Harper wanted desperately to be able to call for help, but she had to move quickly. She had no doubt Van would be back to finish the job. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get you up.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go get some gear. Um... I’d say stay put, but...”
“You’re a funny woman, Harper.”
He was joking, so maybe he hadn’t hit his head too hard. Harper really didn’t want to leave him alone while she ran back to the truck. What if Van decided to come back while Riley was helpless? She paused then called Star over. “Guard. Guard him, girl. Got it? Stay.”
The animal woofed and sat. She wouldn’t move until Harper returned. But if Van came back, Star would bark and let Harper know. She took off back the way she’d come, running, but being cautious in case Van was lying in wait. Once at the truck, she made sure the puppies were safe in the temperature-controlled area that held them. They were. They’d be fine until she and Riley could get back. Please let us get back fast and in one piece.
The prayer whispered through her mind as she unloaded the items she needed from the back. The Suburban came equipped with a first-aid kit, rappelling gear, listening devices, tear gas and other items she would want at her fingertips should she need them.
She grabbed the rappelling gear and the first-aid kit and headed back toward Riley. Again, she carried the gear in one hand, her weapon in the other so she would be able to defend herself if necessary. It seemed to take her forever, but she made it back to the area where she found Star waiting. The dog shifted at her appearance and Harper felt sure that Van hadn’t been back this way. “Good girl, Star.” She set the rappelling gear and first-aid kit down and looked around for a sturdy tree that would hold her and Riley on the journey back up the side of the cliff.
She dropped to her knees to check on him. “You still there?” He looked to be about fifty feet down. Close enough to talk to, far enough to need help getting back up.
“Unfortunately.”
“Anything hurt?”
“Just about everything.”
“Any bleeding?”
“A bit.”
Harper bit her lip on blasting him with some harsh words. “Riley, I need to know the extent of your injuries. Covering them up or acting like it’s no big deal isn’t helping.”
“You sound like my mother when she’s humoring me.”
Harper quit talking. She was going to kill him just as soon as he was safe. Then again, his sarcasm and droll responses gave her hope that he was truly as okay as he sounded. As a former cop, he’d deal with this kind of thing the only way he knew how.
Exactly the way he was doing it. Covering up the fear and staying calm.
She glanced at him again. At least he was alive and, as far as she could tell, not seriously hurt. For the moment. The drop below him meant imminent death.
Harper tested several trees before she found one that she knew would hold both of them for the journey back up. She attached the safety and rappel devices then threw the dynamic-style rope over the edge. Quickly, she donned the gear including the helmet and gloves. “All right, girl,” she said to Star, “let me know if anyone comes this way, all right?”
Star looked at her, her tongue hanging from the side of her mouth. She’d sound the alarm if Van or anyone else approached. Harper looked at the first-aid kit. Normally, she’d take it down with her, but since Riley indicated no serious injuries, she opted to leave it. She clipped the hook to her harness then attached the spare harness that Riley would use to the rope. “I’m on my way.”
“Wait. What? You’re coming down?”
“What did you think I was going to do?”
“Get help.”
“I am help.”
He went silent for a moment and she wondered if he was still conscious.
“Harper?” he called.
“Yeah?”
“My hands are cut up pretty bad. I’ll need something to help hold on to the rope on the trip up.”
“No problem.” She’d have to give him her gloves. They were slightly big on her so maybe he could make them work.
The urge to hurry nearly overwhelmed her and she started down. Her wounded shoulder protested, but she ignored it. “Make yourself useful and watch above me to make sure Van doesn’t come back and cut the ropes.”
* * *
Riley flinched at the thought. He missed his weapon. Unfortunately, it had gone over with him and had hit the rocks below. Then again, with the shape his hands were in, he wasn’t sure he’d even be able to hold a weapon much less fire it.
Pain permeated every pore of his body. After a quick inventory, he didn’t think anything was broken, but he sure was bruised up—and his hands were raw and bleeding. His left leg throbbed with an insistence that he figured would require stitches. Assuming he made it back to the top and to a doctor. Right now he didn’t dare move as he could feel the limbs on the tree beneath him bending. He felt like he was right on the lip of the small protrusion and any shifting on his part would unbalance him and send him to his death. Please, God, don’t let me die. I can’t leave Asher yet. Or my mother. You know they need me. Get me out of this. I promised Asher I’d be back, that I’d be there for him. I need to keep that promise, God.
Harper appeared over the edge once again. “Close your eyes. I’m aiming to come down beside you, but I’ll probably knock some debris loose.”
“Just come on down,” he said. “But be careful. Please. Be careful.” He turned his head slightly so he could still see her, but protect his eyes at the same time.
She jumped over the edge and swung back to the cliff, her feet lightly touching before pushing off again. She took her time, being careful, and Riley kept an eye on the ridge above her. If Van came back, all he could do was warn her. She’d have to pull her weapon and shoot him if it came down to it. And all Riley would be able to do was watch.
Pain raced through him. Up his back and into the base of his skull. His leg throbbed in time with his heart. He swallowed and continued to alternate between watching the ridge and watching her.
