He dropped his eyes to the counter and rubbed his chin. Then he gave a slight nod. “I did. I’m sorry. I wanted to help her—and I’ll admit I could use the hundred dollars.”
Harper’s shoulders relaxed a fraction at his apology. Riley thought the guy certainly seemed sincere. “All right. Thanks for your...belated...help.” She paused. “How was she going to get the hundred dollars to you?”
“She said she’d check in with me every once in a while.”
“But she didn’t give you a number?”
“No.”
“And you really think she’s going to check in with you so she can bring you a hundred bucks?”
Jason lowered his eyes and gave a small shrug. “It was worth a shot. And she called about thirty minutes before you got here to check.”
Harper handed the young man a card. “If she calls again, you arrange to get your money, then you call me, you understand?”
“Um...sure.”
“I mean it. I’m not kidding around here.”
“No, ma’am. I believe you’re not kidding around one bit. I’ll call you if she calls me.”
“Good. Now, I want the number she called from. Is it in your system?”
“Yes.” At this point, he seemed eager to help. Probably wanted to do anything he had to in order to satisfy them and get them out of his hotel.
Harper wrote the number down and texted it to Dylan. She looked at Riley. “It’s time to regroup, I would think. Let’s check with Max and see where he wants to go from here.”
Riley, impressed beyond measure and with a new respect for Harper and her ability to do her job, followed her out to join the rest of the waiting team who’d gathered in the parking lot. Before they reached them, he leaned over to whisper in her ear. “That was incredible.”
“What?”
“You. Your interaction with him. That was some of the finest interrogating I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot.”
A flush crept up into her cheeks and she gave a low laugh. “It was kind of fun, wasn’t it? In the end. Initially, he just made me mad. I can’t stand to be lied to. That kid gave off weird vibes from the moment we walked in. He better not try to lie on a regular basis, he’s lousy at it.”
“Which means he’s most likely an honest person. Usually.”
“I agree. Which made it a lot easier to get the truth out of him.”
“Exactly. You would have made a great lawyer.”
“Thank you, I’ll pass on that one, though. I like my job.” She gave small laugh. “Now let’s see what Max has to say.”
“Sure.”
The team leader stepped forward. “All right everyone, let’s head back to the motel. We can eat at the little restaurant there and develop a plan. The first thing we need to do is set up shifts. We can’t all keep going twenty-four seven.”
Harper’s phone buzzed and she glanced at it. “That’s Dylan. He traced the number Penny called from and it was a throwaway phone.”
“Of course it was,” Max said. “She seems to have quite a supply of them, doesn’t she?”
Harper nodded. “Let’s get that food. I’m starving.”
* * *
Harper stifled a yawn. She was feeling the effects of little sleep. But she also had adrenaline pumping through her. She settled Star in her spot in the vehicle while Riley took the passenger seat.
The drive back to the hotel passed mostly in silence as Riley kept his attention on the mirrors.
Setting up shifts sounded good to her. She needed some down time. Time to think and get her emotions under control when it came to Riley. Time to check her laptop to see if there were any updates on her father and time to decide what she really wanted from the future. She slid a glance at Riley and knew he was like the man she might want in her future, but was afraid to get too attached to the idea that it could possibly be him since it wasn’t likely to pan out anyway. But someone like him...yeah, that wouldn’t be so bad.
She couldn’t help smiling at the thought of being a lawyer, though. Truthfully, the idea didn’t bother her nearly as much as it probably should. As a lawyer, she wouldn’t be traveling as much. She could stay home with any future children she and her husband might have.
Harper sucked in a breath and put the brakes on that line of thinking. A husband and children were not in her immediate future.
* * *
Her phone buzzed and she pressed the button that would send the call to her Bluetooth. “Harper here.”
“It’s Dylan again.”
“Back so soon? That’s got to be good. What’s up?”
“I checked out that Van Blackman character. He’s definitely not one of the good guys.”
