Chapter 13

JANIE GRIPPED THEsides of her seat as Sawyer weaved through heavy Davidson County traffic with ease. She envied the skill with which he drove. Whenever she drove in Nashville, her hands gripped the wheel as though gearing up for war. That’s what driving around the area seemed like to her.

She’d been so glad to move to Wilson County last year to open her business. Sure, Hartman had traffic, but nothing like this test of courage.

Another quick dash to the next lane made her heart jump into her throat. Janie squeezed her eyes shut and decided that was even worse than seeing what was coming and preparing for it.

“Still with me?” Sawyer asked.

“Oh, yeah. Do you drive like this all the time?”

He chuckled. “When I was on the job, I did. We do it if we’re in the field. Around town on a normal day, we focus on driving defensively. Too many people are distracted, sleepy, or in too much of a hurry to watch out for everyone else on the road.”

Spoken like a true cop. “Where did you learn to drive?”

“Police academy plus Fortress teaches its operatives and bodyguards combat driving skills.”

“Well, you’re certainly putting the training to good use.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand briefly. “Sorry to scare you.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’re keeping me safe. I have no right to complain.” Although she wished the speed was unnecessary. “Good thing you’re driving. I drive like Granny Irene. Slow and steady.”

Sawyer grinned. “Good for you.”

“Ha. You say that now. Let’s see if you feel the same when I’m driving you around town one day.”

“Looking forward to it.”

She eyed him, suspicion growing in her gut. “You wouldn’t be laughing at me, would you, Sawyer?”

“Who me? Never.”

“Heads up,” Jesse said.

Sawyer glanced into the rearview mirror in time to see the van swerve into the left lane and surge past Jesse and pull even with Sawyer.

Seconds later, the driver jerked the steering wheel to the right, slamming into Sawyer’s SUV.

He scowled. “Great. Now, I’ll have to explain to Bear why his handiwork is messed up. Someone is going to pay for the hardship I will suffer at the hands of the former Delta soldier.”

Janie stared at Sawyer, astonished. “You’re worried about the paint job when the people in the van are doing their best to run us off the road?”

“You don’t know Bear. He takes any damage to our vehicles personally since he did the work to retrofit them with extra safety features.”

“You sound afraid of him.”

Jesse chimed in. “You bet. Anybody with half a brain is terrified of him and his crew. They’re all former Deltas.”

Incredible. “Your team is plenty tough from what I saw in Mexico.”

“Trust me, sugar. Bear is in a class all by himself.”

Hmm. This guy must eat barbed wire for breakfast.

Sawyer surged into the right-hand lane, just barely missing another sideswipe by the van.

Janie turned in her seat in time to see Jesse fall in line behind Sawyer, and the two SUVs sprinted ahead of the speeding van. She wasn’t sure what was under the hood of the Fortress vehicles, but she suspected it wasn’t factory issued.

Half a mile later, the SUVs exited the Interstate and raced down Harding Place toward Fortress Security’s compound.

“Ending our call,” Sawyer said to Jesse as he sped through a yellow light, with Jesse right behind him.

“Copy.”

Sawyer immediately made another call.

“Murphy.”

“We’re two minutes out. Coming in hot.”

“Copy that. We’re ready.”

“Somebody needs to catch these clowns. The van sideswiped us.”

A soft whistle. “Sorry, man. I’ll pass the word to Bear and company.”

“Make sure you tell him it wasn’t my fault, and that I was protecting a principal.”

“Will do. Good luck.” Zane ended the call.

Janie twisted in her seat. “They’re still on us.”

“I see them.” Disgust crossed his features. “Where’s a cop when you need one?”

“Be grateful we haven’t run across one. Otherwise, you and Jesse might have gotten a ticket for reckless driving.”

“Maybe.” Sawyer glanced to the right, shot into a gap in traffic and hung a fast right onto a street that led to a warehouse section. “Face forward, baby. If the van hits us again, you’re less likely to suffer a lasting injury if you have the seat against your back.”

She faced forward again. “What about Jesse? Will he be okay?”

“He has the same training I do. Not only that, we have reinforced steel in the doors and bullet-resistant glass in every window. You’re as safe as we can keep you under the circumstances. Stay with me a few more minutes, okay?”

Janie said nothing. She couldn’t. Her mouth was desert dry, as was her throat. It took every ounce of control she had not to scream and distract Sawyer when he raced through four-way stops at well over 80 miles per hour. Thankfully, no cars were in the area so far. That could change in an instant.

In the distance, she saw the Fortress compound masquerading as an office complex. Armed men lined up along the security fence with many SUVs parked at odd angles.

Instead of slowing down, Sawyer pressed the accelerator to the floor. The vehicle leaped forward, closing the distance to the front gate at an incredible rate of speed.

The gates parted seconds before Sawyer and Jesse sailed through and closed immediately afterward.

Instead of skidding to a stop, they continued to race to the underground garage. As they drove underground, Janie saw the white van skidding to a stop, backing up, and racing away. Two of the Fortress SUVs at the gate went after the fleeing vehicle.

