Page 103 of Last Chance
Sawyer chuckled and nudged her toward the elevator. Once they arrived on the fourth floor, he guided Janie to the right. They stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor. From inside, they heard the sounds of a dog barking and a man chuckling.
After a quick knock, Sawyer opened the door. “I brought a visitor to meet Goose.” He ushered Janie inside the office.
A toy poodle raced toward Sawyer, yapping in excitement. Chuckling, he picked up Goose. “Hey, Goose. How’s my night watch buddy?” Several licks later, the dog noticed Janie, wiggled his tail in greeting, and gave a high-pitched bark.
Janie’s heart squeezed. “He’s beautiful.”
A woman approached. “I agree.” She held out her hand. “I’m Simone.”
They shook hands. “Janie. Thanks for lending Jesse to us. His help has been invaluable.”
“He’s wonderful, isn’t he?” Simone beamed at her future husband.
Jesse captured Simone’s hand before turning to Sawyer. “Ready to go?”
“Not yet. I need to see Brent for a minute.” He glanced at Janie. “Want to spend a little time with Goose? I won’t be long.”
And he didn’t want her to go with him. That much was obvious. Hopefully, Sawyer and Brent could hash this out with the right outcome. If they couldn’t, she’d pull out the big guns. She and Rowan would tackle Brent and his stubbornness. She smiled. Brent wouldn’t stand a chance. “I’d like to play with Goose.”
He looked relieved. “Great. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He gave her a light kiss and left the office.
CHAPTER 24
SAWYER KNOCKED ON Brent’s door and flinched when he heard the growl from his boss. Maybe this wasn’t the right time to talk to his boss.
Brent flung open the door. “Are you in or out? I don’t have time to waste today.”
“In.”
“You have five minutes. Go.”
In military fashion, he gave a rapid report on the latest, including the connection between Maria Moran’s family and Vatos Locos.
Brent scowled. “You’re telling me Janie’s sister-in-law might be partly to blame for Janie being taken hostage?”
“I’m still looking into it.”
“What else?”
He stiffened. “You know, don’t you?”
Brent rose slowly. “Know what?”
Way to box himself in. “I love Janie, and I want your blessing to marry her.”
The boss’s ice-blue eyes glared at him. “What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. How many days have you known Janie?”
“Four.”
“And you’re planning to rush her down the aisle to an altar or, worse, to a justice of the peace? Or perhaps to Vegas for a quickie wedding?” Brent leaned closer. “Over my dead body, Chapman.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m not planning to rush her anywhere.” Not for lack of desire, though. He’d give anything to place a wedding band on her finger today, but rushing Janie wasn’t fair. “I’ll give her time to really know me and to figure out if she can handle my job.”
The boss grunted. “She can.” He blew out a breath, still glaring daggers at Sawyer. “You’re something else. I sent you to Mexico to rescue Janie because I trusted you, not because I expected you to sweep her off her feet.”