“I have no doubt about that. Do you have any way of finding him?”
She felt Riley’s gaze on her. “No, he seems to have dropped off the grid. If you have a number for him, I might be able to find something through that.”
“Let me ask.” She looked at Riley. “Do you have a cell number for Blackman?”
He shook his head. “He’s using disposable phones. Whatever number I had for him is no longer in service.”
“Did you get that, Dylan?” she asked.
“I got it. He’s got a credit card he used a couple of weeks ago. It was a large cash advance from one of the banks in Drum Creek so it’s definitely possible he’s still in the area. I’ll keep a watch on the card and let you know if he uses it again.”
“Thanks, Dylan.” She pulled into the parking lot of the motel, said goodbye to their tech guy and climbed out of the vehicle with Star at her side.
The team gathered in the dining area once again, drawing the stares of everyone already there. Harper noticed and simply acknowledged them with a nod and a smile. So much for staying under the radar. When all six of them were together, it really wasn’t possible to be inconspicuous.
A young boy about the age of seven approached and held out a hand. “Can I pet him?”
She smiled. “Sure. But it’s very good that you asked first. And Star is a girl.”
He grinned and a deep dimple flashed in one cheek. “She’s pretty—and big.” Star relished the child’s sweet touch. Harper found Riley watching the pair, longing and despair mingled in his eyes. She could clearly see that he was thinking of his nephew and her heart hurt for him. When the little boy’s mother pulled him away from Star, Harper reached for Riley’s hand and squeezed it. He smiled his thanks. A sad smile that disappeared when his jaw tightened with determination.
Max’s phone rang and he stepped away to answer while the others discussed the next step in the case. When he returned, he cleared his throat. “Riley, could you excuse us for a moment?”
Riley’s gaze shifted back and forth between Max and Harper then he shrugged and stepped out of hearing distance.
“What is it?” Harper asked.
“That was one of the US marshals we’re working with. Thomas Grant. Esme Dupree called him.”
Harper scratched Star’s ears. “She did?”
“Yeah.”
Esme Dupree was their star witness in hiding. She had seen her brother, Reginald Dupree, murder someone he worked with. Reginald knew that she’d seen him and was out to make sure she didn’t testify against him. By agreeing to testify, Esme had put herself in grave danger.
“Did she say where she was hiding out?” Harper asked. Esme had been in the Witness Protection Program, but after a close call, had ditched the marshals and struck out on her own.
Max sighed. “No, just that she’s alive and still planning to testify at the trial.”
“But she still refuses to come in?” Ian prodded.
“Yes.” Max rubbed his head then shook it.
“We need her testimony to put him away,” Harper said impatiently. “Without her, we have no case.”
“Well, I can’t say I blame her for being a little wary. Being told you were safe and then getting found and almost killed would make anyone doubt the marshal’s abilities
.”
“Not to mention the fact that two women who resembled her were killed.”
“Yeah,” Ian grunted. “That would have done it for me, for sure.”
Max shook his head. “Thomas tried to convince her to come in, but she says she doesn’t trust anyone at this point.”
“Anything else?” Ian asked.
“The number she was calling from was traced back to a disposable phone,” Max said.
“Esme wouldn’t call if she thought they’d be able to find her,” Harper reminded them. “She’s not stupid.”
“Except for running away from the program thinking she can take care of herself better than the US Marshals can,” Ian said. “That’s stupid in my book.”
“I don’t know,” Harper said. “It might be why she’s still alive.”
Ian frowned at her. “You think someone on the inside is a mole?”
“I don’t know that either, but she was found when she shouldn’t have been found. The Marshals have a sterling track record. So it does make one wonder.”
Max fell silent. They all did while they contemplated her words.
Harper caught Riley’s eye from afar and nodded. He approached them as his phone buzzed. “Sorry,” he muttered. He glanced at the screen then answered. “Hey, Champ. How are you doing?” A pause. “Of course you can call me. You can call me anytime.”
