Chapter 24

SAWYER KNOCKED ONBrent’s door and flinched when he heard the growl from his boss. Maybe this wasn’t the right time to talk to his boss.

Brent flung open the door. “Are you in or out? I don’t have time to waste today.”

“In.”

“You have five minutes. Go.”

In military fashion, he gave a rapid report on the latest, including the connection between Maria Moran’s family and Vatos Locos.

Brent scowled. “You’re telling me Janie’s sister-in-law might be partly to blame for Janie being taken hostage?”

“I’m still looking into it.”

“What else?”

He stiffened. “You know, don’t you?”

Brent rose slowly. “Know what?”

Way to box himself in. “I love Janie, and I want your blessing to marry her.”

The boss’s ice-blue eyes glared at him. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. How many days have you known Janie?”

“Four.”

“And you’re planning to rush her down the aisle to an altar or, worse, to a justice of the peace? Or perhaps to Vegas for a quickie wedding?” Brent leaned closer. “Over my dead body, Chapman.”

“I didn’t say that. I’m not planning to rush her anywhere.” Not for lack of desire, though. He’d give anything to place a wedding band on her finger today, but rushing Janie wasn’t fair. “I’ll give her time to really know me and to figure out if she can handle my job.”

The boss grunted. “She can.” He blew out a breath, still glaring daggers at Sawyer. “You’re something else. I sent you to Mexico to rescue Janie because I trusted you, not because I expected you to sweep her off her feet.”

“Yes, sir. In this business, things happen fast. Janie and I have been through more in the past four days than many couples experience in a lifetime. I know what I want, Brent. What I need. She’s everything.”

“And if I’m wrong and she can’t handle your job with Fortress?”

“I’ll ask you to assign me to a position that won’t send me on missions.”

“You would leave the Texas Team for Janie?”

“In a heartbeat, if that’s what she needs to be happy.”

“What about you? Can you live with that decision?”

“I can live without my team. I can’t live without Janie.”

Brent held his gaze for a long moment. “Is this one sided or does she feel the same?”

“It goes both ways.”

More staring, then, “Your objectivity is shot, Chapman. I should set you down and assign another operative to cover Janie.”

“You can, but I won’t leave her side. Why tie up another operative when I’ll be her bodyguard, regardless of what you choose to do?”

Another scowl. “Don’t tempt me. I want to suspend you until this matter is resolved. I don’t want to lose you to distraction at the wrong moment, and I especially don’t want to lose Rowan’s best friend.”

A ball of ice formed in Sawyer’s stomach. “Leave me on the team, Brent,” he said, voice soft. “No one is more invested in protecting Janie than I am. No one will touch her on my watch. You have my word.”

His boss pointed at him. “That’s the only reason I’m leaving you in place.”

Thank God.

“However, I’ll have a word with Brody. He’ll report to me every two hours. If he feels you’re a danger to yourself, Janie, and your teammates, you’ll be suspended for the duration of this op. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Screw this up and hurt Janie, Chapman, and you’ll answer to me.” He bared his teeth. “And then my wife will mop the floor with you.”

Sawyer flinched. “That’s cruel, boss.”

“It’s the price you pay for ticking off my woman.”

“Noted.” He’d do everything humanly possible to avoid that scenario. Rowan Maddox was protective of her friends and didn’t mind using a mean streak to do it.

“You have my blessing. Dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.” Sawyer left the office before his boss lit into him again and counted himself lucky to have survived with his skin intact. Brent Maddox was not the man to tick off. No question in Sawyer’s mind that Brent would make sure he paid dearly if he did anything to hurt Janie.

Never going to happen. He’d sooner slit his own throat than hurt the woman who owned his heart.

All he had to do was keep his head in the game and protect her while he and his teammates tracked down the person giving orders to kidnap Janie and everything would be fine. Simple, right?

His stomach knotted. If the plan was so simple, why did his gut tell him he was running out of time to bring this to an end before Janie ended up paying the price?

He returned to Simone’s office and paused in the doorway, watching Janie play with Goose. The worry weighing her down since they found her brother on the floor of his hotel room was nowhere in evidence as she played tug of war with the tiny poodle.

