Last Chance by Rebecca Deel

Author:Rebecca Deel [Deel, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-05-28T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

JANIE GASPED AND pushed at the immovable wall of Sawyer’s back. “Sawyer, I have to see him.”

“Janie, it’s not pretty,” Brody warned. “Be prepared.”

Her heart sank. “What happened to him?”

“Someone worked him over. He’s alive but unconscious.”

She shoved at Sawyer again. This time, the man reached back to grasp her hand and walked into the hotel room with her.

On the floor by the wall, her brother lay sprawled on his back. His clothes were ripped and bloody in several places, and his face was bruised, swollen, and mostly covered with blood. His nose was definitely broken, as were several fingers.

Janie tugged free of Sawyer’s hold and dropped to the floor beside her brother. Oh, man. He looked terrible. What happened to him? More importantly, who did this to David? For goodness’ sake, he’d only been in town a few days. How could he have made enemies so quickly? “David, it’s Janie. Can you hear me?”

No response.

“Come on, bro. Wake up for me. I want to hear a few more bad-tempered remarks from you. Don’t let me down.”

Still nothing.

With trembling fingers, she stroked the hair away from his forehead. “Oh, David. Come on. Wake up.”

Max ended the call to the dispatcher. “Ambulance is five minutes out. Cops will be right behind them.”

Tears burned Janie’s eyes. “I don’t understand. Why did they hurt him? Wouldn’t it be simpler to take what they wanted and get out as fast as possible?” She looked at Sawyer. “Burglars don’t waste time beating people. This took a lot of time, didn’t it?”

He knelt beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “They took their time working him over methodically.” Sawyer pointed to David’s swollen and bloody mouth. “If you look closely, you’ll see finger marks. They didn’t want David to attract attention when they broke his fingers. One of them clamped a hand over his mouth so his screams wouldn’t carry.”

“They? You’re saying more than one person did this to my brother?”

He nodded. “At least two men worked him over.”

Bile surged into Janie’s mouth as she contemplated the pain her brother must have endured while she’d eaten lunch and placed an order for the shop. If they’d come sooner, Sawyer and his friends could have prevented the worst of the injuries.

How many internal injuries did he have? He hadn’t roused to consciousness. Did he have a concussion, or a fractured skull? Janie wished Jesse had come with them. He must be exhausted after staying awake all night to watch over her, but his medical expertise would be invaluable right now.

Nearby, sirens cut off abruptly.

“Come on.” Sawyer stood and drew Janie to her feet. “We need to move out of the way so the EMTs can help David.”

“Why doesn’t he wake up?” she whispered.

“I don’t know, baby.” He drew her into the circle of his arms as Brody went to the door to direct the EMTs inside the room. “The county hospital is good, and the facility is only minutes away. He’ll receive the best care.

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