Chapter 22

SAWYER RUSHED JANIEto the space between the two Fortress vehicles as gunshots shattered the peaceful night in a hail of gunfire.

Between one beat and the next, Sawyer took Janie to the ground, flipping at the last second to take the brunt of the impact. He rolled, covering Janie’s body with his own. His weapon was up and tracking in case the jerks in the truck stopped to fire more shots at Janie.

Glass shattered and car alarms blared around them in a discordant cacophony, making it impossible to hear anyone approaching.

Finally, the gunfire ceased. A moment later, Max said, “Clear.”

Sawyer leaped to his feet, scooped Janie into his arms, and put her to their SUV. Max climbed behind the wheel.

Once beside Janie and buckled in, Sawyer said, “Go.”

“What about the police?” Janie asked. “Do we have to stay and give a report?”

“Nothing to tell except a dark-colored, late-model truck raced from the parking lot and someone in the vehicle fired shots at us.”

“No plates on the truck,” Max added as he accelerated onto Main Street and drove toward the outskirts of town in the opposite direction from their safe house. “Do you know how many dark-colored trucks are registered in this county alone?”

“Too many?”

“Exactly. If we stayed to talk to the police, we’d be sitting ducks for another attack.”

“We won’t risk your life that way.” Sawyer threaded his fingers through hers. “We’ll ask the Fortress tech geeks to track the truck.”

Max snorted. “Won’t help.”

“We might catch a shot of a face to run through our databases.”

“Doubtful, but call them. We’ll see what comes of it.”

Sawyer called to Fortress headquarters.

“Fortress Security. Wiseman.”

“Runner, it’s Sawyer. What are you doing on duty? Thought you’d be out pounding the pavement.”

A chuckle. “You’re a fine one to talk, Chapman. You run as often as I do at night.”

Truth. Nighttime was the worst for memories to haunt him.

“What do you need, buddy?”

Sawyer reported the incident in the hospital’s parking lot. “Hack into the security and traffic cams in the area and get me what you can on the truck and its occupants.”

“More than one occupant?”

“Driver and shooter. Couldn’t see into the back. Everything happened too fast. I was more interested in protecting Janie.”

“How fast do you need the footage?”

“Yesterday.”

A snort. “I hear the same thing from every operative who calls requesting help.”

“Not surprised. In this case, it’s true. The attacks against Janie keep coming. I need to know who’s behind them before she’s kidnapped again or killed.”

“I’m on it, Sawyer.”

Now he felt bad. “Sorry. I’m concerned.” Although he had a bad feeling everything tied back to Vatos Locos.

“This search will be my priority.”

“I owe you one.”

“Nope. I love a challenge. I’ll get back to you soon.” Wiseman ended the call.

“Who answered?” Max asked.

“Wiseman.”

A nod. “He’ll get what you need. He’s almost as fast as Zane and Simone.”

Sawyer would feel better if one of them did the search. Both, however, we’re already deep diving for information.

Once they were safely inside the safe house, Jesse went home until time for his shift.

Max went to the security room. A moment later, Logan walked into the kitchen.

“Steaks and potatoes are in the refrigerator,” he said.

“Any trouble?”

A head shake. “A stray cat set off the perimeter alarms.”

Sawyer relaxed. Excellent. “When does the next watch shift start?”

“Three hours. You and Jesse have the watch. Go sleep.” With that, Logan refilled his coffee mug and left the room.

Sawyer cupped Janie’s nape, his thumb brushing over her jaw. “We missed dinner. Are you hungry?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Not really.”

“You need fuel, sweetheart. Would you like me to heat the potato for you? It shouldn’t be too heavy on your stomach.”

“That sounds good.”

He nudged her toward the breakfast bar. “Have a seat while I heat the food.” After removing the foil and spreading the potato on a plate, Sawyer turned on the microwave. “What about a drink? We have soft drinks, water, juice, coffee, or I can make tea for you.”

“Water, please.”

He set her plate with the potato and a glass of water on the counter in front of Janie and heated his own meal. Soon, he sat beside her and went to work on his steak and potato.

“The steak smells great,” Janie said. “I’m sorry to miss the treat.”

“No worries. I’ll grill for you again soon.”

When Sawyer finished his meal, he rose to prepare hot tea for Janie and poked around the cabinet until he found the right combination for her.

He dumped a bag each of chamomile and mint into the water and nuked the concoction. When the heating cycle finished, he set the mug in front of Janie. “Chamomile mint tea.”

“Thanks. I hope it will help me sleep.” She grimaced. “For a few hours at least. I need to return to the store to prepare more stock.”

