Chapter 25

SAWYER STRAIGHTENED ATthe venom in Maria’s voice. Where were these accusations coming from? Janie was as much a victim as her brother. Why would Maria blame Janie for David’s condition? “We should sit down somewhere more private to discuss this.”

Maria rounded on him, anger snapping in her eyes. “Who are you?”

“Sawyer.” He inclined his head toward Janie. “I’m hers.”

David’s wife snorted. “Her what? Lapdog?”

Janie gasped. “I know you’re upset, Maria, but there’s no reason to take your anger and fear out on Sawyer.”

“Who is he to you?” the other woman insisted.

“The man I’m going to marry.”

Maria stared. “You never mentioned a boyfriend, much less an engagement when you were in Chile.”

“You and I were getting acquainted, and I was trying to mend the relationship between me and David. You took me sightseeing and to your favorite restaurants, as well as to meet some of your family members. Plus, we shopped for baby items. We were constantly busy. I would have told you and David about Sawyer when we talked on the phone after I was home. The hijacking and the aftermath prevented me from contacting you.”

“David said you weren’t involved with anyone, Janie. That’s why he was so upset when you were taken hostage on the plane. He didn’t think you had anyone to advocate for you.”

“Really?”

“Why else would he drop everything and fly to America? He feared you’d be alone with your injuries and fear. And this is how you repay him? You withheld information that would have meant he stayed home with me where he belonged. You’re the reason my husband is in critical condition. It’s your fault.” Maria’s voice had risen to a screech by the time she finished her rant.

Sawyer had had enough. “Your accusations are unfair and untrue.” He spoke calmly, although he’d like to lay into the woman and tear apart all the unfounded accusations.

This wasn’t the place for a long, heated discussion. The skin at the back of his neck tingled, a sure sign they were being observed. He had to get Janie back into the safety of the hospital. Too many lines of sight out here for his comfort. “If you want to discuss this further, we’ll go inside. I’m sure you’d like an update on your husband.”

She glared at him. “Where is he?”

“At the moment, he’s in recovery.”

Maria blanched.

Fearing she might faint, Sawyer took a step toward her. Immediately, the two men with Maria moved to stand between the woman and Sawyer. Their hands hovered near their weapons.

“Back off,” the taller one said in heavily accented English.

“Mrs. Moran looks as though she’s ready to pass out. Take her inside the hospital where she can sit down while she talks to the nurse about David’s condition.”

“You speak as though you know David,” the shorter man said.

“We’ve met.” Sawyer hadn’t been impressed with Janie’s belligerent, arrogant brother.

“He never spoke of you to me,” Maria said. “When did you speak to him?”

“Yesterday.”

“You’re lying. He said nothing about meeting you or seeing his sister. Why are you lying to me?”

“Your husband probably didn’t have time to call you after we spoke.”

“Why not?”

“He was attacked after he returned to his hotel room,” Janie said. “David could not call before he was injured.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Take Mrs. Moran inside. Now,” Sawyer ordered. His skin was crawling now. Not a good sign.

The two men stared at Sawyer before Tall Man herded Maria toward the hospital entrance. “Come. You need to speak to one of the medical personnel and sit down to rest. You must do what is best for the baby, yes?”

Maria leaned her head against the man’s shoulder, allowing him to lead her toward the building without protest.

After another fulminating glare, Short Man spun and followed the other two.

Although Sawyer longed to rush Janie to safety, he didn’t want to make Maria’s family members uncomfortable with his presence.

Janie glanced at him, unasked questions in her eyes.

“Wait,” he murmured.

Instead of arguing, she snuggled into his side and watched her sister-in-law’s progress toward the hospital.

Sawyer wrapped his left arm around Janie, leaving his other hand free to palm his weapon if necessary. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Trusting me.” Once Maria and her family members were out of sight, Sawyer guided Janie into the hospital.

Instead of following them into the elevator where they’d be trapped in close quarters, Sawyer nudged Janie toward a deserted waiting room off the lobby.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” she said once they were out of sight of anyone coming or going from the building. For the moment, the lobby was empty.

“Someone was watching us outside.”

“And you didn’t want to have a long and drawn out argument with Maria in the open.”

“Too dangerous.”

“Do you think Fortress might be watching over us? Is that what you felt?”

Sawyer shook his head. “My teammates would have let me know if they were on the hospital grounds. No, the watcher wasn’t one of my team, sweetheart.”

She sighed. “I don’t have a long list of enemies, so that leaves Vatos Locos. Is it possible they were protecting Maria from afar?”

“Maybe.”

“But you’re not buying it.”

Another head shake.

“Sawyer.” Max strode toward them. “Everything all right?”

“Maria Moran and her bodyguards are here, and Mrs. Moran is blaming Janie for David’s injuries.”

A soft whistle sounded from the other man. “That’s cold.”

“She’s upset.” Janie looked upset herself. “I understand. I would feel the same if Sawyer had been injured.”

“I doubt you would have blamed Maria for Sawyer’s condition,” Max said.

Sawyer’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen. “We need to go upstairs.”

“What’s wrong? Is it David?” Janie asked as she hurried to the elevator with Sawyer and Max.

