Page 55 of Last Chance

“Sorry. I’m only laying out the possibility so you won’t get your hopes up.”

She glanced at Sawyer. “Is he always this full of good news?”

“Would you rather have it straight or for him to lie to you?”

“Always the truth.” She’d had enough lies to last her a lifetime.

“Good.” Zane looked at her with approval in his eyes. “How did the session with McGregor go?”

Sawyer handed the tech guru the sketch. “This is the man on the plane who disappeared in the Vatos Locos compound.”

Zane’s eyebrows rose. “This is excellent. If this guy is in the system, we should be able to identify him.”

“Janie has an excellent memory of faces.”

“I can see that. McGregor must have found this job to be easy.”

“He was pleased.”

“I’ll run the photo through our databases and send copies to the operatives’ emails. Hopefully, we’ll get some information soon. Make a detour by Brent’s office. He’s expecting you.”

Beside Janie, Sawyer tensed. “Did he say what he wanted?”

Zane shook his head as his switchboard lit up. He glanced at the readout. “Later, Sawyer.” The other man swung around to his keyboard and touched his headset. “Yeah, Murphy.”

Sawyer led Janie from the comm room and steered her toward Brent’s suite of offices. “Come on. Time to face the music.”

CHAPTER 14

“GET YOUR HEAD back in the game, Sawyer, or you’ll be sitting on the sidelines,” Brent snapped.

Sawyer’s ears burned with fury and embarrassment. Couldn’t fault his boss for the dressing down. No question he deserved it, but Brent didn’t have to do it in front of his principal. “It won’t happen again, sir.”

Brent’s ice-blue eyes glittered with his fury. “That wasn’t what you wanted to say to me.”

The man could read minds now? A truly scary thought. “No, sir.”

“Say it.”

“I don’t want to get fired.”

His boss snorted. “You’ve never worried about that before. Spit it out before you choke on it, Chapman.”

“I deserved the dressing down.”

“No, you didn’t,” Janie protested. “You’re being unfair, Brent.”

The man in question held up his hand. “Let him finish, Janie. Go on, Chapman.”

“You usually do it one-on-one, not with the principal present.”

Brent inclined his head. “Fair enough. You’re right. But this isn’t a normal case. This is personal.” His voice rose. “You screwed up protecting a woman Rowan and I care for a great deal. I trusted you with Janie’s safety, and you let me down. I won’t let that slide.”

“I didn’t ask you to. I should have caught the van sooner, and I was distracted. That’s on me.”

“You bet it is,” Brent snapped. “You’re lucky you, Janie, and Jesse came through that situation without a scratch. As it is, you still have to explain to Bear why his vehicle needs body work. Again.”

He winced. “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten.”

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