She glanced up and her smile faded. Sawyer regretted the loss. “Time to go?”

“I need a few minutes to set up the surveillance equipment in your brother’s room.”

Janie gave Goose a scratch between his ears and stood. “Thanks for letting me spend time with Goose, Simone. Your dog is wonderful.”

Simone beamed. “Jesse and I think so, too. Come by and play with Goose anytime. The next time we have a Texas Team barbeque, I’ll bring Goose along so he can see you.”

“I’d love that.” She crossed the room to Sawyer. “I’m ready.”

“That’s my signal to get back to work.” Jesse bent and kissed Simone. “I’ll call you when I’m off duty.”

“Be safe, love.”

The medic squeezed Simone’s hand and left with Sawyer and Janie. In the elevator, he said, “How did it go with the boss?”

“About like I thought it would.”

Janie looked up at him. “What does that mean?”

“He dressed me down and said if I messed up, I’d be answering to him first, then to Rowan.” He shuddered as Jesse whistled. “Tell me about it,” he muttered to his friend.

“Are you still on my security detail?” Janie asked.

“Yes, ma’am. However, I’m on probation.”

She frowned. “Explain.”

“Brody is to check in with Brent every two hours. If my team leader or the boss doesn’t like what he’s seeing or hearing, I’ll be suspended until the op is over.”

Janie’s frown morphed into a scowl. “That’s not fair. I won’t accept anyone else guarding me except you and your team.”

The elevator came to a stop at the garage level. Sawyer guided her to his SUV. “I told Brent I wouldn’t leave your side for any reason.”

“I’ll talk to him. No one is separating us. End of story.”

Although he appreciated her loyalty, Sawyer stopped her in the garage with a hand on her shoulder. “It’s a matter of your safety and that of my team. The stakes are sky high, Janie. If I’m distracted at the wrong time, you could be hurt.” He cupped her cheek. “And that would kill me, sweetheart.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. You won’t allow it.” She laid a hand over his heart. “Just make sure you watch out for yourself, too. If I lost you now, my heart would shatter.”

Was it any wonder that he loved Janie Moran more than life itself? “We’ll watch out for each other. That way, we’ll both sail through this op without injuries that might delay my plans.”

Her eyebrows rose. “What plans, Mr. Chapman?”

“Plans to romance you until I’m able to slide a wedding ring on your finger, Ms. Moran.”

“Hey,” Jesse called from the SUV. “You realize this garage echoes, right? No secrets unless you want everyone to know you’re sweet talking the pretty lady into marrying you.”

Sawyer chuckled. “I hear you.” He nudged Janie toward the SUV. “We need to go. It may take a couple of visits to your brother to set up everything in the room.”

“I’ll talk to David’s nurse and see if I can get an extended visit with my brother. They’ve been pretty accommodating.”

“We’ll work around it if they won’t agree.” He lifted her to the passenger seat of his SUV and dug into his cargo pocket.

Sawyer handed Janie a phone. “Zane had this delivered overnight. This is your satellite phone so we can communicate when I’m on missions.” Then he gave her a bracelet, necklace, and a watch. “Each of these pieces has a GPS chip embedded in the design. If we’re separated, I’ll be able to track your location if you’re wearing any of these pieces.” After brushing her mouth with his, Sawyer circled the hood and slid behind the wheel.

An hour later, Sawyer parked in the lot at the hospital and escorted Janie up to her brother’s room with his equipment in a lightweight backpack.

When they stopped at the ICU desk, David’s nurse gave Janie a quick update. No change in her brother’s condition. “Would it be possible for me to spend a few extra minutes with David?” Janie asked. “His wife is flying in from Chile this afternoon and I’m sure she’ll want to spend as much time as possible with him. I don’t want to interfere with her time.”

“I think that will be all right. If he shows signs of distress, I’ll come get you so he can rest.”

“Thanks. I’m grateful to all of you for taking such good care of David.”

Sawyer threaded his fingers through Janie’s as they walked to David’s room. He paused beside the new bodyguard on watch. “I’ll be adding surveillance equipment to the room. Keep an eye out, Chris.”

