Chapter 7

JANIE STARED INwonder at Fortress Security’s headquarters building. Concrete posts and barriers were everywhere. Over twenty lined up like immovable barriers guarding the building entrance. Key card access plus retinal scans and long strings of security codes. Brent Maddox and his employees didn’t mess around with security.

Good thing for her. She knew without a doubt that if anything happened while she was in this building, the surrounding people would take care of the problem before it ever became a genuine threat to her safety.

Sawyer drove his SUV into the underground garage and parked near an elevator. His teammates parked their vehicles close by.

One by one, Sawyer’s teammates exited their vehicles and headed for the elevator. He came around the front of his SUV and opened her door. “Ready?”

Janie hesitated. Why was she nervous? She had been friends with Brent for several years and was even better friends with his wife. Talking to Brent should be good.

She swallowed hard, admitting the truth to herself. It wouldn’t be good at all. She dreaded recounting her experiences in the hijackers’ compound. But she knew Brent. He would dig for every single detail, looking for any clue why the hijackers took her and the others, yet kept only her alive.

Janie built up her courage and straightened her spine. Dithering wouldn’t prevent the experience and might, in fact, cause Brent to dig harder to ferret out everything. Didn’t matter how horrific or embarrassing the memories, she had to give Sawyer and the others every scrap of information. Perhaps they could locate the hijackers and bring them to justice.

She placed her hand in Sawyer’s outstretched one. “Brent’s waiting?”

Sawyer squeezed her hand. “He is. If you need more time, I’ll take you to a conference room where you can take a minute for yourself.” His lips curved. “I doubt the boss will allow you more than a minute or two before he tracks you down to demand answers.”

She sighed. “That’s the thing, Sawyer. I don’t have any answers. I don’t know why the hijackers took fifteen people from the plane, transported us to that compound, and killed all the passengers except me.”

“We’ll investigate and learn the truth. In the meantime, try to relax and answer Brent’s questions with whatever comes out of your mouth first. Don’t censor your words. Your subconscious may have the answers, but your conscious mind is blocking information.”

“And if my first instinct is totally wrong?”

He shrugged his uninjured shoulder. “Won’t take us long to discover what’s false and what’s true.” Sawyer nudged her toward the elevator. “If you need a break during the questioning, let me know. I’ll make sure you get a breather.”

“I appreciate that.” Would it be too early to take that breather five minutes after the session started?

They arrived on the sixth floor, which housed Brent’s office suite, the comm center, a clinic, and several conference rooms. He guided her to Brent’s office, where his assistant walked them to the boss’s door.

Brent came around the desk, relief flooding his features as he hugged Janie. Those familiar arms and hard chest told Janie more than anything else that she was finally safe and close to home.

To her embarrassment, tears streamed down her cheeks. Brent held her for a while without saying a word, simply waiting. Finally, Janie stepped back and accepted the wad of tissues Sawyer handed her with a small smile of gratitude. “Sorry, Brent. I don’t know where that came from.”

“You’re safe now, Janie, thanks to Sawyer and his teammates.”

“I can’t thank you enough for sending them to save me. I don’t think I would have survived much longer.”

“You would have found a way. You’re made of steel. The Janie Moran I know doesn’t give up.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’m not convinced you’re correct.”

He waved toward the chairs in front of his desk. “Have a seat. Sawyer, sit rep.”

Sawyer spent several minutes recounting events from the time he and his teammates diverted to Mexico to the harrowing escape from the hijackers.

“How many did you take out?”

Sawyer glanced at Janie, unease clear to read in his eyes. “Twenty-five, sir.”

“You were the only one injured?”

“Yes, sir.”

“How bad is the injury? And don’t lie to me, Chapman. I’ll find out and make you pay for lying.”

“Twenty stitches in my shoulder. Sorenson kicked me out of the clinic.” He smiled. “Guess I don’t rate as a seriously injured patient.”

“How long did he say you’ll be off duty?”

Sawyer flinched. “A week, maybe more, depending on how the wound heals.”

Brent turned his attention to Janie. “Your turn. Tell me everything from the beginning. Leave nothing out, no matter how trivial you think it is.”

And there it was. The one thing she dreaded. Details. If she left anything out, Brent would know and call her hand on it.

