Nikki nodded. “That works for me.”
As if her office had been bugged, her cell rang, displaying Sam’s name. “You got something for me?”
“Actually I do. His name is Bobby Usher. He’s been in and out of jail a few times, last one for breaking and entering, but he worked on and off as a technician.”
“Do you have an address?”
“I’m sending it now.”
“You rock, Sam.”
He chuckled. “Back at you.”
She checked her e-mail on her laptop and pressed print. “We got him!”
Conner took the page from her. “He lives halfway between Freedom and Boulder.” He folded the paper and placed it in his top pocket then faced Dani. “Are either Lucas or Brady home?”
“They might be. I can give them a call.”
“Good. I don’t want Holly staying by herself.”
She refrained from rolling her eyes. “The dude doesn’t even know we’re on to him.”
“I want you safe, baby.”
“What about Harper? He’s been running around. Do you think he knows anything?”
“Leave the madman to me.”
He was probably right. Her presence seemed to frustrate Harper. “Fine.”
Dani stepped out of the office to make her call. She returned quickly. “Lucas is home now.”
“Pack up and I’ll follow you back to Dani’s.” He faced her partners. “You two up for a little reconnaissance?”
“If it means bringing closure to Harper, you bet,” Nikki said.
* * * *
At 10:21 p.m., Nikki said Bobby Usher was probably going to watch the damn movie all the way through, which would prevent her from picking up any conversations.
Conner tapped his earbud. “Thank Dani for me, too. I appreciate you ruining your evening.”
“We’ll try again tomorrow,” Nikki responded.
“Not necessary. Unless Harper has dug up some dirt, I’m going to the cops in Black Hawk tomorrow and present the information.”
“Sorry, Conner. Let us know if you need us.”
He took out his earbud and placed it on the seat. He’d return it the next time he saw Holly. Defeat wasn’t in his vocabulary, but putting someone else in danger was plain dumb. He’d debated calling Harper to let him know what he was up to, but he feared his roommate would charge over to Usher’s house, pound on the door demanding entrance, then beat the shit out a guy who might have been duped himself.
You don’t believe that.
No, he didn’t, but High Mountain Casino didn’t need any more publicity.
* * * *
When Harper contacted the slot machine repair company, they’d apologized profusely for not getting someone out earlier. Apparently, the man who was supposed to come out had gone AWOL on them, and they hadn’t realized he wasn’t at his jobs until a few of the customers had called.
“He hasn’t checked in?” The repairman came to the casino three days ago.
“No.”
“Did you file a missing person’s report?” Why wasn’t the man concerned?
“No. Jesse, ah, goes on a lot binges. It’s not uncommon for him to be gone for a week or more. He’s really talented but not very reliable.”
No shit. It wasn’t worth telling them that someone had come to their casino wearing their company uniform, professing to be one of their workers. To him, that meant Jesse was probably dead. His stomach sickened at what these people were capable of doing. At least Holly was safe, thank God.
He disconnected and leaned back in his chair, desperate for a clue. Hell, maybe he should take a trip to the source—Jack Marr—and ask him what he wanted. Harper could play up how much Wendy had liked Jack and that to seek revenge would only insult her. If Marr brought up Holly’s name, he’d say they were no longer together. Acid burned in his throat. He scrubbed a hand over his eyes, wondering why these nightmares kept happening.
His mind was no longer able to think clearly. It was definitely time to head home. After stopping to chat with Pulls, he left and then called Conner, but it went to voice mail. That was rather odd, but maybe he’d stopped over at Lucas’s ranch and was keeping Holly safe. The image of them making love tore him up. He wanted to be with Holly, but their relationship would never work. Even if Jack Marr died in prison, his job would always have its dangers. There would always be some nutcase who would gamble his life savings, lose, and then blame the casino.
He drove down Main Street then jogged onto 119 and headed north. While it wasn’t raining or snowing, the clouds blocked the quarter moon, casting little light on the road. He sat up straighter, making sure not to let his mind drift. As he neared Freedom, the road turned twistier, much of which was dangerous because the guardrails weren’t consistently along the road.