“You got it, Sawyer.”

While Janie talked to her brother, Sawyer unzipped the backpack and pulled out his gear. As fast as possible, he set up a small surveillance camera in a place that gave them a view of the room and David. Next, he set up a listening device to catch anything being said in the room.

After testing the equipment, he sent the link to Chris and stepped outside the room to talk to the bodyguard. “Get it?” he murmured.

“Yep. Clear picture and sound.”

“Make sure the guard on the next shift also has the link before you clock out.”

“Copy that.”

“Any change in David’s condition?”

“None that I’ve seen.”

“His wife will arrive in a few hours.” Sawyer sent Chris a picture of Maria Moran. “She has family ties to Vatos Locos.”

A grim expression settled on Chris’s face. “I’ll be on the lookout for her. Will she be traveling with family?”

“I don’t know.” And he should have checked. “I’ll find out and let you know.”

“Appreciate it.”

Sawyer returned to the room. Janie was still standing by her brother’s bedside, whispering to him about her store and the fresh scents she planned to incorporate into her stock of soap, body butter, and bath salts.

“You need to wake up and tell me what you think about the scents, David. I’m not sure if my male customers will appreciate them. I could use some advice from you.”

No response.

Sawyer sent a message to Simone, asking for an update on Maria and the possibility of her traveling with family members.

He received a response less than two minutes later. Not the response he wanted to see.

“Sawyer?”

Janie’s voice drew his attention from the screen to her face. “What is it?”

“You tell me. You look unhappy. Bad news?”

No use trying to hide the facts. Janie would find out in a few hours, anyway. “Your sister-in-law is traveling to the US with one brother and a cousin. Both are members of Vatos Locos.”

Alarms went off. Jesse barreled into the room seconds ahead of the nurses.

Janie’s eyes widened. “David?”

Jesse signaled Sawyer to get Janie out of the room. He followed them into the corridor.

“What’s going on?” Janie demanded. “Why did David’s alarms go off?”

“His blood pressure skyrocketed into the stratosphere. Did he show he had risen to consciousness?”

Janie shook her head. “I talked to my brother the entire time Sawyer was setting up the surveillance equipment. There was no change.”

Jesse frowned. “What did you say just before the alarms went off?”

“Sawyer told me Maria is traveling to the US with her brother and cousin. They’re members of Vatos Locos.”

A soft whistle from the medic. “David might have heard what Sawyer told you. It’s possible the news upset him.”

“It’s good that he reacted, right?”

“Could be. We’ll see what the doctor says.”

A man in a white coat raced into the room.

Sawyer set his pack against the wall and wrapped his arms around Janie.

In silence, she held on tight, her body trembling.

Heart hurting for Janie, he kissed her temple and glanced at Jesse. The medic looked grim. Not a good sign. Jesse knew more than he’d told Janie. Maybe he was protecting her. Perhaps he didn’t have concrete answers to share. Either way, Sawyer was afraid Janie was in for more bad news.

Twenty minutes later, the doctor emerged from David’s room. “Ms. Moran?”

Janie turned in Sawyer’s arms to face the doctor. “Yes, sir.”

He held out his hand. “I’m Jeff Carroway, the hospitalist. Your brother is stable for the moment, but he”s had a stroke. We won’t know how much damage has been done until he’s fully conscious and we’re able to run a few tests. We’ll be taking Mr. Moran to surgery soon so the neurosurgeon can try to remove the clot.”

Janie gasped. “Oh, no.”

“Do you know what caused the stroke?” Sawyer asked.

“Not specifically. However, given the severe head trauma, a stroke wasn’t unexpected.” After answering a few more questions and informing them that another physician specializing in stroke care would check on David’s progress throughout the day, the doctor went to his next patient as the orderlies arrived to take David to the operating room.

David’s nurse exited the room. “Do you know when Mr. Moran’s wife is expected to arrive?”

“Around noon,” Sawyer answered.

Heather glanced at her watch. “Another three hours. The surgeon definitely won’t wait. Look, I don’t know how long Mr. Moran’s operation will take, Janie. You can go to the waiting room or you can go to work or your home and we’ll call you once the operation’s complete. We’ll also call if there’s any change in his condition.”