To her surprise, Sawyer threaded his fingers through hers, lending her silent support. Such a good man. She couldn’t let either of them down.

Janie drew in a deep breath and did as Brent ordered. She started from the beginning. Although she tried to report the facts just like Sawyer had, Janie couldn’t do it. Her emotions kept creeping into her recitation of events.

When she reached the point where she and her fellow passengers were shoved into the back of the van, her voice broke and tears formed in her eyes.

Sawyer said, “Janie needs a break, Brent.”

Her friend’s eyebrows rose. “You speak for her now?”

Sawyer’s cheeks flushed. “You taught us to pay attention to our principals. Janie needs a break. Sir.”

A principal? Disappointment twisted through Janie. That’s all she was to Sawyer? A job? She wanted to slap herself. They’d just met hours ago. She was simply a job. Sawyer Chapman didn’t know her. But inside, she felt like he should know her. Ridiculous. He didn’t. End of story.

“Janie?” Brent straightened from his desk. “Do you need a break?”

She had to be honest with herself. Trembling hands weren’t normal for her. “Ten minutes to walk around and get a drink would help.”

A small nod. “Go. Take your time.” Brent stared at Sawyer, who gave a curt nod in response.

Sawyer held out his hand to Janie. “Come on. Let’s walk.”

Janie clasped his hand and allowed Sawyer to escort her from the office.

“Finished already?” Brent’s assistant asked with a smile.

“Not yet,” Sawyer said. “Break time.”

They walked down the hall. Sawyer opened a door and led her inside a small conference room. Once he seated her, the operative crouched in front of her. “What do you need?”

“Water is fine.”

He studied Janie a moment. “Would you like some hot tea?”

Her breath caught. “Do you have some? I don’t want to put anyone out, but I’d love a cup of tea.”

“No problem.” He stood. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

After he left the conference room, Janie settled back in the comfortable chair and closed her eyes. She had known talking about her experience in Mexico would be difficult, but hadn’t expected the gut-wrenching emotions. She’d never been a sob sister. Janie wrinkled her nose. Definitely not true today. How embarrassing.

She sighed. Hopefully, Brent would forget her weepy moments and not hold them against her. She didn’t want him to worry about her. She’d be fine. Falling apart all the time wasn’t acceptable. She had a life to resume, a business to grow.

Sawyer returned a moment later with a to-go cup and a banana. “The tea is from me. Jesse sent the banana.”

“Thanks, Sawyer.” She inhaled the scent of mint tea. “Mint tea is my favorite, and I love bananas.”

He smiled. “Do I get brownie points for personal delivery service?”

As Janie laughed, a few of the knots in her stomach loosened. “Definitely.”

While she sipped the tea and ate the banana, Sawyer regaled her with funny incidents from his training and work as a cop in Texas. Before she knew it, she had finished her tea and banana and their break time was more than over. “We should go back to Brent’s office.”

“Depends on whether you’re ready. We can take a few more minutes if you need them.”

Janie shook her head. “I’ll never be ready. I should get this over with as soon as possible.” And find a place to fall apart in private.

He helped Janie to her feet. “Same rules apply. If you need to stop, we’ll take a break. Brent can wait. You are my priority, Janie, not Brent.”

“I know. I’m your principal. You have to take care of me.”

“Hey.” He stopped her before she could grasp the doorknob and turned her to face him. “It’s true you’re my principal, but that’s not all. I care about you, Janie. I want to take care of you, and it’s not only because of my job.”

She stared. “You’re not just saying that to be nice?”

Sawyer slowly lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. “I don’t lie unless it’s necessary on a mission. Never to people I care about. Not to you. Ever. If I can’t answer a question because of security reasons, I’ll tell you why I can’t give you an answer.”

Janie took a few seconds to lean into his touch, storing up the feeling of comfort and safety to get her through the next interview session. “Thank you.”

“No comment about me caring for you so soon after we met?”

What could she say to that? Janie was as guilty as Sawyer. “I’m glad you do,” she murmured. That was the most neutral comment she could think of without giving her own growing feelings away. Janie nuzzled his hand, hoping to convey some of what she felt.

