

Jazz had thought that would please him.

“I don’t think you should be alone with him.”

“But it was your idea.”

“Before.”

“Before what?” Her heart rate sped faster. Did he mean before he’d realized he cared for her?

“Before I saw him again. And his goons.”

Oh. Disappointment slowed her pulse.

Hawthorne met Jazz’s gaze, intensity in his. “It’s not a safe place.”

She stared back. “Most places aren’t. Never bothered me.” As quick as a reflex, she had her knife out of the ankle sheath and in her hand. “Future heroine in your books, remember? I got this.” She winked.

A grin took over his handsome face as his posture relaxed, and he looked from the knife to her. “How could I ever forget? Desmond Patch had better watch his back. Jazz Lamont might be the one to take him down.”

Twenty-Six

Jazz had never been so uptight on a patrol in her life. Terrorists hidden in the desert wilderness had nothing on Phoenix Gray.

The boss and her equally silent K-9 Dag had accompanied Flash and Jazz since nine thirty. Meaning Jazz had survived two hours so far with only her and Phoenix. Two hours for the boss to observe how Jazz did patrol. And probably note everything she thought Jazz was doing wrong.

But the boss hadn’t said anything critical yet. She’d said almost nothing at all. Not even when Jazz had shown her the sites of the sabotage.

At the Skyride, Phoenix had only asked if Jazz had seen which portion of the exploded pod was left and how much of her uncle’s pod had been damaged.

---