Not what he wanted to hear. If the Vatos Locos members had intelligence greater than a houseplant, they’d know exactly where to find Janie tomorrow morning.

A muscle in his jaw twitched. He’d handle anything that happened at the shop. This was Janie’s livelihood, and her workers needed help with the workload. That thought reminded him to confirm that two Fortress bodyguards would be available to protect Janie’s workers. “All right.” He brushed his mouth over hers. “Come on. I’ll walk you home, Ms. Moran.”

She grinned. “My room is across the hall from yours. We can walk there in under a minute.”

“That’s part of my cunning plan.”

“To spend a minute walking me to my room?” She looked skeptical. “I’m not convinced.”

“I’m walking you home at the end of our date so I can kiss my girl goodnight at her door.”

Her breath caught. “Are you serious?”

“Sweetheart, I meant every word.”

She slid from the stool and picked up her mug. “Let’s go. I want that kiss more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.”

He chuckled. “Same.” Sawyer took the mug from her and wrapped his free arm around her shoulders as they walked.

After nudging the door open with his shoulder, Sawyer stepped back and motioned her inside. Once across the threshold, he closed the door and set the mug on her nightstand. He drew the woman of his dreams into his arms.

Slowly, he lowered his head and captured Janie’s mouth with his. Immediately, fire raced through his veins, heat suffusing his body and raising his core temperature to at least a thousand degrees.

Janie just did it for him in every respect, and now he was addicted to her taste. No other woman would do for him. He was well and truly hooked on Janie Moran.

Janie wrapped her arms around his neck. After another intense kiss, she stared at him with wide eyes. “Sawyer,” she whispered.

“I know. I feel it too.”

“I didn’t know it would be like this.”

“Neither did I,” he admitted. “This is special.”

“If these kisses become more intense, I might melt into a puddle at your feet.”

He hugged her tight for a moment, then forced himself to step back. “I have to leave while I still can.”

“Do you have to go?”

His mouth curved. “My control is whisper thin. A couple more kisses like those, and I won’t be able to leave.” He put more distance between them. “I’ll see you in a few hours. If you can’t sleep, come to me. We’ll curl up on the couch and watch a slow cozy mystery guaranteed to put you to sleep.”

Janie grinned. “What if I like cozy mysteries?”

Sawyer gave a mock sigh. “Sorry, Janie, but that goes in the negative column. I’m afraid I can no longer say you’re perfect.”

That brought a laugh from his woman. He winked at her and gripped the door handle. “Need anything? Water, a snack?”

She shook her head, eyes still twinkling with amusement. “Get some sleep, Sawyer.”

“Yes, ma’am.” After a last heat-filled glance, Sawyer left the room, closing Janie’s door behind him.

He stopped steps away from her door and leaned against the wall, fighting for more discipline. After winning the battle, he continued to his room. Logan was right. He needed to sleep for at least two or three hours.

Sawyer took a quick shower, put on fresh clothes in case they had an interrupted night, and stretched out across the bed. Between one breath and the next, he was asleep.

At the three-hour mark, Sawyer’s internal alarm woke him. Slipping his feet into tactical boots, Sawyer left the room and came to an abrupt stop when he saw Janie’s door standing open.

He peered into her room. The bed was empty and made. Sawyer heard her soft laugh downstairs.

He followed the sound of her voice to the kitchen. She was sitting at the breakfast bar with a mug of tea. Logan leaned against the counter, cradling a mug of coffee.

His teammate gave him a chin lift. “You look better.” He picked up another mug and handed it to Sawyer. “Strong enough to cure anything that ails you.”

He sipped, his brows knitting. “What did you do, double the amount of coffee?”

A slow smile from his friend. “You’re tough. You can handle it.”

Maybe. Wow. Had to admit, though, the caffeine would push back brain fog and fatigue for several hours.

Sawyer sat beside Janie and leaned over to kiss her. “I’m surprised you’re up. Everything okay?”

“I woke a few minutes ago and couldn’t go back to sleep. Do you mind if I help you keep watch until it’s time to leave for the shop?”

Although concerned she’d be exhausted, he knew how it was to have worries chasing away sleep. He reached over and squeezed her hand. “I’ll be glad to have your company.”

His statement made her cheeks turn pink and her eyes sparkle. Score one for him. He glanced at Logan. “Who’s on watch with me?”

“Jesse volunteered to take the next shift in case you need him.”

Sawyer’s watch vibrated. He checked the readout. “Jesse’s here. Tell Poppy thanks for loaning you to us for a few hours.”