Was she just feeling grateful to Sawyer for rescuing her? She considered that as they headed toward Brent’s office, Sawyer’s hand resting on her lower back. No, she knew her own mind and heart. Janie didn’t feel only gratitude. This was something more, something special. Did he feel the same?

Janie pushed the emotions aside to ponder later. For all she knew, Sawyer might be involved with someone. That thought depressed her. But what did she really know about him? Only that he was handsome, fearless, hard-working, considerate, caring, and could make her feel like she was the only person in his life who mattered.

She sighed. Toast. That’s what she was. Toast.

Sawyer knocked on Brent’s door and opened it. He escorted Janie inside.

Brent came around his desk again and this time motioned for her to sit on the sofa in the sitting area of his office.

Sawyer sat beside Janie and wrapped his hand around hers in silent support.

Brent sat in one armchair and studied Janie’s face. Finally, he said, “Ready to continue?”

No. She might never be ready. Janie nodded. “Time to finish this before I lose my courage.”

He smiled faintly. “Never going to happen, my friend. Tell me the rest.”

So she did. Janie might have cried silent tears the whole time, but she told Brent and Sawyer about the women and the men who visited them, often for hours at a time. She relayed the horror of listening to the assault on the woman from her plane and the men carrying her body wrapped in a blanket from the building.

At the end, Janie admitted to losing hope of a rescue before Scar Face or one of his friends raped and killed her, too. Then Sawyer and his teammates arrived in time to save her.

When the tears subsided, Brent watched her in silence for a moment. “I’m sorry you went through that experience, Janie. No one should have to wonder if they’re going to die at the hands of men who are more interested in their own agenda than preserving human life. Despite the circumstances, you survived.”

Right. A miracle. Or was it? She glanced at Sawyer, then shifted her gaze to Brent. “Why?”

“That’s the question of the hour, isn’t it? Do you have any idea why you were spared when everyone else taken from the plane was murdered?”

Janie shook her head. “It makes little sense. Why kill the other four women and ten men, but leave me alive when they could have easily killed me too in a matter of seconds?”

Beside her, Sawyer stiffened. “Ten men? Are you sure about the number?”

“I’m positive. Why?”

“If we showed you some pictures, would you recognize your fellow passengers?” Brent asked.

“Of course. I’ve always had an excellent memory for faces.”

He stood. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a minute.” Before he left the office, Brent looked at Sawyer. Although no words passed between them, an unspoken message passed from one man to the other. After Sawyer gave a curt nod, Brent left his office.

“What’s going on, Sawyer?”

“Be specific.”

“Why did Brent give you The Look?”

Amusement lit his eyes. “The Look?”

Her cheeks burned. “You know what I’m talking about. What does it mean?”

“He passed responsibility for your safety to me while he’s out of the office.”

Stunned, she sat back, eyes wide. “Why? I’m safe in this building, aren’t I?”

“We take nothing for granted, especially safety. While the chance of someone slipping past all our security is negligible, it’s not zero.”

Janie shuddered. She thought she’d left the danger behind her in Mexico. Had danger followed her home?

Sawyer squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. If something happens, we’ll take care of it.”

“I believe you. I’m more concerned that danger followed me home.”

“Until we’re sure you’re safe, at least one of us will be with you.”

“But you have a job to do. You can’t follow me around my soap shop all day when there are other people who need saving like I did.”

“Fortress has more than one team of operatives. Right now, we have a job. You.”

Brent returned to the office with a file folder in his hand. He sat on the other side of Janie and handed her the folder. “Look at these pictures and tell me if you recognize the people taken from the plane with you.”

She swallowed hard as she stared at the closed folder. Steeling herself for the unpleasant task of identifying her fellow passengers, Janie opened the folder. Relief swept over her. Brent had printed pictures from sources other than photos from the carnage at the compound.

Janie tapped the first photo. “This guy was about fifteen rows back from me on the plane.” She moved from passenger to passenger, identifying their location in the cabin in relation to her.

When Janie turned over the last photo, she frowned. “Where’s the last one?”

Brent stared at her. “There are no others, sugar.”

“There’s a man missing. He sat in the seat beside mine.”

Brent exchanged a long look with Sawyer. “Is it possible you missed him in all the chaos?”

