Page 40 of Last Chance

His lips curved. “Noted. I’ll do my best not to hurt Janie.”

“We’ll see.” Jada glanced around the prep room and stared at the stockpile of stock on the refill shelves. “Do I need to do anything?”

Janie laughed. “No. Sawyer and Jesse work fast. We’ve prepared the normal amount of stock for the day in less than three hours.”

“Wow. Want a job, guys? We can use employees who work that fast.”

The men chuckled. “Sorry, ma’am,” Jesse said. “We have jobs already.”

“Too bad. Keep us in mind, all right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Any special orders, Janie?” Jada asked.

“Because of the security issue, I won’t be in the shop today. Can you and the others handle the store without me?”

“Of course. Although it’s easier with you, we were fine while you were gone. Now that you and your friends have made the stock, we won’t have to scramble so much to finish everything.”

“My boss is sending someone to stay in the shop with you and the rest of the employees today,” Sawyer said. “Her name is Molly. She’ll look like a customer browsing the store shelves. You’ll like her.”

“Will she be armed to the teeth like you and Jesse? Because if she is, she won’t look like any customers we cater to.”

“She’ll be armed, but Molly will be discreet with her weapons.”

“She’s also a professional chef,” Jesse added.

The back door opened again and another one of Janie’s employees walked into the preparation room. She paused at the sight of Sawyer and Jesse. “Welcome back, Janie. Is everything okay?”

“I had a little trouble on the flight home. My boyfriend Sawyer and his friends are monitoring me for a few days until we’re sure trouble didn’t follow me back to Hartman.”

“Is that why they’re carrying guns?”

She nodded. “They’re good men, Chelsea. You don’t have to worry about them.”

“If you say so.” Chelsea didn’t sound convinced. “Are we expecting an extra shipment of supplies?”

Janie frowned. “I ordered nothing out of the ordinary. Jada?”

“Same. We won’t get another shipment of supplies until Friday. Why?”

“There’s a box at the front door. I would have brought it in if my hands weren’t full.”

“Awfully early for a delivery,” Sawyer said. He glanced at Jesse, who left by the back door. “Did you notice the name of the sender?”

“That’s another odd thing. There wasn’t one.”

Janie looked at Sawyer. His expression was grim. “What should we do?”

“Stay here.” He headed for the back door. “Be ready in case we have to leave in a hurry.”

CHAPTER 11

SAWYER CIRCLED TO the front of the building and stopped near his friend. “What do we have?” he asked Jesse.

“Trouble. No shipping label on the box. I hear nothing ticking, but I’m not willing to shake it to find out if I’m wrong.”

Didn’t blame him. Sawyer wouldn’t either. “Does Hartman have a bomb squad?”

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