Harper kept her cool where Riley was concerned. He was right. He had jumped to some huge assumptions. The problem was, he’d hit close to the mark. She had pictured him in the role of boyfriend then possible husband so when he’d said that role wasn’t for him, she’d been hurt and embarrassed for allowing her thoughts to even go there.
What made her even more unsettled was that she didn’t normally do that kind of thing. She didn’t put men she met or worked with in that role. She simply...didn’t. So to do that with Riley was not only surprising, it made her nervous.
But she’d keep her mouth shut and just pretend last night hadn’t happened. Riley seemed willing to follow her lead. The drive to Denver passed quickly with Riley at the wheel and Harper watching for anyone who might decide to follow them and finish what he started the day before. But she didn’t spot anyone and she soon found herself following Riley into the hospital.
“Are you all right?” she felt compelled to ask. While he’d said some things that sparked her ire, she still cared about what he was feeling.
He held the door for her. “Why?”
“You’re tensed up and your jaw looks like it’s been poured in concrete.”
He ran a hand over his jaw and sighed. “I’m worried about Asher, my mother. The future.”
“I can understand that.”
“But I’m trying not to.”
“God’s got this. Try to trust that He’s got a plan in all of this.”
His expression softened slightly. “That’s what I keep telling myself. It’s sure hard to believe it, though.”
“Yeah, I know.”
They made their way to Asher’s room and found the little guy awake and coloring while his grandmother dozed in the chair beside him. Crayons littered the floor around her and Harper wondered if they’d just missed a tantrum.
Riley’s mother opened her eyes at their entrance and drew in a deep breath. Relief stamped itself plainly on her face. “Asher, look who’s here.”
Asher looked up and as soon as he saw his uncle, his frown flipped into a huge grin. “Uncle Riley, you came! Mimi said you were coming, but I didn’t believe her.”
“Well, if Mimi said it, it has to be true.” He bent over and kissed his nephew on his head then rested a hand on his small shoulder.
Asher’s gaze landed on Harper. “Who are you?”
Harper stepped forward and smiled warmly. “I’m Harper. I’m a friend of your uncle’s.”
Riley nodded to the older woman. “This is my mother, Maria Martelli.”
“Nice to meet you,” Mrs. Martelli said.
“And you.” She shook hands with his mother then clicked her fingers and Star settled at her side. “I brought another friend, too.”
Asher’s eyes rounded and his jaw dropped. “A dog,” he breathed.
“This is Star.”
“Hi, Star.”
Harper pointed. “Go tell Asher hello.”
Star walked over to Asher and nudged his hand with her nose.
Asher laughed and scratched the animal’s ears.
Riley’s eyes caught hers and she thought she saw a sheen of tears there before he looked back at Asher. “What’s on the schedule for today?”
“Another X-ray to make sure the bullet hasn’t moved,” his mother said. “Then we’ll take him outside if he feels like it.”
“I feel like it.”
Riley patted Asher’s shoulder. “Great. So, Champ, what happened with all the crayons?”
Asher lowered his eyes. “I threw them.”
“Why?”
“’Cuz I was mad.”
“Mad because you can’t get off this bed?”
Asher shook his head.
“Then what?”
“Mad because my mom went away and Mimi said she wasn’t ever coming back. She said she was dead and in heaven with Jesus.”
Harper winced and almost felt guilty for witnessing the intimate moment between the grieving family.
Riley swallowed then cleared his throat. “I know. It makes me mad, too, but we’re going to get the man who...made her go away.”
“And put him in jail?”
“Yes.”
“And Star is trying to help,” Harper said.
Asher turned his attention to her. “She is?”
“Yes. She’s specially trained to track down people like the man who hurt your mom.”
“How?”
Harper explained it to him in simple terms and he listened, the rapt expression on his face touching her. “So, hopefully, tomorrow, when we go looking, we’ll find him.”
Asher nodded. For the next two hours, she and Riley entertained the child while his grandmother took a much-needed break. Asher finally yawned and his eyes grew heavy. “Can Star get up on the bed?”
Riley raised a brow at Harper who shrugged. She patted the foot of the bed and Star hopped up, turned three times then settled her head on her paws. Asher giggled. “There’s a dog in my bed, Uncle Riley.”
“And she can stay there until you go to sleep.”
“’Kay. Thanks.” Riley held Asher’s hand until the boy went to sleep.
Harper’s phone buzzed and she glanced at the screen. “It’s Max,” she whispered.
“Have they found anything?”
She read the message then said softly, “They found several camping areas that could have been used by Jake or Van, but said nothing concrete. He did find one person who thought she recognized Jake’s picture so he feels like he’s still in the area.”
“Good. What about Van?”
“Nothing so far.”
He frowned and nodded. “All right. When my mother gets back, let’s grab a bite to eat and get back to it.”
“Are you sure you want to go? Asher seems to do much better when you’re here.”
Conflict raged in his eyes and he sighed. “I need to do this. Asher understands. He’s six, but he’s smart.”
“Catch him, Uncle Riley. I’ll be okay.”