Janie glanced at Sawyer, her preference plain on her face.

Although he didn’t want Janie in this hospital longer than necessary, he’d want to wait for word if one of his brothers was going under the knife. “Your choice,” he murmured.

“Is it safe?” she whispered.

“We’ll make it work, whatever you choose.”

“We’ll be in the waiting room,” she told Heather.

“I’ll let you know when I hear anything.”

“Thanks, Heather.”

Sawyer wrapped his hand around Janie’s and escorted her to the family waiting room. After seating her on the couch, he crouched in front of her with her hand sandwiched between both of his. “Would you like some hot tea, sweetheart?”

Tears glimmered in her eyes. “How do you always know the perfect thing to help me?”

“Tea is your comfort drink.”

“For future reference, hot chocolate also is a favorite.”

“Noted.” He rose. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Sawyer looked at Jesse, who gave a curt nod.

He headed to the cafeteria and bought coffee for himself, Chris, and Jesse, and tea and hot chocolate for Janie, along with snacks. Hopefully, he’d be able to coax Janie into a light snack until he could feed her lunch. If things didn’t go well for David, though, she wouldn’t feel like eating.

With the drinks in a carrier, Sawyer headed back upstairs to the ICU floor. He stopped by the room and gave Chris coffee and a snack. “Need a break?”

“I could use five minutes.”

“Let me hand the rest of the drinks and snacks to Jesse and Janie, and I’ll take over.” He returned a minute later, sans the hot drinks and food. “Go.”

Ten minutes later, Sawyer joined Janie and Jesse in the waiting room. “Anything yet?”

“They’re prepping David for surgery,” Jesse said.

Janie’s eyes widened when she saw the cardboard carrier with multiple drinks. “What did you bring?”

“Guess.” He handed her one cup and watched her breathe in the scent.

“Chocolate. Thanks.”

Sawyer handed her the second cup. “Try this one.”

She sipped. “Mint tea. This is wonderful. You’ll spoil me.”

He brushed her mouth with his. “That’s the goal, sweetheart.”

“What did you get yourself?”

“Coffee, hot and strong.” He handed the remaining cup to Jesse.

Sawyer and Jesse took turns watching the activity in the hallway and the nurse’s desk. Although Janie answered a couple of calls from her employees, she waited in silence for word on her brother’s condition.

Two hours after the surgery began, the neurosurgeon strode into the waiting room. “Moran family?”

Sawyer stood and helped Janie to her feet.

“I’m David’s sister, Janie. How is my brother?”

“He’s stable at the moment. We’re keeping a close watch on him.”

“Were you able to remove the clot?” Jesse asked.

“Part of it, but not all. The clot is too far into the brain. I’m sorry, Ms. Moran.”

Sawyer wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Not the news they’d been hoping for.

“What does that mean for David?” she asked. “Will he be all right?”

“Mr. Moran will need therapy. We won’t know the extent of the damage he suffered from the stroke until he wakes and we’re able to run tests on him. I wish I had better news to give you.”

“Is he out of danger?”

“For the moment.”

“When will I be able to see him?”

“Mr. Moran is still in recovery. He should be back in his room in about an hour. The nurse will come get you when he’s able to receive visitors.” He hesitated. “You should prepare yourself, Ms. Moran. Your brother is likely to need a lot of help when he’s released from the hospital. He’ll need rehab. Depending on his recovery, he may not be able to live alone.”

Janie nodded. “He won’t be alone. David is married. In fact, his wife is expecting their first baby in a few months.”

A slight frown. “Where is his wife?”

“On her way here from Chile. She should arrive in a couple of hours.”

“I see.” He paused, listening to a page over the PA system. “I have to go. If you have more questions, please let the nurse know. We’ll be glad to give you more information. We also have people who will help you or Mrs. Moran with the next steps after David is released.” He left the waiting room.

Janie turned into Sawyer’s arms and buried her face against his neck.

