Page 29 of Last Chance

Sawyer squeezed her fingers. “My team will protect you regardless, but we’ll do a better job if we know who to look for.”

Her eyes glittered. “He would never hurt me.”

Brent pounced on that. “He? Give us a name, Janie.”

“Why? He’s not to blame for what happened to me or the other passengers on the plane. He was at home with his wife.”

After a moment, Sawyer said, “Your brother?”

Brent scowled. “David threatened you?”

“It’s not what you think.” Janie huddled deeper into the blanket.

“Then why are you afraid?” Sawyer asked. He wrapped his arm around Janie’s shoulders.

To his dismay, she shivered continuously. A reaction to reliving the events from the hijacking, or was it something else? Whatever was causing her response triggered a massive protective reaction in him. What was up with that? He’d literally just met the woman a few hours prior.

Sawyer shoved the consternation behind a steel wall to deal with when he was alone. “Talk to me, sweetheart. Tell me who scares you.”

“My brother.”

Brent shoved up from the couch to pace.

Not a good sign. Sawyer watched his agitated boss. Brent never paced. “Brent?”

“Not yet,” he snapped.

He flinched at the sharp-edged response and turned to Janie. “Talk to me. Help me understand what’s happening here.”

“When our parents died in a plane crash, our grandmother took us in and raised us.” She smiled. “Raising teenagers isn’t for the faint of heart, but Granny Irene loved a challenge. She loved us fiercely.”

Her smile faded. “Then she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. Granny Irene was gone in three months. I was a senior in college. David was already working for the engineering firm that employs him now. He was packing his belongings, preparing to move to the Chilean office where he’s located now.”

“What happened?”

“Because he was two years older, David expected to be named as executor of Granny Irene’s estate.” She looked at Brent, who had returned to his seat and now rested his forearms on his thighs. “Granny Irene made me the executor instead.”

“Why?” Sawyer asked. What was she so reluctant to share?

“David is hardworking and great at his job. His employer sings his praise all the time.”

“But?” he prompted.

“He’s not so great at managing money.”

And there it was. The secret Janie hadn’t wanted to share. “He contested the will?”

She nodded. “The court rejected the challenge.”

“David objected to the terms of the will?”

“He wanted control of the money from the estate.”

“Your grandmother left everything to you?”

Another nod. “I was supposed to give David the amount she wanted him to have. Granny Irene gave the rest of the estate to me.”

Brent whistled. “No wonder your brother was angry.”

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