Harper turned to see Asher’s sleepy eyes on them. Riley leaned over the child. “Are you sure, Champ? Because I’ll stay if you want me to.”
“I want you to stay, but I want the man who killed my mom to be in jail more. I won’t throw any more crayons.”
Riley kissed Asher’s forehead and swallowed hard. “All right, then,” he said, his voice hoarse, “I’ll get him and get back to you. Deal?”
“Deal.”
“And you can throw the crayons if it makes you feel better.”
They fist-bumped and Asher’s eyes closed again.
* * *
Emotions ran across Riley’s face and Harper almost thought she might be able to feel sorry for Van Blackman if Riley got his hands on him.
Almost.
The door opened and Riley’s mother took her place back in the chair and picked up her knitting project.
Harper’s phone buzzed again and Harper couldn’t stop the gasp that slipped from her lips when she read the message. Then she smiled.
“What is it?” Riley asked.
“Good news.”
“What kind?”
“You’ll see. You should know in just a few minutes.”
Riley’s brows rose. “Now I’m really curious.”
But she wouldn’t tell him and he finally shot her an amused smile and leaned his head back against the chair. Star shifted onto her side and closed her eyes.
Harper was too excited to even think about dozing and if that doctor didn’t get himself in the room in the next few minutes, she thought she might burst.
Just when she was ready to go find him, the door opened and the doctor she’d been thinking about stuck his head in. “Mr. Martelli, do you have a minute?”
* * *
Riley exchanged glances with Harper and she shrugged, but that smile on her face didn’t fade and the twinkle in her eyes made him wonder what she knew that he didn’t.
His mother stood as well. The doctor pulled back into the hall a
nd Riley and his mother followed him. Harper rose, but didn’t follow.
“Come on out here,” Riley said. “You can hear whatever he has to say so I don’t have to repeat it.”
Harper gave a slow nod and her heart lurched at the notion that he wanted to keep her in the loop about Asher.
Once she joined them in the hall, the doctor gave them a broad smile. “We’re taking Asher to surgery.”
Riley gasped. “What?”
His mother gripped his forearm and gave a small cry. “When?”
“You’ve got ten minutes then we’re rolling him down.”
Riley looked at Harper. The grin on her face rivaled that of the doctor’s. “You knew, didn’t you?”
“Yep.”
“But...how?”
“Let me make a phone call.” She had whoever she was calling on speed dial.
“This is Dylan.”
“Hi Dylan, I just wanted to let you know that the doctor just told Riley and his mother that Asher’s going to get his surgery today.”
“Oh, yeah? Hey, that’s great!”
“You want to explain how that came about?” She smiled at Riley.
“Am I on speakerphone?”
“Yes.”
He laughed. “The team overheard a conversation Riley had with his nephew and decided to take action to get him up and moving. A couple of days ago, I talked to Mrs. Martelli and asked what it would take to get Asher the surgery.” His mother pressed her fingers to her lips and nodded. “She gave me the details and I took it from there. Riley, you’ve brought us really close to finding Jake Morrow so the powers that be felt you earned the reward money. We Tactical K-9 folks pooled our resources and held a fund-raiser here at headquarters the day before yesterday. A lot of us called in favors and asked for donations. We raised the money in a little less than sixteen hours plus enough for some after-surgery costs like physical therapy.”
Riley swiped a hand across his eyes. He didn’t even care that tears dripped from his chin as well. “I don’t know what to say.”
His mother swatted him on the arm. “I think thank-you is a good start.”
“Yes, yes, of course. Thank you. I’m just blown away.”
“We can do that, too, but only to the bad guys. This was definitely a team effort to help the good guys, so keep us updated on his progress, will you?”
“Absolutely.”
“Thanks, Dylan, talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
Riley pulled Harper into a hug and held on while he tried to get his emotions under control. The doctor walked off with a new spring in his step and his mother slipped back into Asher’s room leaving him alone with Harper in the hallway.
Harper, who was still in his arms.
“Oh, sorry.” He stepped back, stunned at the realization he’d reached for her without thinking twice about it.
“Don’t be.” She studied him, the look on her face unreadable.
He cleared his throat. “I’m going to stay here. It’s going to be a long night.”
“Of course.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “I’ll check with Max, but I’m sure he’ll tell me to stay with you.”
The hair on Riley’s neck stood on end and he froze. Then looked up to see Van Blackman watching from the end of the hall. The man met his eyes, saluted then disappeared through the door with the exit sign above it.
“Blackman’s here.” He raced down the hall, passing the startled nurses and hit the stairwell at a run. It vaguely occurred to him he should have checked to make sure Van wasn’t standing there simply waiting to shoot him when he came through the door, but at this point, he didn’t care. The man had shown up on his nephew’s floor.
“Riley!” Harper’s shout didn’t slow him. He continued down the stairs and out the door at the bottom. He held it open while he scanned the area. The hallway to his right held a patient on a gurney and two medical personnel standing next to him talking. The hallway to his left led to the parking garage.
Harper caught up to him and he headed for the parking garage. Then stopped. “Where’d he go?”