“No, sir.” He flicked a glance at Janie, then refocused on Brent. “The bodies of the passengers were close together. We didn’t miss anyone. We took pictures of all the bodies as we searched for Janie. There weren’t any others except for women who had the gang’s brand on their ankles and members of Vatos Locos. We took pictures of them as well and sent them to Zane.”

“Is it possible the tenth man was among the dead gang members?” Janie asked. “Perhaps he wore clothes similar to the ones the gang wore.”

Brent rose. “I’ll have Z set up the conference room so we can examine the photos of the gang members. Perhaps your missing passenger is a gang member.”

Sawyer stood and held out his hand to Janie. “Come with me. Would you like a drink or a snack?”

“Water, please.”

“Feeling okay?”

She shrugged. What could she say, that she’d never feel normal again? That wasn’t acceptable. Janie wouldn’t let Scar Face and his pals win this terror game. She would reclaim her life and again enjoy the feeling of security in her hometown of Hartman. Somehow.

Sawyer rested his hand on her lower back as they walked from the office and down the hall to a large conference room. Once he seated her, the operative left and returned a minute later with two bottles of water. He set both in front of her. “There are plenty more in the break room. Drink as much as you want, Janie.”

Soon, Brent entered the room accompanied by a dark-haired man in a wheelchair who rolled toward her.

He held out his hand. “Zane Murphy.”

“Janie Moran.”

“It’s good to meet you, Janie. Brent and Rowan have told me a lot about you. Rowan raves about your soap shop so much that my wife, Claire, is planning a trip soon to your store.”

She grinned. “That’s great. Tell her to introduce herself when she comes. I will give her the friends and family discount.”

Zane chuckled. “Although it’s unnecessary, my wallet thanks you.”

“Zane is our tech and communication guru,” Brent said. “He worked as tech and comm support for the Texas Team during your rescue mission.”

Janie sobered. “Then I owe you for helping Sawyer and his teammates.”

“It was my pleasure, Janie. I’m glad you’re here safe.” Zane squeezed her hand, then headed for the computer center at the back of the room.

“As soon as you’re ready, Z,” Brent said as he sat on the other side of Janie.

“One minute.” Several clicks of the keys later, he said, “Ready.” A photo flashed on the screen.

Janie gasped.

“Recognize him?” Brent asked.

“It’s the man I dubbed Scar Face. He raped and killed the woman in the cell next to mine.” She shuddered, feeling as though she’d been out in a blizzard for so long the cold had seeped into her bones.

Sawyer squeezed her hand. “I’ll return in a minute,” he murmured and left the room.

Seeing him leave made her feel abandoned. Stupid. She barely knew the man. Janie motioned to the screen. “Who is he?”

“His name is Jorge Zapatos. He’s second in command of Vatos Locos.”

“Was he killed by the Texas Team?”

Brent shook his head. “He slipped away in the chaos.”

Her heart sank. “That’s not good, is it?”

“No, it’s not.”

Great. Just great. “Keep going.”

Zane put up another picture, and another, followed by more.

Janie could only identify a handful of the men by their faces. “Are there any more photos?”

Sawyer returned with a blanket that he draped over her.

Brent looked at Zane. “More photos?”

“That’s all we have.”

“Are you sure?” Janie asked.

“There is one more member of Vatos Locos in that area, but I can’t put up a photo of him.”

“Why not?”

“He’s the leader of Vatos Locos, and no one knows what he looks like. As far as we know, no one has a picture of him.”

That couldn’t be right. “In this age of photo crazy cell phone owners, how can that be?”

“It’s a puzzle,” Brent admitted.

She sighed. Weird, but whatever. “That still doesn’t help us identify the man who sat next to me on the plane.”

“He’s not listed on the passenger manifest,” Zane said.

“We need to identify this man,” Sawyer said. “Doing so may hold the key to why Janie is still alive.”

Brent turned to Janie. “You said you’re good with faces.”

She nodded.

“Are you willing to work with our sketch artist?”

“Of course, if you think it will help.”

“What are you thinking, Brent?” Sawyer asked.

A grim expression settled on the CEO of Fortress Security’s face. “I think Janie sat next to the head of Vatos Locos.”