“Jesse didn’t say.” Sawyer ushered Janie inside the elevator and pressed the button for David’s floor. Was her brother out of surgery already?

Jesse met them when they stepped off the elevator. He motioned for them to follow him to the waiting room.

“What’s wrong?” Sawyer asked.

“Mrs. Moran.”

“Is the baby all right?” Janie asked.

“The baby isn’t the problem. It’s Maria. She’s trying to prevent you from seeing David.”

Her face went pale. “Why?”

“She told the nursing staff you were dangerous to her husband’s health, and she’s demanding that you be banned from his room.”

“Can she do that?” Sawyer wrapped his arm around Janie’s shoulders and drew her against his side.

“Maria brought a signed power of attorney in case of incapacitation with her. The hospital has no choice but to treat her wishes as David’s.”

“I can’t see him or talk to him?” Janie asked.

“I’m sorry,” Jesse said, voice soft.

“He’ll think I abandoned him. How will I know his condition? Maria will forbid the nursing staff from giving me updates on the phone as well.” Tears glimmered in her eyes.

Jesse rested his hand on her shoulder. “You’ll know, even if we have to ask Simone to help with information retrieval.”

Frustrated that he couldn’t fix the problem for her, Sawyer brought Janie’s hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “I’m sorry, Janie.”

“So am I. I thought Maria and I were friends.”

Sawyer’s phone signaled an incoming message. Although tempted to ignore it, he checked the screen and scowled.

The medic eased closer and lowered his voice. “What?”

“Z is picking up increased chatter from the gang about a VIP in Hartman.”

Jesse’s brows knitted. “One of Maria’s bodyguards?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so. They’re muscle, not leaders.” And that worried him. Who else would come to Hartman from the Vatos Locos organization and would that person escalate the danger to Janie and possibly David?

“Your services are no longer required. You’re dismissed.” Maria’s voice drifted into the waiting room.

Sawyer, Janie, and Jesse entered the hall. Maria was speaking to the Fortress bodyguard.

“I’m sorry, ma’am. I have orders.”

Her face reddened. “David is my husband. I have my own guards to watch over him. I don’t know you. Leave or I’ll have you removed from this hospital.”

Sawyer caught Chris’s eye and signaled for him to stand down.

Maria swung around to glare at the three of them. “You’re not needed here.”

“We reserved a suite for you and your men,” Sawyer said and handed her his card with the name of the hotel near the hospital written on the back. “The staff is expecting you and promised to take good care of you.”

She stared at him, eyes widening. “You made reservations for me?”

He inclined his head.

“Why would you do that?”

“You’re part of Janie’s family, and family is important to us both.”

“I see,” she murmured. “Perhaps I underestimated you, Sawyer.”

His eyebrows rose at the word choice. A translation issue? English wasn’t Maria’s first language.

Tall Man stepped in front of Maria and folded his arms across his chest. “Go now. Mrs. Moran doesn’t need you here while she sits by her husband’s side.”

“What if you need something, Maria?” Janie asked. “I’d like to stay to help.”

“I’ll be fine. Please, go.” Maria motioned to Short Man. “My brother will take care of anything I need.”

Tall Man moved a step closer. “Go or we’ll have security remove you.”

Maria rested her hand on the man’s arm. “No need for threats. Janie has a successful business to run. She is busy.” To Janie, she said, “I’ll call if there’s a change in David’s condition. For now, I need to be alone. Please.”

Janie gripped Sawyer’s hand tighter. “I don’t have my phone. I was forced to leave it behind on the plane.”

Sawyer squeezed her hand tight. Although Janie now had a satellite phone, he didn’t want Maria or her men to have the number.

“You must have another number where I can contact you.”

“The card I gave you has my number on it,” Sawyer said. “Janie will be with me.”

“You didn’t waste any time, Janie.” Maria’s smile was mocking. “You’ve already moved in with Sawyer. David must not know. Now, I have to wonder what else you’ve been hiding from him and me.”

“Nothing important.”

“You haven’t told me about the hijacking. Your experience must have been terrible.”

Sawyer squeezed Janie’s hand again in silent warning. She glanced at him. “Maria wants to be alone, sweetheart. She’s exhausted after traveling from Chile. We should let her rest.”

“Of course.” Janie turned to Maria. “Please call if I can help you or David.”

After signaling Chris to follow them, Sawyer led Janie toward the elevator.

“Wait.”

They paused, looking over their shoulders at Maria and her entourage.

“Are you angry with me, Janie?”

“We’re family.”

They walked onto the elevator, rode to the lobby, and left the building.

In the parking lot, Chris said, “I’m sorry, Sawyer. I’d hoped to be of more help to you and Janie.”

“There is something you can do.”

“Anything. Just name it.”

“Would you mind going to a different waiting room and watching the video feed?”

The bodyguard shook his head. “Of course not. If David needs protection, I’ll have to bulldoze over Mrs. Moran’s bodyguards to get to him. I’ll enter the hospital from another door and make my way to the family waiting room on the opposite end of David’s floor. I doubt the Chilean visitors will explore the entire floor.”

Sawyer shook Chris’s hand. “Thanks, buddy. We appreciate the help.”

