Page 32 of Last Chance

“This makes little sense. I was just on a plane, minding my own business. Now, I’m a wanted woman just because I saw some random guy that I’ll probably never see again in my life?”

“Remember what we mentioned earlier.” Sawyer pressed the warm cup of tea into Janie’s shaking hands. “No one knows what Diego Hernandez looks like. It’s what has kept him out of prison for so long. No one knows who to look for. Now, that may change.”

“What about a sketch artist?” Brody asked. “Think a session with Ian would help?”

Ian McGregor was a top-notch sketch artist who worked for Fortress but also contracted with police departments around the country is they needed an artist of his caliber. The suggestion was a good one.

Sawyer said, “You’d like him, Janie. He’s very good at what he does. Ian can pull more information out of you than you realize you have inside your brain. Would you be willing to work with him?”

“Of course.”

Brent looked at Zane. “Find him. Let’s do this as quickly as possible so the team can take Janie into seclusion.”

“Wait a minute,” Janie protested. “No one said anything about going into hiding. I have a business to run, Brent. I can’t disappear without an explanation and plans.”

He eyed her. “Would you rather risk your life and those of your employees?”

“We don’t know if I’m in danger. No offense to Zane, but the warning from the Internet could be about anything. The rumors didn’t mention the name of the target.”

“Of course not. Rumors leak. The Vatos Locos wouldn’t want their prey to escape.”

She shuddered. “You must be wrong.”

“What if I’m not? Do you want to gamble on the lives of your people, Janie?”

“That’s not fair. You know I wouldn’t. But I’m not convinced you’re right. Why would anyone consider me a threat?”

“The gang kept you alive for a reason, Janie.” Sawyer wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Until we uncover that reason, you and everyone around you are in danger.”

She was silent a moment. “How long do we have before the bigwig shows up in the US?”

“Tomorrow, possibly the day after,” Zane answered. “It’s a guess at this point. There’s not enough information on the dark web to come up with an exact time.”

“Do I have enough time to check on my shop and my people? I can do it fast, but I need to check in.”

“We’ll work it out,” Sawyer said. “Can you ask your employees to come in early? The fewer people around, the better.”

“No problem. We always get started on the stock early, before the shop opens.”

“You make everything from scratch, right?” Max asked.

Janie nodded. “We make stock early to bring our supplies up to full level. After that, we make stock to order or to fill out the shelves during the day. We also offer classes.”

“My wife would like that.”

“All our women would like it,” Brody said. “Once this problem with Vatos Locos is settled, we’ll book a class for the women.”

Janie beamed. “I’d love to do a class with them. It will be fun.”

“My wallet already hurts,” Logan said, although his eyes twinkled.

The rest of the men laughed.

“Back to business,” Brent said. “Create a security plan, Brody.”

“Yes, sir. Location?”

“Sawyer?”

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