He couldn’t believe she’d come after him. But like he’d told her when he first met her, she was different. Different, as in she pulled his heart like a magnet. If he got out of this alive, he was going to have to rethink some of his priorities.
And then she was beside him. “Hey,” she said softly.
“Hey.”
She immediately wrapped the rope under his arms and hooked him to her. At least now if he fell, he’d just dangle instead of die.
“We’re going to have to work fast,” she said. “I need to get you in the harness then we’re going up before Van comes back. Can you walk?”
“Can you check my left leg?”
The fact that he’d asked must have surprised her. She raised a brow then worked her way around to his left side where she took a look and sucked in a breath. “Yikes.”
“Bad?”
“Definitely not good. Hold tight, I need to get a better look.”
She tugged on his pants leg and fire shot through him. “Ah!” The cry escaped him before he could smother it.
“Whoa. Sorry. Your jeans are pretty shredded and you’ve lost some meat, but I don’t see any bones.”
“No, it’s not broken.” He knew what that felt like.
“That’s gotta hurt, though.”
He gave a low grunt. “It hurts.” As he’d just proved by being a wimp and letting out that cry.
“All right. Normally, I’d patch you up hanging here, but one: I’m very nervous about being here too long.”
“And two?”
“I left the first-aid kit up above because you were only bleeding ‘a bit.’”
“Understatement?”
“A bit.”
“Yeah, sorry. Honestly, I didn’t really feel the leg until you were halfway down. It doesn’t matter now. Let’s get out of here.”
Harper unhooked the extra harness and slipped i
t up his legs—careful to ease it over the wounded left leg—then around his waist. She balanced on the edge of the ledge while she helped him work his way into it. His hands were a real nuisance and hurt. A lot.
But finally, they got it done.
Once he was safely harnessed and hooked to the rope, Riley drew in the first deep breath he’d taken since the fall.
“All right, let’s go,” he said. She pulled the rope from under his arms and handed him a pair of gloves.
“I thought these might be big enough, but I see they’re not. You’ll have to be creative.”
He didn’t bother to try to put them on. Instead he pressed them into his palms to cushion his hold on the line. Hopefully the blood wouldn’t cause them to slip. He grasped the rope he was hooked to and looked up. Still no Van, but he had a feeling time was running out.
“Have you ever done this before?” she asked.
“I have to say this is one sport I’ve not tried, but it can’t be that hard, can it?”
She shot him a perturbed look and he grinned. At least he hoped it was a grin. The pain might have turned it into a grimace.
She shook her head. “Stay with me. Slide your hands up the rope and pull yourself. One step at a time. Keep your good foot against the wall of the cliff. Can you put any weight on the injured one?”
He tried it. Again the fire burned up his leg and sent his head spinning, but he could do it. “I’ll make it.”
Together they made their way up the side of the cliff. One hand over the other. One foot then the next. He looked up to see Star at the edge looking over. She pranced sideways and whined.
“Get back, girl,” Harper commanded. “Back.”
The dog disappeared. “Guess Van hasn’t shown up.” Riley grunted at the next step. “Star only seems worried about you being down here.”
“That’s the good news.”
“Is there bad news?” he asked.
“Other than the fact that he’s still out there?”
“Right.”
She sighed. “No. That’s about it.”
The world spun and darkness hovered at the fringes of his consciousness. “I hate to ask but can we stop for just a second?”
She paused and he leaned against the side, his eyes turning upward. They only had about ten feet left until they reached the top. He couldn’t pass out now. The inky blackness receded slowly. He drew in breaths through his nose and let them out his mouth.
“You all right?”
Her concern touched him. “I’m all right.” He drew in a fortifying breath and nodded. “I’m ready.”
She didn’t offer him more time.
Riley bit his lip and pushed off the cliff wall. This time while the darkness threatened, he was able to push on. It probably only took them about five more minutes to get to the top, but seemed to take forever. He soon found himself lying on the ground, staring at the blue sky and dragging in great gulps of air. His leg pulsed in time with his heartbeat, his hands throbbed and other cuts and bruises would soon make their presence known.
But he was alive. Thank you, God, that I’m alive. Please keep me that way.
Harper dropped beside him. She laid her gun next to him. “Just stay still for a minute.”
“We need to get out of here.”
“I know.” She ran her fingers through his hair. “No bumps.”
“Amazing enough, I didn’t hit my head. Just let me be for a few seconds.”
She backed off and he knew he sounded curt. He hadn’t meant to.
A wet tongue swiped across his face and he turned his head to see Star watching him. “Thanks, girl.” He shifted his gaze to Harper. She’d pulled off her harness and was tucking it away into the bag. “And thank you.”
* * *
Harper finished zipping her harness into the carrying bag and set it aside. Star showed no sign that anything was amiss around them so Harper felt like she could focus on Riley for the next several moments. If he would let her. Now that he’d had a chance to catch his breath, she pulled out the first-aid kit and moved to kneel beside him. “So are you going to let me take a look at that leg?”
He shifted and sat up.