Harper didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Riley didn’t seem to require privacy. “A clown came to visit, huh?...Yeah?...And you thought it was me?” He chuckled even as a flash of pain darkened his eyes. “I’ll be by to see you soon, kiddo, I promise.”
Asher must have said something else because Riley scowled. “No, I haven’t caught him yet, but I’m closing in on him...Yeah?...I wish you could help catch him, too, but you just concentrate on getting better, okay?...Okay, then.” Another pause. “Yes, I’m still thinking about the puppy you want...Uh-huh...Okay. Love you, Champ.”
He listened a moment longer then hung up, jaw working, eyes glittering with suppressed rage.
The team members had grown quiet, listening to the conversation. Harper caught his arm. “He asked you if you’d caught Blackman, didn’t he?”
“Yeah. I didn’t realize he knew as much...” He drew in a deep breath. “But yes, he asked and said he wanted to help.”
“I gathered that.”
Riley’s fingers curled into fists. “I have to get him, Harper,” he said hoarsely.
“I know. I understand.” And she did. She might not understand exactly how he felt due to the fact she’d never had a sibling killed by someone who was supposed to love her, but she understood the determination to not let someone get away with doing wrong. Jake Morrow had been a trusted member of the unit, a man they’d treated as one of them, someone she would have trusted with her life and even died for.
Now, he was a wanted man. And Harper desperately wanted to find him so she could demand answers from him. She could see that going over well. Arrogant and cocky, Jake wouldn’t respond well to demands. He liked to do the demanding. But he’d been an excellent agent and part of the team and, because of that, he deserved a chance to explain himself.
“Van’s taunting me,” Riley bit out. “Following me then disappearing as though to say, ‘You might get close, but you won’t catch me.’”
“He’ll mess up sooner or later and when he does, you’ll be there to grab him. Or we will.”
He gave her a faint smile. “Thanks.”
Max rubbed a hand over his head. “All right. To recap. Penny’s on the run. It looks like Jake’s after her. We’ve got law enforcement cooperation and Dylan’s keeping tabs on his cell phone.”
“Which he’s not going to use if he doesn’t want to be found,” Ian muttered.
“And it’s looking more and more like he doesn’t want to be,” Max agreed. “But I want to know why.”
Riley’s phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen and frowned. “Let me take this.”
“Of course.”
This time he stepped away from the group and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Man, that sounds like some tough stuff he’s dealing with,” Max said in a quiet voice. “What’s wrong with his nephew?”
“He was shot when his mother’s boyfriend opened fire on them at a grocery store. He killed the mother, Riley’s sister, and paralyzed Asher. The poor kid has a bullet lodged near his spine. That’s why Riley’s so determined to bring in Jake. He needs the money for Asher’s surgery to help him walk again.”
Max let out a low whistle.
“What if we could help?” Ian said.
Harper lifted a brow. “Help how?”
Ian shrugged. “Why don’t I call Dylan and see what we can come up with?”
“I’m on the way,” Riley said as he headed toward the front door.
Harper caught up to him. “Everything okay? Is Asher all right?”
“That wasn’t about Asher. That was a friend of mine who works at the grocery store up the street. He said Van Blackman was just in there buying some ibuprofen and cold medicine.” He took off and Harper rose to go after him then paused to look over her shoulder. “Max?”
“Go,” he said. “Watch his back.”
“Thanks. Star, heel.” The dog bolted to her side and they hurried after a disappearing Riley. She caught up to him crossing the street. “Riley.”
He shot her a tight look then entered the store. An older gentleman approached and pointed out the door. “He just left not five minutes ago.”
“Which way did he go?”
“North.”
Riley turned to look. “Back toward the park,” he murmured. “What’s he driving?”
“A green Ford pickup.”
“We can take my vehicle if you want,” Harper said.