“We’ll deal with it,” he murmured. “If Maria can’t provide the help David needs, we’ll make sure he gets every resource available to help him recover as much of his life as possible.”

“This is awful,” she whispered. “How will I explain this to Maria?”

“None of this is your fault. No one holds you responsible for what happened to David.”

“I wish he’d stayed home. If he had, he’d still be whole and healthy. Now, his life will be forever changed.”

“Wait and see,” Jesse said. “Let’s not expect the worst. Once he wakes up, the doctors will have a better assessment of his condition and his chances of recovery.”

Sawyer continued to hold the woman he loved for several minutes. Finally, she loosened her grip and returned to the couch, where he crouched in front of her. “I need to check in with Brody and Brent. I won’t be far.” After another glance at Jesse, Sawyer walked a few feet away from the entrance of the waiting room.

He called Brody first and reported the latest.

“Need more help with security at the hospital?”

“Yeah, we do.” He told Brody about the connection between Vatos Locos and Maria’s family members. “I’m not a big believer in coincidence.”

“Neither am I. When are Maria and her escorts arriving?”

“Within the next two hours, according to Simone and Zane.”

“Call the boss and update him. We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes. Watch your back and stay focused.” Brody ended the call.

Sawyer’s next call was to Brent.

“Talk to me.”

He repeated the information he’d reported to Brody. “The rest of Texas Team will arrive at the hospital soon to help me protect Janie.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I. The danger circling Janie is edging closer by the minute, and we still don’t know why they want her.”

“Must have something to do with the hijacking.”

“Agreed, but is it a case of wrong place, wrong time, or did the hijackers deliberately target Janie?”

“That’s the question of the year.” After a few more instructions, Brent ended the call.

Sawyer returned to the waiting room and crouched in front of Janie where she sat on the couch. “You okay?” he asked.

“Not really.”

“What can I do to help?”

“Walk with me. I need to get out of this room.”

“Go,” Jesse said. “I’ll stay close in case the nurse reports a change. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

“Thanks.” Sawyer helped Janie to her feet and escorted her to the elevator. He had the perfect place in mind for Janie to walk.

They rode the elevator to the first floor, and he guided her to the garden. He found a bench under a large tree. “Want to sit or keep walking?”

“Walk.”

He walked along the concrete path around decorative bushes, trees, and flowers.

Janie stopped every few feet to admire a different flower or plant. She glanced up at Sawyer with a bright smile. “This garden is gorgeous.”

“You’re into plants?”

“Working in my garden at home helps me throw off the day’s stress and worry.”

He squeezed her hand. “I’m glad you found something that works for you.”

“What helps you get rid of stress?”

“Running and working out with a teammate during the daytime. At night, I read.”

“What do you read?”

Yeah, she would have to ask that question. His teammates knew of his obsession. None of the women he’d dated over the years cared enough to ask. More confirmation that Janie was the only woman for him. “Westerns and fantasy.” His cheeks burned at the admission.

“My father loved reading them and watching any cowboy movie or television series. I enjoy watching them myself although I don’t read them. Do you take a book with you on missions?” Janie asked as she continued along the path.

“I always travel with two books. So do the rest of my teammates. Sometimes we have a chance to read. Most of the time, the missions are fast and furious and my only chance to read is on the jet.”

She asked more questions about the reading habits of his teammates, seeming to enjoy the variety of reading tastes among the Texas Team.

“Janie!”

Sawyer pivoted and stepped in front of Janie as a dark-haired woman and two other men came toward them at a fast clip.

“It’s Maria,” Janie said and stepped out from behind the shelter of Sawyer’s body.

Sawyer refrained from hauling her back behind him. Barely. One glance told him the two men with Maria were armed with more than one weapon. How had they scored weapons that quickly?

David’s wife hugged Janie. “What happened to David? Why is he in the hospital?”

“The doctor didn’t tell you?”

Maria shook her head. “He said David was in the hospital in critical condition, but didn’t give me details. Of course, I had to come immediately.”

“Do you feel all right?” Janie asked as Maria swayed on her feet. “Do you need to sit down?”

“I need answers to my questions,” the other woman snapped. “What happened to my husband? What did you get him involved in?”