Chapter 12

SAWYER CLOSED THEdoor behind the two policemen, locked it, and leaned his back against the door. He studied Janie’s dejected expression. “It’s not your fault,” he murmured.

“Maybe I should just give David half the estate and be done with it. Granny Irene won’t know I disobeyed her wishes.”

“You would know. If your brother is still struggling with his gambling addiction, giving him money will feed the problem. I guarantee your niece or nephew won’t see a penny.”

He straightened from the door and went to her. Sawyer wrapped his arms around her and eased her against his chest.

She melted in his arms, pressing her face against his neck. “I hate this,” she whispered.

Sawyer froze. He started to release her and step back, but Janie snuggled closer.

“I don’t want my brother angry with me, but you’re right, Sawyer. If I give him money, he’ll blow the cash, then come back for more.”

He rested his cheek against her temple. “It’s not on you. The problem is your brother’s.”

“If he’s responsible for me being kidnapped and this box, then it is my problem.”

“No, baby. It’s mine.”

“Aww. You two look so sweet together,” Chelsea gushed as she and Jada returned to the prep room with Jesse in their wake. “I’m so glad you found someone, Janie. You deserve a good man.”

Janie glanced at her employees. “Sawyer is a keeper. Do you two need anything?”

Jada eyed her. “We’re good. Aren’t you staying?”

“No,” Sawyer said. “Remember, Molly will be here by nine and will stay for your working hours. After this morning’s special delivery, another person we trust might also join her in the shop.”

“You’ll be safe,” Jesse assured the women. “We won’t hand over your safety to anyone except those we’ve vetted ourselves.”

Chelsea brightened. “Anyone as cute as you and Sawyer?”

The medic chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but whoever it is will keep you safe.”

“Good enough for me,” Jada said, rubbing her hands together. “We have just enough time for a cup of coffee and possibly a muffin from the coffee shop on the other side of the parking lot.”

“I’ll get breakfast for you,” Jesse said. “Any preferences?”

“Anything,” Chelsea said. “We’re not picky.”

After a nod, he left the shop.

“Along with Molly and our other coworker, I’ll be sending someone to beef up shop security and to change the locks. Janie had to leave everything behind in the plane, including her shop and house keys.”

Jada sucked in a breath. “No wonder you’re being so cautious.”

“You’re taking such good care of Janie, Sawyer,” Chelsea said. “We can’t thank you enough.”

“She’s special.”

Jada nudged Chelsea with her elbow. “Come on. Let’s go out front and check our stock supplies.”

Sawyer loosened his hold on Janie. “I hope you don’t mind me claiming to be your boyfriend. I couldn’t think of another explanation for my presence in your life.”

“I don’t mind.”

“If I do anything that makes you uncomfortable, tell me.”

“You won’t.”

“Janie.”

“All right. I promise. But you won’t.”

Jesse returned a few minutes later, laden with bags and a to-go carrier. “I bought enough for all of us, if you’re interested.”

“Coffee for me.” Sawyer took the drink carrier from his friend and took one cup for himself. He noticed that one cup was filled with hot tea. That one he handed to Janie. “Tea for the lady.”

“Jada and Chelsea are out front?” Jesse asked.

“They are,” Janie said. She lifted her cup in a salute to Jesse. “Thanks for the tea. It’s perfect.”

The medic grinned. “Thought you could use a cup.” He carried one bag and the drink carrier into the front of the shop.

Sawyer’s phone signaled an incoming text. He glanced at the screen. “Molly and Jeremy will be here in ten minutes.”

“I thought Molly wouldn’t be coming until an hour before opening.”

“After the box delivery, I didn’t want to leave Jada and Chelsea here alone. I asked Molly to come early.”

“I appreciate you looking after my employees.”

“They’re also your friends. I want nothing to happen to people you care about.”

“Does that include David?”

“If he’s innocent, yes.”

“And if he’s guilty?”

“I’ll do my best, Janie. The ultimate ending is up to him.” He could see she was dissatisfied. That was the best answer he could give. Whatever the price, he would stop the person responsible for terrorizing Janie, blood relation or not. “Do you think Brent would do any less?”

She gave a huff of laughter. “Are you kidding? He’d rip apart anyone he considered a threat to my safety.” Janie sobered. “I can’t expect less of a response from you, can I?”

“What do you think?”

She sipped her tea. “I think it’s time for me to get with the program and trust my security detail. I’ll try to be more cooperative, Sawyer.”

“You’re doing fine.”

Jesse returned sans breakfast for the ladies. “I bought extra food and coffee for Molly and Jeremy. I sent her a text a few minutes ago to ask what she wanted.”

“They should be here in a few minutes. We’ll go as soon as Molly and Jeremy are set up in here. I need to take Janie to Fortress headquarters to meet with Ian McGregor to do the sketch of the missing hostage.”

“Want me to go with you?”

He shook his head. “You’re off duty as soon as Molly and Jeremy arrive. We’ll drop you off at home so you can rest.”

Jesse’s eyebrow rose. “You forget where my woman is at the moment.”

Fortress Security headquarters. “So, I guess you want to see Simone before you get a little sleep.”

“Oh, yeah. Goose, too. In fact, I might take him home until his mistress is off work. He’s a great napping buddy.”

Sawyer chuckled. “Can’t forget Goose. Want to follow us to headquarters, then?”

“If you’ll stop by the safe house for my vehicle, I’ll be right behind you.”

Minutes later, Sawyer introduced Molly and Jeremy to Janie, Jada, and Chelsea. “You can trust my friends to take care of you and see to your safety,” he said. “If anything happens, do exactly what they tell you to do. They’re well trained.”

“What about you, Janie?” Chelsea asked. “Will you be okay, too?”