He nodded. “I have to try to find him.”
“Let’s go. We’ll call Max and let him know what’s going on.”
They rushed back to the hotel parking lot where they climbed into her vehicle. Star hopped into her spot and soon Harper was headed down the road in the direction of the park.
Park made it sound small. Searchable. But as Harper had discovered, it was a vast area of acreage with a multitude of hiding places. However, Riley had done the smart thing and asked people to keep an eye out for the man he was hunting. If Blackman was camping out in the park, then he’d have to come into town for supplies every so often—and to search for Riley, apparently.
Whatever the case, it had paid off. Once again someone had spotted him and called it in.
They just had to catch up to him now.
* * *
Riley gripped the door handle as Harper took the next turn. The green truck was just ahead but getting ready to disappear around the next curve. He wanted to tell her to hurry, go faster, but he knew she was doing her best to keep them far enough behind so the man ahead wouldn’t know they were on his tail. And besides, she could only go so fast on the winding, two-lane road.
They were climbing now, the road slanting upward, the drop-off to Harper’s left growing steeper. “Come on,” he whispered.
Harper spared him a glance before turning her attention back to the road. Riley hadn’t realized he’d spoken aloud.
The green truck disappeared for another moment. Approximately twenty seconds later, when Harper took the next curve, a flash of green to his right caught his eye. “Watch out!” He realized what was going to happen in the split second before the front of the green truck slammed into the passenger door. He jerked against the seat belt then was tossed back against the window.
Harper cried out. The wheel spun out of her hands and the SUV skidded along the edge of the road. The green pickup came again and this time the nudge was almost gentle in comparison. Through the windshield Riley met Van’s wild gaze and his gleeful, crazed expression as the man didn’t back away, but continued to accelerate and push the big SUV toward the side of the cliff. “Hang on, Harper, we’re going over!”
&nb
sp; Harper pressed the gas, and the SUV lunged forward, but it was too late.
The big green pickup’s engine gave a mighty roar, another surge forward and the SUV went off the road and over the side of the embankment.
Star barked then yelped when the SUV turned onto its driver’s side and bumped down the steep cliff. The seat belt kept Riley in his seat, his right hand gripping the handle while he braced himself for impact. Trees flew past, dirt and rocks pinged off the windows, the world tilted and jounced them and he thought he might be sick.
Then came the bone-jarring halt. The slam jerked him hard enough for him to lose his grip on the door handle. And then all was still. For a moment he didn’t move, his breathing—and body—suspended, held physically in place by the seat belt. His heart thundered in his ears.
Finally, he was able to catch his breath. “Harper?” He looked over to find her crammed against the driver’s door. Her eyes were open, but glazed. “Harper! You okay?”
She blinked. Then blinked again. “Yes. I think so. You?”
“Yeah. Did you hit your head?”
“No. Surprisingly. And I think my vest protected me from having much of a bruise from my seat belt.” She grunted and turned, trying to see behind her. “Star? Star!”
A low woof came from the back and he saw her eyes close in relief for a fraction of a second.
“I’m pretty stuck. Can you get out?” she asked.
“I’m not sure. If I unhook my seat belt, I’m going to fall into you.”
Her hand patted her hip. “My phone’s gone. Must have popped off.” She reached for the dangling mic of the radio while Riley searched for his phone. He heard her calling to her coworkers and getting no response. She let go of the mic in disgust. “It’s dead.”
His fingers closed over the phone that had wedged between the center console and the seat. “What’s the number?”
She gave it to him and Max answered on the first ring. “Max, this is Riley. We got ambushed and could use a little help.”
“What’s wrong?” the man barked. “Where are you?”
Riley told him as best he could. “Just follow the road and keep looking down. You’ll see us.” He looked up through the passenger window. “We didn’t fall too far. I can see the edge of the road. Maybe about twenty feet?”
Bounty Hunter (Classified K-9 Unit) Page 7