Then kissed her.
Harper blinked, her mind thrown into sudden turmoil at the feel of his lips on hers. However, it never occurred to her to protest. She’d grown to care for this stubborn bounty hunter and she couldn’t deny she wanted to kiss him, too. So she did.
Seconds later—or maybe it was minutes—he pulled back and said, “We need to get out of here.”
“Star will let us know if anyone is around.”
“If Van’s got a rifle and a scope, we’ll be dead before Star gets a whiff.”
He was right. Her worry for him clouded her thinking. She gave a mental snort. It wasn’t worry that had her mind reeling. That kiss...
She cleared her throat. “Can you walk on the leg?”
“I can walk.” He rolled to his feet and air hissed from between his teeth. “Won’t feel good, but I can walk.”
“You need stitches. Let me at least bandage it.”
“No time. Van could be anywhere.”
Harper tightened her lips at his stubbornness. “So you had time to kiss me, but there’s no time for first aid?”
He flashed her a grin that almost hid the pain she knew he was in. “Priorities. And besides, kissing you helped more than any kind of first aid or bandages would. Now, let’s go.”
Harper backed off because she didn’t entirely disagree with him. Not about the kissing part, but about the danger part. Although the kissing part had been really nice.
She huffed and waited for him to step out of the harness.
Then they were ready.
She tapped her hip. “Star, heel.”
Star fell into step beside them and they made their way back to the Suburban. Riley moved slowly, but at least he was moving. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if she’d have had to carry him.
She noticed his vigilance even as she kept her senses tuned to the area around them. Why hadn’t Van returned? He wanted Riley dead and he’d had the perfect opportunity to make sure he accomplished that. The thought spun on an endless loop.
Unless...
“He thinks he killed you,” she said.
She opened the passenger door of the truck and Riley fell into the seat with a groan. “What?”
“That’s why he didn’t come back. He thinks you fell all the way to the bottom.”
Riley went silent and she slammed the door. Star followed her around to the driver’s side and hopped in. Harper stared at the dog for a moment then shrugged. There was plenty of room in the front for her, but it was a bit out of character. She knew she rode in the back. Harper glanced at the sleeping pups in Star’s area and shook her head. “Don’t want to be a mama right now, huh?”
Star didn’t look at her.
Harper cranked the truck and pulled away from the lookout area. She planned to head straight for the nearest hospital.
And pray Van didn’t come back to find Riley gone and realize he wasn’t dead after all.
TWELVE
Riley looked at his leg in disgust. It had been three days since his roll off the cliff. A pearly white bandage now covered twenty stitches.
He’d lost a good bit of blood, but nothing his body wouldn’t take care of in time. Drum Creek’s hospital wasn’t nearly as large or well-equipped as the one in Denver, but it had been able to take care of his injuries just fine and he refused to be transported to the larger hospital. Van was close by and as soon as they let him leave, he’d be on the hunt again.
He sipped orange juice and nibbled on a hamburger someone had rounded up from the small hospital cafeteria in spite of the fact that he wasn’t really hungry. But the red meat was good for him and he needed his strength to continue his search.
He leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. The painkiller they’d given him was making his head swim and he’d
already decided there’d be no more of those.
He’d let his mother know of the accident and that he wouldn’t be able to be at the hospital for a few days. She’d wanted to drive out to see him and he’d talked her into staying with Asher. She’d finally given in, but he could tell she hadn’t liked it. He figured the only thing that had kept her at the hospital was the fact that he texted or called her on a regular basis. Which was fine with him as she kept him updated on Asher. He was so thankful the little guy continued to improve with each passing day. Soon, they’d get him into therapy and up on his feet. Riley couldn’t wait.
The knock on the door jerked him out of a light doze. He hadn’t realized he’d fallen asleep. “Come in.”
The door opened and Harper stepped inside with Star at her side. “You’re being sprung.”
The sight of her filled him with a quick rush of gladness. “And you’re my ride?”
“You think you’ll get a better offer?”
He gave a small laugh. “No. You’ll do.”
“Thanks.” She frowned. “So how do you really feel?”
“Better physically. Mad emotionally.” She lifted a brow and he shrugged. “He got away again and almost killed me in the process.”
“Well. True.” She ran a hand through her short hair and leaned against the sink. “Do you feel up to taking a ride or do you want me to take you back to the hotel?”
“A ride where?”
“I did some research while I was waiting to hear how you were doing and found a beagle rescue right here in Drum Creek. The woman who runs it said she’d take them in and keep them for us as long as we needed her to. Two of the puppies are very hyper. I don’t think they’d do well in the training program so she’s going to find forever homes for those two.”
“No kidding. So where are the puppies now?”
“The team has been taking care of them for the last couple of days. I sent one to the training center back in Billings to be raised and trained as a K-9, but I’ve got the others in Star’s area for now. It’s temperature-controlled so there’s no hurry to get going if you need more time.”
“They gave me a painkiller a little while ago, but I think I’m all right to ride out to a beagle rescue.”
Bounty Hunter (Classified K-9 Unit) Page 13