“I don’t know,” Harper said.
“What if he doubled back?” he gritted.
Riley turned on his heel and sprinted back up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Harper followed him once again, on her radio, and asking for backup.
Once back on Asher’s floor, Riley beelined for his nephew’s room.
He rushed inside to find it empty. “He’s got them.”
“No,” Harper said, trying to catch her breath. “Don’t jump to that conclusion. They were coming to get Asher for his surgery, remember?”
Riley turned on his heel and headed for the nurse’s desk. “Lisa. Did they come get him? Asher? From room 312?”
“Hey Riley, what’s wrong?”
“I need to know where Asher is. Now. Please.”
“Sure.” She sat in front of the computer and time slowed to a snail’s pace while she clicked the keys. Finally, she looked up. “Yep. He’s in the surgery prep area.”
Riley’s knees nearly buckled with relief. “And my mother? She’s with him?”
“Um. I would assume so.”
“No. I can’t assume. I need to know.”
She must have sensed his intense distress because without another word, she picked up the phone and dialed an extension. “Hey, is Maria Martelli down there with Asher? Uh-huh. Okay, thanks.” She hung up. “She’s there.”
Riley dropped his head into his hands. They were fine. He wasn’t going to lose them to Blackman’s evil. “Okay, thank you.” Thank you, God, thank you.
Officers arrived on the floor and Harper directed them to follow Riley. He led them down to the surgical area and found his mother reading a book to Asher who didn’t seem to be paying much attention.
It took a moment to get his heartbeat to slow. In its place, fury churned. He tamped it down and forced himself to think logically, clearly.
What was Van doing here?
“We’ll have someone stay on Asher and your mother from here on out.”
“Yes. I think that would be a good idea.”
And then Asher was being rolled back for surgery and Riley prepared himself to wait while others hunted the man who’d gotten away yet again.
TEN
Harper stood at the door of the waiting room and watched Riley sleep. Or rest. Or pray. Whatever he was doing, he had his eyes closed. His mother sat across from him working feverishly on a blanket. Her needles clicked in a soothing rhythm while the television above her head scrolled the stock market report.
Harper slipped into the chair beside Riley and he turned his head to look at her. “Did they find him?”
“Not yet,” she said. “The chopper pilot spotted something and sent them to investigate, but it turned out to be a false alarm.”
He sighed. “They won’t find him. Not until he’s ready to be found.” He frowned. “Don’t you need to be out there looking for Jake?”
“I updated Max on the situation and the fact that Blackman was seen here at the hospital. He told me to stay and find out what I could.”
“And?”
“We’ve got Blackman on video.”
She’d made sure Riley’s family was covered and safe then gone to check with hospital security about getting a look at the video footage. It had taken five minutes to bring up the picture of Van standing in the hall next to the stairwell door. They’d tracked him back to a handicapped parking spot where he’d pulled in and placed the tag on his rearview mirror before getting out of the green pickup and walking into the hospital.
“The tag on his vehicle was stolen from a Laundromat this morning. We got him on video there, too.”
“Why do you think he was here at the hospital? Looking for me?”
She fell silent then gave a slight shrug. “I have my theories.”
“Such as?”
She bit her lip then sat beside him. His mother continued to knit, but Harper
figured she wasn’t missing a word.
Riley waved a hand giving her permission to speak her mind in front of his mother. Harper lowered her voice anyway. “You said Blackman vowed to kill you.”
The needles fell silent.
“Yes.”
“Because he knows he’ll never be able to stop looking over his shoulder. You’ve promised to bring him to justice no matter how long it takes.”
Riley gave a short nod.
“So, that leads me to believe his only recourse is to kill you.”
Another nod from Riley.
Harper bit her lip and shrugged. “I think Van might have been trying to get to Asher or your mother.”
“But why?”
“I’m not sure. Again, I have theories, but that’s all they are.”
“I think he’s mocking me.”
“Could be that.”
“It’s why he’s stayed around close by. I mean, why not flee the country? Why stay less than two hours away from where your victim was killed?”
“He wants Asher,” his mother said softly.
Riley stilled. “What? Why would you say that?”
“He was crazy about that boy, you know that.”
“Yes, but—”
“I think Asher’s why he had such trouble letting go of Charlotte. He lost his first wife and child and once Charlotte started having second thoughts about him, it sent him into a tailspin. He’d already gotten attached to Asher and if Charlotte left him, it would be like losing his wife and child all over again. He begged, he pleaded, he threatened. And when none of that worked, he lost it and killed her.” She paused. “I think he had every intention of taking Asher from her that day and disappearing. Only the fact that he was shot, too, kept him from taking him.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Charlotte told me he’d threatened that if she left him, he’d take Asher.”
Riley gaped at her. “And you didn’t think I needed to know that?”
“Well, since Asher was in the hospital and paralyzed—and Van had disappeared, I didn’t think it was that important.” She bit her lip. “Now I think it’s possible he’s just been biding his time.”
Bounty Hunter (Classified K-9 Unit) Page 10