A slight smile curved Logan’s mouth. “Will do. Let me know if you need me.” After finishing the last sip of his coffee, Logan turned off the alarm and went out the back door.

Within seconds, Jesse stepped into the kitchen. His eyebrows soared when he saw Janie at the breakfast bar. “Hey, sugar. Why are you awake at this hour?”

“Couldn’t sleep. Sawyer is going to teach me how to keep watch.”

“Good idea. You two can watch the monitors. I’ll handle the perimeter until we leave for the shop.”

“Aren’t you going home to sleep?” she asked.

“Brody will take over at seven. I’ll go to the coffee shop and get breakfast and drinks for everyone.”

“What about Simone?”

“She’ll get her treat after I’m off duty. I’ll take her coffee and breakfast, and pick up Goose.”

“I can’t wait to meet your dog,” Janie said. “He sounds like a delightful companion.”

Jesse chuckled. “He thinks he’s a big dog. We have to watch him like a hawk when we take him for walks. Otherwise, he’ll take on neighborhood dogs ten times his size.”

The medic poured coffee into a mug and headed for the back door. “I’ll check the perimeter and return in a few minutes.”

“Come on.” Sawyer held out his hand to Janie. “Let’s watch his progress on the monitors.”

In the security room, he seated Janie at the console and sat beside her. He pointed to the screen. “There’s Jesse. Do you recognize where he is?”

She studied the monitor a moment. Her face lit up. “The back fence.”

“He’ll come around the left side of the house soon.”

Sawyer pointed out landmarks and matched them up with the terrain until the medic returned to the safe house.

Jesse tracked them down a minute later. “How did our operative-in-training do?”

“She did great.”

Janie rolled her eyes. “After Sawyer pointed out the landmarks I should have recognized.”

“Cut yourself some slack,” Jesse said. “You’ve only been outside in the backyard for five minutes. We spend hours walking the grounds or staring at monitors where we see the same views for hours.”

“Do you get bored?”

“Sure, but we recognize any change in the terrain because we spend so much time studying it.”

“I’ll remind myself of that when I’m falling asleep watching the unchanging picture on the screen.

That’s what Sawyer wanted, a night so boring and uneventful that Janie could rest another hour or two before the trek to the shop.

“Unless you need me, I’ll go back to the kitchen. Simone is sending me a few files.” Jesse’s intense gaze told Sawyer the files were linked to David Moran.

“We’ll watch the monitors for another hour. If things are quiet, I’ll teach Janie what we look for on perimeter checks.”

“Works for me.” Jesse patted Janie’s shoulder and left.

Sawyer glanced at Janie. She was staring at him. “What?”

“You’re expecting trouble.”

“We always expect trouble.”

“How often does it happen?”

Too often. “Enough. Do you need to work on anything for the shop?”

“Changing the subject on me?”

“Maybe. Did it work?” He didn’t want to add to the worry and stress on Janie’s shoulders. She had enough to handle as it was.

She laughed. “Yes, it will. I wanted to explore fresh scents for soaps and bath bombs we might offer in the shop. I didn’t have a chance last night. So, Mr. Chapman, what scent reminds you of summer?”

“Strawberries and peaches.”

“Good choices. I’ll see what I can do about that.”

“Wait.” His eyes narrowed. “That’s for women. Men don’t want to smell like fruit after a shower.”

Amusement lit her eyes. “That’s disappointing. I wanted to breathe in the scent of strawberries when you kissed me. Now what will I do?”

“Not nice, lady.”

More laughter. “Since strawberries and peaches aren’t high on your list, what do you suggest for men?”

“Ocean breeze and mountain air. Not pine,” he added quickly. “Reminds me of the household cleaner my mother used to use.”

“Got it. No pine. Is there a laptop I can use?”

“Watch the monitors. I’ll get mine.” He took the stairs two at a time, dug his laptop from his Go bag, and carried it to the security room, where he set the computer in front of Janie. “Anything happen?”

“Does seeing a fox trot across the backyard count as an event?”

He chuckled. “Sorry I missed it.”

While Janie started her search, Sawyer texted Wiseman to see if he’d come up with anything on the truck in the hospital’s parking lot.

A response came seconds later. He scanned the information and scowled. No surprise to learn the truck was stolen.

Sawyer shot off another text, asking the tech to send footage of the incident. He received a notification that the footage was in his email in less than a minute.

A second message came as Sawyer scanned the incident footage. His hand clenched.

A small, soft hand wrapped around his. “What’s wrong?”

“Maria will be in Hartman at noon today.”