Sawyer’s SUV slid to a stop seconds later, and he parked near the elevator. He exited the vehicle and circled the hood to open her door.

Janie attempted to unlatch her seatbelt and failed royally because she was shaking too hard.

“I’ll get it.” Sawyer freed Janie from the seatbelt, helped her to the concrete, and tugged her into his arms. “It’s all right now. You’re safe.” He continued to hold her as she trembled, rubbing her back with one hand and securing her to him with the other arm.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“Don’t be. It’s normal to be frightened in a situation like that.”

“You aren’t.”

“I’m trained to handle things like this.”

“I still feel like a wuss,” she muttered.

“You didn’t scream bloody murder while Jesse and I played in heavy traffic, going over 100 miles per hour. You have courage, Janie.”

She swallowed hard. “We went that fast?”

“You couldn’t tell?”

“I was afraid to look at the speedometer.”

“Don’t blame you.” He kissed her temple and continued to hold her in silence until the shakes subsided. “Better now?”

Janie nodded. “Thanks, Sawyer. Sorry if I held things up too much.”

“No one will say a word. If they do, they’ll answer to me.” He loosened his hold on her. “Feeling steady enough to walk?”

She hesitated, assessing how she felt. Maybe in another ten minutes. Right now, no. She shook her head.

Sawyer scooped Janie into his arms and strode toward the elevator. “You’ll feel better soon,” he murmured.

“I think I can walk.” Probably.

“I’m more than capable of carrying you, sweetheart. Let me play the hero for a few minutes.”

“Where’s Jesse?”

“Gone to see his girlfriend. Simone works here, too. She’s a whiz with computers. We’re lucky to have her on staff here.” He pressed the call button with his elbow.

“Will the security people catch up to the van?”

“I hope so. Brent will let us know the result of the chase. If the team catches up with them, you won’t have to worry about seeing the men in the van. You won’t be anywhere near them.”

“Won’t do much good, though, will it?” How could it? Sawyer’s coworkers couldn’t force the men to talk. If these men really were from Vatos Locos, they weren’t likely to talk for fear of retaliation from other gang members. “You can’t torture them into giving up information.”

Sawyer remained silent.

Janie studied his face. “Sawyer?”

“Don’t ask if you can’t handle the answer.”

Her breath caught. “Brent condones torture?”

“Do you want to know?”

She considered that for a moment and shook her head. “No. I’m assuming the interrogators will get answers by whatever means are necessary.”

“To protect you, Brent will remove the restraints on his interrogation team.”

Feeling sick to her stomach at the thought of other people, even evil ones, being hurt on her account, Janie nuzzled his cheek with hers. Seconds later, she froze, realizing she’d crossed a line. This relationship wasn’t real. The pretense was only for her employees and others outside her circle of friends who might be curious about the strange man who suddenly seemed to be everywhere with her. She and Sawyer weren’t in public.

She eased away. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

“I don’t mind, Janie. Do it again whenever you want.”

The elevator doors opened, sparing her from coming up with a comment. Although she wanted to fan her flaming face, the action would be a dead giveaway. Nope, she’d remain silent unless Sawyer brought up the comment again.

She should tell the operative the action couldn’t happen again, but she’d be lying to herself and to him. Janie wanted to do it again, pleased to have permission to indulge herself when she wanted. Wouldn’t be fair, though, unless he had reciprocal privileges. Janie supposed the most important question was whether he’d want the same right.

Sawyer carried her down the hall on the third floor to a small conference room where a tall, slender bald man sat at the large table.

He jumped up from his chair, alarm on his face. “Everything all right, Chapman?”

“She’s fine. Janie, this is Ian McGregor, our resident sketch artist. Ian, meet Janie Moran.”

“I’m glad to meet you, Janie. Brent told me a lot about you,” Ian said.

Great. What had her friend’s husband blurted to his employee? “All good things, I hope.”

He chuckled. “Of course. I’m sure you’ll be seeing my wife, Kim, in Natural Bliss before long.”

“Tell Kim to introduce herself, and I’ll give her the grand tour. She can sit in on one of our classes if she’s interested in learning to make soap or bath salts.”

He groaned. “You shouldn’t have said that. I can already feel my wallet hurting.”

She laughed.

“Do you need anything before we start? Coffee, tea, soft drinks? We have everything in the break room down the hall.”

Sawyer set her on a chair near Ian. “Would you like tea?”

“Thank you, Sawyer.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

After Sawyer left, Ian studied her face a moment. “Want to tell me what upset you?”

Janie grimaced. “It’s that obvious?”

“Only to someone who sketches faces for a living. Talk to me while we wait for Sawyer to return.”

So the observant sketch artist knew she wasn’t comfortable without her bodyguard. She sighed. Yeah, she’d officially become a card-carrying wuss.

She talked freely to Ian, telling him everything that had happened since she and the operatives had left the safe house early this morning. “Not that a big deal,” she said. “I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time with what happened.”

“It’s not every day someone tries to run you off the road and possibly kidnap you again. You have a right to feel afraid.”

“The SUV was damaged, not me.”

“Doesn’t matter. Having absolute proof that someone wants to hurt you is traumatic, and truthfully, anything could have happened during the race to get here.”