Harper had driven for maybe twenty minutes when yellow flashing lights down a ravine caught his attention. His heart jumped in his throat. Stopping on the right side wasn’t safe, so he crossed to the left and parked on the berm. He grabbed his flashlight from his glove compartment, jumped out of the car, and ran across the street. As he scrambled down the embankment, he was transported to Iraq. “Soldier down” reverberated in his head. His mission was clear. He had to save whoever was in the car.
Steam rolled off the car hood, implying the vehicle had only recently tumbled over the embankment. A brief shot of relief rushed through him when he didn’t recognize the car. The vehicle was on its side, the front stopped by a tree.
“Hello?”
No answer. Shit. Harper knelt and flashed the light inside. A toddler was in the back strapped to his child seat. He appeared unharmed, but his wide eyes held stark panic.
“Hey, buddy. I’ll get you out in a little bit.” He knew better than to touch any victim. He pulled out his phone and called 911, thankful for the reception.
“Is the driver alive, sir?”
“I haven’t checked.” He told them about the youngster. When Harper reached in to feel for the mother’s pulse, she moaned. Thank God. “She is, but barely.”
“Put your flashers on, sir, so we can spot you.”
Since Harper had GPS on his phone he gave his location the best he could. He estimated they’d be there within ten minutes. “Okay.” He tapped on the window. “Ma’am, can you hear me?” Her seat belt still strapped her in, but she was dangling to the side. Moving her could cause further injury. “Ma’am. I’m going to wait for the paramedics. Help is on the way.” He doubted she heard him as she never opened her eyes.
He wanted to save the little boy, but he was safe where he was. Harper straightened and ran up the hill to wait for the paramedics. He turned on his emergency lights and returned to the embankment.
His heart ached for the woman. She might have taken her eyes off the road to say something to the baby and lost control of her car, or an animal ran in front of her. Startled, she jerked to avoid the collision and ran over the embankment. Sometimes life wasn’t fair.
He kept an eye out for the ambulance and heard the sirens before the lights rounded the bend. He stepped into the road and waved. The vehicle slowed and stopped in front of him. Two paramedics jumped out of the back and had a backboard ready to go. The paramedic who was riding the passenger side stepped up to him.
While he answered the man’s questions, the two paramedics picked their way down the embankment.
“Did you move either victim, sir?”
“No. I barely was able to reach in and find her pulse.”
“Good.”
Harper handed him his card. “I didn’t see the accident, but if you need me for anything, let me know.”
“Will do. Thanks for saving their lives.”
He nodded and returned to his car. During the rest of the drive home, something niggled in the back of his brain, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Chapter Seventeen
When Harper opened his eyes, his head pounded. The accident had really thrown him for a loop, keeping him a
wake, wondering if he’d done enough to help that mother and child. He’d been tempted a few times in the middle of the night to call Memorial Hospital to find out about their condition, but he figured the staff probably wouldn’t tell him. Hell, he never even found out their names.
The phone rang downstairs, and Conner’s voice floated up, but he couldn’t make out the words. A minute later, footsteps sounded on the stairs, followed by a knock on his door. Conner pushed it open.
“You won’t guess who that was?” Conner grinned.
Harper sat up and stretched. “Who?” His brain had yet to clear. Maybe it was Holly asking Conner to do something with her.
“Yesterday, I gave the surveillance footage to Holly and she was able to pull an image off of it. She sent the man’s picture to Sam Cook, who put it through some kind of facial-recognition program, and he got a hit.”
Adrenaline cleared his mind. “Who was he?” He didn’t want to address where this investigation took place.
“It was Bobby Usher.”
“Am I supposed to know him?” Harper leveraged himself out of bed, tugged on jeans along with a shirt.
