Page 102 of Last Chance
They parked behind Natural Bliss minutes later. Almost like magic, a figure emerged from the shadows in the alley.
“Wait here.” Sawyer exited the SUV and met the man. They shook hands, and the stranger handed Sawyer something. After another minute, the man left.
Circling to the passenger side, he opened Janie’s door and helped her to the asphalt. “Ready?”
“With my favorite tea and two excellent helpers, how can I not be ready?”
He smiled and guided her toward the back door.
“Didn’t Fortress upgrade my locks yesterday? I don’t have a key.”
Sawyer showed her a shiny key on his palm. “I do.”
He expected that problem and solved it. Sawyer Chapman was amazing. He entered the premises first and checked that all was secure before he allowed her into Natural Bliss.
Soon, the three of them worked quickly to create new stock for the shop. To her surprise, Janie discovered the shop had sold almost everything yesterday. Nice problem to have, but it meant they’d have to work faster today.
By the time they finished their tasks, the sun was just peeking over the horizon, changing the sky from black to steel gray with streaks of pink, red, and orange. A beautiful dawn, Janie thought as she set the last of the new stock in place and returned to the back room and the Fortress operatives. “That’s the last.”
They stored the supply tubs and cleaned up, then Jesse and Sawyer escorted Janie to the SUV. After a detour by Sunshine Cafe, they joined the traffic on Interstate 40 and headed toward Nashville.
Janie breathed a sigh of relief when Sawyer parked in the underground garage at Fortress Security headquarters an hour later. Thank goodness traffic had been lighter than normal since they’d left Hartman so early this morning.
“Let me know when you’re ready to leave. I’ll be with Simone.” Jesse exited the SUV and headed for the elevator.
Sawyer circled the hood and opened Janie’s door. He lowered her to the concrete. “Do you want to meet Goose?”
Her breath caught. “I’d love to meet him. Is he here?”
“He’s always with Simone or Jesse. Brent isn’t sure about giving Goose the title of mascot, but the dog has special permission to be in Simone’s office when she’s on site.”
“Perfect. Now, how can I help you?”
“I’ll show you an equipment vault where I’ll pick up what I need to set up surveillance in David’s room.”
He walked with her to the elevator and pressed the button for a subterranean level. Less than a minute later, they walked down a concrete corridor with several steel doors on each side of the hall.
She also noticed several surveillance cameras set up along the hall. “These are all equipment rooms?”
Sawyer stopped in front of one door and glanced at her. “Some are.”
Janie eyed him. “Do I want to know what’s behind the other doors?”
“Weapons, ammunition, C-4, blasting caps, grenades, rocket launchers, and more.”
Her mouth gaped. “Good grief.”
“We have to be better armed than the terrorists we go up against on missions. Fortress has two floors of equipment rooms and weapons supplies.”
Oh, man. She knew his job was dangerous. This information, however, brought Janie face to face with reality. “Some of these rooms better have protective equipment for you and the other operatives.” If they didn’t, she would scour the Internet to find things to protect the man she adored with every fiber of her being.
Sawyer cupped the side of her neck and brushed his thumb over Janie’s cheek. “Our safety comes first always. Brent pours a lot of money into training his assets.” He kissed her lightly, then turned to swipe his identity card through the reader, then input two long strings of numbers, and finally allowed the security system to scan his retina. Tumblers shifted, and Sawyer opened the door.
Janie surveyed shelves filled with surveillance equipment. Most of the equipment was a mystery to her. Sawyer had no problem identifying and choosing what he wanted to use to protect her brother.
He slid the equipment into a cloth bag, led her from the equipment vault, and locked the room again. “Ready to meet Goose?”
She grinned. “I can’t wait.”