“I’m here and perfectly safe because of Sawyer and Jesse.”

“Texas Team is one of the best we have at Fortress. You’re lucky they were available and in the area so they could rescue you.”

“Believe me. I’ll never forget it.”

Sawyer returned with three to-go cups. Two coffees and one tea, which he handed to Janie. “Mint tea for the lady. Straight black liquid gold for us,” he said to Ian. “What did I miss?”

“I asked Janie to tell me about this morning. Now that she has, let’s give her a chance to sip some tea while you fill me in on what’s been going on. When she’s ready, we’ll get started.”

Sawyer gave Ian a version of events that Janie barely recognized. Military or cop rapid-fire report style.

“What about the mission you completed before rescuing Janie? Was it successful?”

He sobered. “I suppose you can call it successful. We freed the hostages and wiped out the human traffickers, but there’s a lot of trauma for the victims to work through. Five of the hostages were kids.”

“You and your team spared them from a life of sex slavery and got rid of those who hurt them. What more could you do, Sawyer?”

“It’s not enough.”

“Never is. All you can do is your best.” Ian glanced at Janie. “Are you feeling better now?”

She kept her gaze on Sawyer for a moment before she answered the artist. “I’m ready to get started. Thanks for giving me a few minutes.”

“Of course.” Ian glanced at Sawyer. “Are you staying or going?”

“Staying. I won’t leave Janie alone, even here.”

“Understood. You can stay as long as you keep quiet and don’t distract Janie.”

Sawyer saluted him. “Yes, sir.”

Ian focused on Janie as he flipped to a clean page in his sketch pad and grabbed one of the many pencils lined up beside him. “The first thing I need is for you to give me a general description of the man we’re going to sketch.”

Little by little, Ian pulled details from Janie while sketching the man’s face. After more than an hour, Ian turned the pad around and showed her the portrait.

Janie gasped. “That’s him. That’s the man who sat beside me on the plane. You’re amazing, Ian.”

“If we’re passing compliments around, I’ll just say you have the best recall of anyone I’ve worked with. You made my work easy.” Ian turned to Sawyer. “You want the sketch?”

“I do. I’ll pass it along to Zane to see if we can identify this man.”

The artist frowned. “Weird that he disappeared when all the other hostages were killed, except for Janie. Why separate him from the rest?”

“That’s what we’re hoping to find out.” He stood and helped Janie to her feet. “Thanks, man. I owe you one.”

Ian chuckled. “I’ll collect.”

Sawyer escorted Janie to the elevator. A minute later, they exited on the sixth floor and walked to the comm center, where Zane was working. His computer console had six full-size screens spread across it, all filled with different things.

The tech guru’s fingers flew over the keyboard, and data scrolled over four of the screens. The other two had maps with flashing red lights on them. Janie was amazed that Zane could keep track of all the information and carry on a conversation with someone over his headset.

“Copy that, Nico. The jet is ready. You’ll be wheels up within a minute of boarding. Injuries?” Zane listened a moment, then scowled. “Sorenson won’t be happy to see Joe back in the clinic this soon.”

He glanced over his shoulder and pointed at two chairs nearby. “Two minutes,” he murmured. When Nico and his team boarded the jet, Zane gathered a little more information, then signed off. He spun his chair around to face Sawyer and Janie. “How are you, Janie?”

“Better now. I was pretty shaken up,” she admitted. Couldn’t exactly hide it, not after the way she’d behaved once Sawyer parked the SUV. “No injuries, though. Did the security team find the van?”

“They did. We have the driver and passenger in interrogation. The team will get answers if the two men have any.”

“What does that mean?”

“They could be hired help with no knowledge of the reason for the job.”

Oh, man. She’d never thought about that possibility. If Zane was right, that would mean the interrogation team would learn nothing to help her figure out who wanted her so badly they would kill to get their hands on her. “That’s not what I wanted to hear, Zane.”

“Sorry. I’m only laying out the possibility so you won’t get your hopes up.”

She glanced at Sawyer. “Is he always this full of good news?”

“Would you rather have it straight or for him to lie to you?”

“Always the truth.” She’d had enough lies to last her a lifetime.

“Good.” Zane looked at her with approval in his eyes. “How did the session with McGregor go?”

Sawyer handed the tech guru the sketch. “This is the man on the plane who disappeared in the Vatos Locos compound.”

Zane’s eyebrows rose. “This is excellent. If this guy is in the system, we should be able to identify him.”

“Janie has an excellent memory of faces.”

“I can see that. McGregor must have found this job to be easy.”

“He was pleased.”

“I’ll run the photo through our databases and send copies to the operatives’ emails. Hopefully, we’ll get some information soon. Make a detour by Brent’s office. He’s expecting you.”

Beside Janie, Sawyer tensed. “Did he say what he wanted?”

Zane shook his head as his switchboard lit up. He glanced at the readout. “Later, Sawyer.” The other man swung around to his keyboard and touched his headset. “Yeah, Murphy.”

Sawyer led Janie from the comm room and steered her toward Brent’s suite of offices. “Come on. Time to face the music.”