As Jesse dropped back to cover them, Sawyer tucked Janie under his shoulder and Chris went to his own vehicle to move it to a different location, then reenter the hospital unobserved to watch over David.

When they reached his SUV, Sawyer unlocked the vehicle and helped Janie inside as the rest of his teammates approached. “Are you all right, sweetheart?” Sawyer murmured as he trailed the backs of his fingers down her cheek in a light motion.

“I feel like I’m abandoning David. I shouldn’t have agreed to leave.”

“This was for the best. We’ll still have eyes on your brother, but Maria and the others don’t know that. If anything happens, Chris will know in seconds.”

“Is there sound?”

He smiled. “There is. However, even if I hadn’t planted bugs in the room, Chris can read lips.”

“You thought of everything.”

“He’s your brother. I know what he means to you.”

“Sit rep,” Brody said as soon as he and the others arrived.

Between them, Sawyer and Jesse reported the latest events to their teammates.

Logan scowled. “Janie, what is going on with Moran’s wife? Was she like this when you were in Chile?”

“Maria acted like we were best friends. I don’t know what happened. When I boarded the plane in Talca, she asked me to come back when the baby was born. Now, she acts as though everything that happened to David is my fault. I don’t understand it.”

“What about our bodyguard?” Max asked.

“Chris went back into the hospital to monitor things from a different waiting room. If something happens, we’ll know within minutes.”

“Anything else we need to know?” Brody asked.

“Zane sent a message a few minutes ago. There’s a lot of chatter from the Vatos Locos organization about a VIP arriving in Hartman.”

Logan grunted. “That’s the last thing we need. Any idea who this person is?”

“Zane is still chasing down leads.”

“He needs to chase them faster,” Max muttered. “I want a name yesterday so we know who we’re looking for.”

“Same,” Sawyer said. “At the moment, everyone is a suspect.”

“What else is new?” Brody quartered the parking lot. “All right. Logan, follow Sawyer and Janie to the house. Make some calls. See if one of your contacts has more information. Zane and Simone have their hands full. The Phantom team is in a hot zone with Shadow unit, so the tech wizards are tied up for the next two hours at least.”

“I need to take care of Goose,” Jesse murmured.

“Go,” Sawyer said. “Thanks for coming to the hospital.”

Janie hugged the medic. “I appreciate you interpreting medical jargon for me. I’m sorry Maria didn’t see the value of having you near.”

He patted her back. “I’m glad I could help.” Jesse glanced at Brody and Sawyer. “Keep me updated.”

Forty minutes later, two Fortress SUVs parked behind the safe house. Sawyer motioned for Janie to stay inside, then exited the vehicle and met Logan.

“I’ll check the perimeter.” His friend moved into the shadows.

Sawyer locked his SUV and headed to the safe house. Within minutes, he returned to the SUV, where Janie and Logan waited. “We’re clear.” He escorted Janie inside the house.

“I’ll be in the security room,” Logan said and left the kitchen.

After resetting the alarm, Sawyer went to the coffeemaker to prepare another pot of coffee. “Are you hungry, Janie?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Not really, but I know I should eat. Something simple sounds good.” Janie opened the refrigerator to peruse the contents. “We have the ingredients for a pasta salad topped by grilled chicken. How does that sound?”

“Like heaven.” Sawyer started the brew cycle. “How can I help?”

“You up for sous chef duties?”

“Oh, yeah.” He walked toward the refrigerator. “Tell me what you want, and I’ll go to work.”

Janie told him the list of vegetables she wanted chopped, then searched for a large cooker, filled it with water, and scoured the pantry until she found pasta. “Yes!” She did a fist pump and opened two boxes of dried noodles.

Once she poured noodles into the boiling water, Janie returned to the refrigerator, grabbed a block of cheese, and cut the cheese into bite-size chunks.

Sawyer finished chopping vegetables at the same time Janie cut the last of the cheese. “Now what?”

“As soon as the pasta is ready, we’ll drain it, add the dressing I’m making, and mix in the rest of the ingredients.”

Huh. This recipe didn’t look too complicated. Perhaps he could learn to make something simple like this. “Show me how to make the dressing.”

The next few minutes passed in a blur as he created the dressing following Janie’s directions and grilled chicken breasts to slice for the pasta salad.

Soon, they plated the food, and Sawyer carried a plate plus a mug of coffee to Logan in the security room. Since his teammate was engaged in a phone conversation, Sawyer set the plate and mug on the computer desk and left the room. If Logan had anything to report, he’d let them know.

He returned to the kitchen and joined Janie at the breakfast bar. His first bite elicited a deep groan. “Janie, this is fabulous.”

She grinned. “All because of my skilled sous chef.”

Minutes later, Logan joined them, his plate and coffee mug empty. “Dinner was excellent. Thanks, Janie.”

“I had help, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“Learn anything?” Sawyer asked.

Logan’s expression darkened. “The VIP coming to Hartman is due to arrive any time, and he’s here to lead a cleanup mission.”

Sawyer’s blood turned to ice water. The Vatos Locos VIP was here to lead a hit squad. His gut said the target was Janie.