Page 14 of Last Chance

“I don’t suppose you carry a bazooka in that backpack of yours.”

“Oh, you might be surprised what I carry in my bag of tricks.”

“One day, when we aren’t in a life and death situation, you’ll have to show me what you carry.”

“Deal.” He stiffened. “Brody.”

“I see them. Get ready.”

“Yes, sir.” Sawyer turned to Janie. “Get on the floor and lay as flat as you can.”

“They found us?”

“Looks like it.”

“More likely that they staked out the obvious escape routes,” Brody said. “The road is a natural choice.”

“What road?” Janie slid to the floor and curled up on her side. “It looks like a cow path to me.”

“You’re not wrong,” Brody said. “Sawyer, in the back.”

“Yes, sir.” He rested his hand on the top of Janie’s head for a few seconds. “It will be noisy in here. Stay on the floor. We’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

She gave him a small smile and tried to curl into a tighter ball.

After a last stroke of his fingers over her hair, Sawyer grabbed his rifle and climbed over the backseat to the cargo area. He rolled onto his back and kicked out the back window.

Janie flinched. Someone wouldn’t be happy when the vehicle was returned. She paused. Unless they stole the vehicles. Surely not. Did she care? She considered that a moment and decided she didn’t care since they might have committed a crime while rescuing a hostage from terrorists.

Where were the other passengers? Did the terrorists take them away when they fled from Sawyer and his team? Something told her the answers she wanted weren’t as simple as they seemed and likely ones that she didn’t want to hear. Janie feared her fellow passengers were dead, not merely moved to another location.

If that was true, why was she alive? Did the hijackers run out of time to deal with her or had the decision to leave her alive at the compound been deliberate? If so, what reason could they have? She made soap and bath bombs for a living. What could Scar Face and his buddies want with a small town soap maker? None of this made any sense.

“Two bogeys moving up fast,” Sawyer said.

“I see them.” Brody made a call. “Max, keep watch up ahead. We have bogeys closing in on us.” Seconds later, he said to Sawyer, “We need breathing room to get Janie into the jet.”

“Copy that. Restrictions?”

“None. Just get it done. Our principal is the priority. Period.”

“Yes, sir. Janie?”

She jerked. “Yes?”

“Cover your ears.”

When she complied, Sawyer aimed and fired his rifle three times. “One down. Second one is gaining ground and moving into position to attack us from behind.”

Her blood ran cold. Two vehicles were chasing them. Were the hijackers after her or the team that rescued her?

Someone’s phone signaled an incoming message. Seconds later, Jesse said, “Two more vehicles coming toward Max and Logan at a high-rate of speed.”

“Pincer move,” Sawyer said as he aimed at another target. Two shots later, he said, “Two down.”

“How’s the shoulder?” Jesse asked.

“I’ll live.”