Page 12 of Last Chance

“You never said or gave any sign.”

“Details,” Jesse snapped.

“Bullet nicked my shoulder. It’s not a big deal.”

“In the jungle, it is.” Jesse unhooked his seatbelt, grabbed his mike bag, and knelt next to Sawyer. “Let’s see it.”

“It’s not that bad,” he protested. “I swear. It can wait.”

“My call. Show me.”

With a sigh, Sawyer ripped off his sleeve and shoved the remaining material high so their team medic could exam the wound.

Jesse studied Sawyer’s shoulder and whistled. “It’s nothing, huh?”

He scowled at his friend. “My arm isn’t falling off.”

Jesse shook his head as he dug into the mike bag. “I’ll patch it until we’re on board the jet. You’ll be getting my full attention, buddy.”

Sawyer grimaced. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Are you sure he’ll be all right?” Janie asked.

“I’m sure,” Sawyer insisted. “A few stitches and I’ll be good to go. Promise.”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “Although he’s not a medic, Sawyer is right. The injury isn’t serious except he’s been in a tropical environment and will need antibiotics along with stitches to make sure he heals properly. He’s had worse, Janie. This is just another scar to add to his storytelling hour.”

“I still hate it.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “If you hadn’t been here to rescue me, you wouldn’t be injured, Sawyer.”

He shrugged, hiding the pain the movement caused. “I’m glad I was here to help. I’ll take a few stitches for that any time.”

Jesse pulled out his alcohol wipes and a pressure bandage and made quick work of cleaning and patching the wound for Sawyer.

“Thanks, Jesse.”

“Yep. I’ll finish the job when we’re wheels up.” The medic returned to his seat.

To Sawyer’s surprise, Janie wrapped her hand around his and held on tight. “I’ll be fine,” he said softly, even though his teammates could hear every word he and Janie spoke to each other. “I’ve had worse injuries on missions.” And on the job as a cop.

“But I wasn’t to blame for those injuries.”

“You aren’t responsible for it this time, either. It’s the risk of the job, Janie.” But he admitted to himself that it was nice to have someone care about him.

CHAPTER 5

JANIE INCHED CLOSER to Sawyer as the helicopter flew over the tops of trees toward an unknown destination. She decided she wasn’t a fan of flying in a helicopter. Give her a large plane any day and she’d be fine. Flying this way was too open for her liking. She preferred a small window to see the tops of clouds rather than the tops of trees.

Sawyer glanced at her, then squeezed her hand again. “You’re doing great, Janie. Just hang in there. We’ll be landing in five minutes.”

Surprised, her eyes widened. “So soon?”

He chuckled. “You get where you’re going in a hurry, traveling like this.”

“I still don’t like it,” she muttered.

All the men chuckled at that.

Just as Sawyer had said, five minutes later, the helicopter set down on a grassy knoll. The team from Fortress bailed from the vehicle and grabbed their gear. Four of them formed a wall of muscle near the side door, creating a ring of protection for her. Only Sawyer remained beside her in the helicopter.

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