Conner shook his head. “I’d never heard of him either, so I gave his name to the Black Hawk police. The call I just got was from them. Apparently, Bobby is an affiliate of Rubin Johnson’s.”
His hand stilled. “Fuck me. Rubin?” His casino sat on the edge of town and survived only because he had a burlesque bar and a children’s playroom. He drew in the low-income tourists. “You’re saying Rubin hired this Bobby Usher dude to sabotage our casino? Did he think he’d get more clients if the inspectors closed us down or fined us?”
“Don’t know. Maybe he’s still pissed that after we bought out Jack Marr, we didn’t want to join forces with him.”
Why did people think the world revolved around them? “And this Bobby dude, did he give any explanation why he was paid to change out the chips?”
Conner leaned against the doorjamb. “Bobby pleaded out for the name of his employer. That’s all. The cops are bringing Rubin in now.”
Harper tugged on his boots. “I always thought Marr was behind this.”
“Jack Marr, Rubin Johnson. When one cockroach dies, another surfaces.”
Unfortunately, that was true. “Maybe we should sell the casino and go into the hardware business.” Neither knew anything about running one, but at least no one would come after them or the ones they loved.
Conner pushed away from the wall. “I can see it now. Someone buys a new electrical panel and installs it himself. He gets electrocuted putting it in and the wife hires a hit man to take us down.”
Harper chuckled. “I get it. Nothing is safe anymore. Hell, even Holly’s job is kind of dangerous.” Someone tried to run both of her partners off the road, and even went so far as to point a gun at Dani.
“It is, but I’d never ask her to change her lifestyle. You remember our cousin Corinne?”
“Hell, yeah. A real shame. Why bring her up?”
Conner moved over to the bed and sat. “Because she was thirty-seven and apparently healthy, but she still got colon cancer and died. People die. Good people, in fact. We can’t change that.”
He knew what Conner was trying to do. “I witnessed an accident last night.” It actually felt good to just say the words and share his concern.
Conner straightened. “Where?”
He told him about the mother and child whose car had tumbled down the ravine. He’d arrived a few minutes later and called the paramedics. “Last night, I realized that I’ll never be able to protect Holly all the time no matter what job either of us has.”
Conner’s brows rose. “I’m glad you came to your senses. Does that mean you’re willing to admit to Holly how much she means to you?”
Harper shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced to the ceiling. “I don’t know why seeing that family injured had such an effect on me. Hell, I’ve seen good soldiers get their legs blown off and their bodies mangled, but when I found that woman injured in our town, I kind of snapped.”
“Are we talking about Wendy or Holly?”
“Maybe both.” He turned away from Conner as he tried to compose his thoughts. “Grief is totally debilitating.”
“I know it’s been hard for you.”
Harper paced. “I don’t know when it came to me, but I suddenly realized that I don’t have to forget Wendy. I can remember the good times and embrace what we had and still move on and love Holly.”
Conner jumped up. “Dude, that’s awesome.” His cousin gave him a hug.
Harper stepped back. “I know the hurt’s gonna sneak out and grab me by the balls when I least expect it, but I can’t let that stop me.”
“Hell, if little things didn’t make you remember Wendy, I’d worry about you.”
He faced Conner and tried to smile. He failed. “The problem now is that I’m not sure Holly wants me anymore. I’ve been distant with her.”
“She understands.”
Once more he had to look away to gather his control. “Maybe she does. It’s one of the things I love about her.”
Conner placed a hand on his shoulder. “It’s time, buddy, to move forward for real.”
He already felt stronger. “So now what?” He didn’t want to make any more mistakes.
Conner grinned. “You have to ask?”
* * * *
Holly was at her desk at work organizing some of her files when Harper called. To say she was overwhelmed with joy was an understatement.
“Hi, Harper.” Then she feared something might have happened to Conner. “Is everything okay?”
“More than okay.” The cheer in his voice made her heart race.
“Is this about Bobby Usher? Did the police find him?” Nikki said she and Dani hadn’t gotten anything good on the man, so Conner was going to take the case to the Black Hawk police.