“You forget that I’ve seen Sawyer at work. I’ll be absolutely safe with him and his teammates.”

The other women looked relieved. Jada pointed at Sawyer. “If anything happens to her, we’re coming after you. Doesn’t matter how well armed you are. You get me?”

Sawyer gave her a mock salute. “Got it. I won’t forget.”

Molly and Jeremy followed them outside and waited until Sawyer had enclosed Janie inside the safety of the SUV along with Jesse. “Orders, sir?” Jeremy asked.

“Keep an eye out. We’ve already had trouble this morning. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time. I’m hoping by keeping Janie away from the shop as much as possible that her employees will be less likely targets. No guarantees, though.”

“Understood, sir. We’ll stay alert.”

“I also have someone from Fortress coming to upgrade Janie’s security and change her locks. I need you to drop the keys by Brody’s home. He’s expecting you later this afternoon.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once the operatives were back in the shop, Sawyer circled the hood and climbed behind the wheel. He drove toward the interstate. “You nervous about working with the artist?”

Janie looked at him. “How did you know?”

“Logical. You’ve never worked with a sketch artist before, so it’s an unknown amid several other unknowns in your life right now.”

“You’re one of those unknowns.”

He inclined his head. Couldn’t argue with her logic. It was true. He was her biggest unknown at the moment. “Not for long.” He smiled. “After all, we’re dating now.”

She laughed. “Of course. During your assignment. After that, I’ll just be one of your crowd of admirers, soon forgotten, I’m sure.”

Jesse snorted.

Sawyer wasn’t so sure about Janie’s statement. He had a feeling he’d never forget her, no matter how many assignments he had. She was one in a million. “Don’t sell yourself short, sweetheart. You’ll always have a special place in my life.”

The more he thought about that, the further convinced he was that he’d spoken the truth. So, the question became, what was he going to do about it? Something to consider over the next few days.

“We’ll see if you still say that after we break up,” she teased. “You may be glad to get rid of me.”

He didn’t think so.

They stopped by the safe house for Jesse to pick up his SUV. Halfway to Fortress headquarters, Sawyer noticed a white panel van shifting lanes frequently and inching ever closer to their SUVs. Since Janie seemed unaware of the problematic vehicle, he simply monitored the van and its maneuvering.

Five minutes later, the van’s driver had positioned his vehicle three cars behind Jesse. Before long, he darted into the next lane and nosed back into the lane, this time two cars behind Jesse.

He scowled. Not what he wanted to see. No question that they’d picked up a tail. He wasn’t surprised, but he didn’t like it. Too much was at stake to let this slide.

Sawyer used his Bluetooth to call Jesse.

“I see him,” was the reply instead of a greeting.

“We’re fifteen minutes from Fortress.”

“A lot can happen in fifteen minutes. Want to make a run for it?”

“Not yet,” he said, watching the rearview mirror. “Watch him. If he moves up again, we’ll go. I”ll alert Fortress. We may have someone in the area who can run interference.”

“Copy that.” Jesse ended the call.

“What’s going on?” Janie asked.

“We picked up a tail.”

“Are you sure?”

“Ninety percent. I might be wrong.” But he didn’t think so.

Sawyer called the Fortress comm center.

“Yeah, Murphy.”

“It’s Sawyer. We’ve got a problem.”

“Talk to me.”

“Jesse and I are bringing Janie into headquarters to work with Ian. We’ve picked up a tail.”

“Location?” The sound of Zane’s fingers clicking on the keyboard filled the cabin of the SUV.

Sawyer gave their position. “Do we have anyone close who can run interference?”

“Hold.” Seconds later, Zane said, “No operatives are close enough to give you a hand.”

“Copy. We’ll take care of it ourselves if the driver becomes too aggressive.”

“Description of the tailing vehicle?”

“Late model panel van, white. Two occupants. No license plate to report. They’ve been behind us the whole time.”

A pause, then, “When did you pick up the tail?”

“I noticed the van five minutes ago. The driver has been leapfrogging to maneuver closer. They’re two cars back now. One more maneuver will put them behind Jesse unless they decide to make their move on us.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t pick them up sooner.”

Sawyer’s cheeks burned. Yeah, he should have. Just showed how distracted he was. He needed to focus on his job, not on his growing personal connection to Janie. “Alert the security staff at headquarters. We might come in hot.”

“Copy that.” Zane ended the call just as the driver of the white van shifted into position behind Jesse.

Sawyer’s phone rang a moment later. “I see them, Jesse.”

“Orders?”

“We need some distance between us and them. Fortress doesn’t have anyone close. We’re on our own.”

“No problem. Go when you’re ready.”

“Keep the call open.”

“Copy that.”

Sawyer glanced at Janie, making sure she had her seatbelt fastened. “You ready, sweetheart?”

She nodded. “Let’s do it.”

He chuckled and pressed the accelerator. Their SUV shot forward. Jesse stayed close. Together, they cut through traffic like two sharks swimming through a school of fish, threading their way through congestion and putting more and more distance between them and their tail.

Jesse laughed as horns honked at the driver of the van, who tried to keep up with them and get back into position or to cut them off. “Guess our friends in the van haven’t taken combat driving lessons. They’re ticking off everyone around them.”

“Don’t care, as long as they can’t run us off the road.”

Sawyer constantly scanned the traffic ahead and to the sides of them as well as the van still fighting to gain ground.

He tried to see the driver and passenger, but they were too far back for him to see their faces. “Did you recognize the men in the van, Jesse?”

“No, but I got a good look at them. I might do a session with Ian after Janie and see if he can get their ugly mugs in a sketch. They’re Hispanic.”

Ice water ran through Sawyer’s veins.