Page 127 of Last Chance

Maria’s brother tightened his hold until his grip was excruciating and would leave bruises on her upper arms. “Stop fighting or I will kill your man. Do you want to watch him die?”

She froze, horrified. “No. Please, don’t hurt him.”

“We need to go,” Lorenzo muttered. “The sun’s coming up, and these bruisers won’t be out for long.” He kicked Sawyer in the ribs.

Maria rolled her eyes. “So kill them and be done with it. We won’t have to worry about them if they’re dead, will we?”

Fury at the situation and terror for Sawyer and Jesse exploded inside Janie. She thrashed violently enough to break free of Matias’s hold and raced to Sawyer. Dropping to her knees beside him, she cupped his beloved face with her hands while scanning his body for a small weapon with which to protect him, Jesse, and herself.

When she realized none of his visible weapons were small, her heart sank. “Sawyer,” she whispered. Janie released his face and ran her hands over his jacket as though checking for further injuries.

She touched a small lump in his inner pocket. What was that?

“Get her up, Lorenzo,” Maria snapped. “This is pathetic. Don’t you have a spine, Janie? You’re a disgrace to strong women everywhere.”

“Sawyer, please wake up.” Her voice sounded choked as she lowered her upper body to cover his chest. Her hands roamed over his ribs until she could slip her left hand into the pocket and grip the object.

“Up.” Lorenzo grabbed her right arm, yanked Janie to her feet, and toward him.

She kept the hard object in her fist and shoved her hands into her hoodie pockets. If she was lucky, they wouldn’t search her before they took her away.

Before she could evade the blow, Lorenzo slapped her. “My cousin isn’t the only one who knows how to tame a woman,” he murmured. His gaze slid over her body. “Keep pushing me, and I’ll ask the boss to give you to me first.”

First? Janie’s eyes watered from the pain of the blow. She didn’t know what to make of Lorenzo’s statement, but it couldn’t be good.

“If you say another word, your man will pay the price,” Lorenzo said, his voice almost a growl. “Do you understand?” His grip on her arm tightened.

She nodded.

He glanced at his cousins. “Let’s go. He’s waiting.”

“What about Sawyer and Jesse?” Maria asked. “We can’t leave them alive. They’re too dangerous.”

A snort from Matias. “Forget them. Let Janie’s man suffer, wondering what she’s enduring.”

“Are you crazy? They work for a security company.”

“Wannabe cops. No threat, Maria. Besides, they have no way of tracking her. She could be anywhere in the country by the time they figure out which direction to go.” He smirked at Janie.

Janie remained silent. Let them think she had no hope of escaping. She would never give up trying to get away from Maria and her cronies. Sawyer and his teammates would find her.

Lorenzo shifted his hold from Janie’s arm to her neck. He squeezed, his eyes lit with amusement at her struggle to breathe. When her vision started going dark, he eased the pressure. “Very good,” he murmured. He stroked his thumb along the side of her throat. “You have a cell phone?”

Again, she nodded. She hated to give up her satellite phone, but if she tried to hide it, they would check her for it and might find the weapon she’d taken from Sawyer.

“Leave it here.” Lorenzo watched as she complied, then said, “Now remove all your jewelry. Let your man think you’ve run off without him.” He smiled. “Another twist of the knife to his heart.”

No, no, no. No GPS trackers for Zane and the others to use to find her. But what choice did she have? Janie removed the jewelry and the watch and laid them beside the phone.

“Look at your man.”

She complied. Sawyer was still out cold, his skin pale.

“That is the last time you will see him. Come.” He used his hold on her throat to force Janie to the back door of her shop.

In less than a minute, Lorenzo shoved Janie into the back of a large black SUV with tinted windows. He followed her inside and closed the door. His left arm circled her neck and anchored her to his side. “If you cooperate, you may live another day.” He leaned down and bit the side of her neck.

Janie cried out as pain flashed through her.