“They brought him in this morning, and after a little dealing, he turned in the man behind the sabotage.”
“That’s fantastic. Was it Marr?”
“No. It was another casino owner who was trying to draw our customers to his place, or so we believe. But that’s not why I called. I’ve been a real shit lately and I’m sorry.”
She hadn’t expected the apology, though she didn’t like his tone. “Remember what Conner said about putting oneself down. He doesn’t like it and neither do I. Just to set things straight. You were never a shit. You were trying to protect me.” She loved him more because of it.
Harper laughed so loud she had to hold the phone away from her ear.
“You’re right, sugar.” He cleared his throat. “Regardless, I would like to make it up to you. Conner and I want to take you out tonight.”
“I get both of you?” This was too good to be true.
“Can you believe it? Good old coz insisted on butting in on our time together. Said something about forgetting to give you his birthday present.”
No, he didn’t. She’d been on the receiving end of his cock. “Oh, yeah?”
He chuckled. “Are you okay with meeting us at Steven’s Fish and Steak Emporium, at say five?”
That was rather early for dinner, but maybe they had a long evening planned. “I sure can.”
“Wear pants.”
Now she was intrigued. “Are you going to tell me why?”
“Sugar, you should know us well enough by now to know the answer to that question.”
“Fine, but just so you know, I’m going braless and commando.” Harper’s audible gasp made her smile. “See you then.” She disconnected and smiled. Tonight would be a night they’d never forget.
Holly rushed out of her office and into Dani’s. Nikki wasn’t there. “Knock, knock.”
Dani looked up and smiled. “You look happy.”
“I am. Harper and Conner are taking me out to dinner.” She told her about Bobby Usher’s and the other casino owner’s arrest.
“That’s fantastic. Nikki will be happy to hear it.�
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“Do you mind if I take an early lunch to get ready? I’ll be back within the hour.”
“No problem. Perhaps you should stop at Danielle’s on your way home.” She winked.
“I have a better plan—no underwear at all.”
“Holly Morganton. What ever happened to that shy girl I used to know?”
“It’s called Conner and Harper.”
Dani leaned back in her chair. “I’m guessing you won’t be seeing that stud brother of yours much if you plan on spending all your free time with your men.”
She waved a hand. “Harper and Conner are workaholics. I’ll be surprised if I see them once or twice during the week.”
“Uh-huh. I thought the same thing. I’m about to marry the sheriff, remember, though I’m hoping I’ll see a bit more of him once Tatum arrives. Lucas always has some emergency on the ranch, but we always manage to find ‘us’ time.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I won’t be long.”
Holly rushed out, totally stoked to spend the night with the two men she loved. She’d just walked in her house when her cell rang. Maybe it was Conner suggesting a change in attire. When she checked the caller ID, her pulse raced.
“Tatum!”
“Hey, geekoid. Wanted to let you know I’ll be arriving tomorrow to start my new job.”
“Fantastic. What time will you get here?”
“I’m in Ogden, Utah, now. I’ll probably drive a few more hours tonight and be in Freedom tomorrow around noon.”
“That works. What about Drex?” She hadn’t detected any reservation in his voice about leaving Oregon.
“Funny you should ask. Drex has agreed to give small-town living a chance.”
“Awesome.” She knew how fortunate she’d been to move with her two good friends.
They gabbed a bit, but then Tatum had to go. As she rushed into her bedroom to change, she couldn’t wrap her mind around why Harper had asked her to wear pants. She probably would have chosen a nice pair of jeans anyway, but he probably wanted to be safe. This time she pulled on her skinny jeans as they had a bit of elastic in them. Her men liked her shape, so she no longer tried to appear bigger. Because it would be cold no matter where she went, she layered her top, but true to her word, she didn’t put on a bra. Having the soft tee against her breasts made them pucker, and her mind shot to what promise tonight held.
Freedom to Love [Freedom, Colorado 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 15