Page 28 of Last Chance

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.”

CHAPTER 8

SAWYER’S GUT TWISTED into a knot. If Janie could identify the head of the gang, she had a huge target on her back. The gang was notorious for eliminating all loose ends. No exceptions. “Janie, can you think of any reason someone would want to kidnap you?”

Janie shook her head. “I make and sell soap and bath salt for a living. My customers let me know quickly if something isn’t to their liking. They certainly don’t create an elaborate plot to kidnap and kill me because they don’t like the scent of their bath salts.”

“What about in your personal life? Do you have a boyfriend or husband, current or ex, with a grudge against you?” He hated to ask these questions, but they were necessary. As a homicide cop, he’d asked similar questions of spouses, loved ones, and friends. The answers varied. The resentment didn’t. Would Janie resent his probing into her private life?

“Sawyer.” Brent’s voice held an unspoken warning to tread carefully.

He held up a hand to prevent his boss from protesting further. “Janie?”

“Not a boyfriend or husband.”

Sawyer considered Janie’s response, her careful choice of words. “But someone else.” Who had something against her and what caused the division?

“Yes,” she murmured.

“Who?” Brent asked.

Janie remained silent.

“We want to protect you,” he continued. “We can’t do the job properly if we don’t have all the facts.”

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