“Harper!”
Harper froze at the sound of her name coming from outside the cabin. “Harper! Where are you?”
Riley.
Jake pointed the weapon at her. “Call out and you die. And he’ll be next.”
She snapped her lips closed and fumed. Jake knelt and finished tying her ankles together. “We’re going to find you, you know.”
“No, you won’t. Which is why there’s no point in killing you. I’m just trying to slow you down so I can get a head start and disappear.”
Riley called out once more, but this time his voice sounded fainter. He was walking away from her and Jake and the cabin.
Which was good. It might just save his life.
Her head throbbed where the cuffs had cut the skin and warm blood trickled down her cheek. “They’ll be here soon, Jake. They’re looking for me even now and you know it.”
“I know.”
“So everything you just told me was a lie.”
“Not everything, just most of it.” He shrugged. “I was trying to get of here peacefully, but you weren’t going to cooperate.”
“You’re just going to leave me here?”
He leaned in and lifted a finger to stroke her cheek. She bit back the gag reflex and glared at him. “I’m not like the Duprees,” he said softly. “I don’t just kill to kill.”
“You just kill if you think you’re going to be caught and brought in.”
He narrowed his eyes and Harper wondered if she’d gone too far. Then he shrugged. “But, I have been...corrupted, I guess you could say. I’ve had a taste of true power. I’ve held millions of dollars in my hands.” His eyes took on a strange glow that Harper realized was greed. The sight made her want to cringe. But she refused. “Do you know what that feels like?” he asked.
“No.”
He smiled and it was almost sad. “No, you wouldn’t. Because once you’ve felt it, there’s no going back.” His gaze dropped to her lips. “I could kiss you now, you know. I’ve always wanted to.”
Her heart stuttered and she strained away from him. “You could force it, but I don’t want it now any more than I wanted it when we worked together.”
His nostrils flared then he smiled and started to lower his head. “Let’s see if you feel the same way after.”
A noise at the door jerked his attention from her and he swung the weapon around. Harper stiffened, her heart racing. Who could it be?
Morrow raced from the shelter.
FOURTEEN
Riley’s side hurt. He’d worn the vest but the bullet had found an unprotected area just below it. He was sure that had been on purpose. Maybe Van was a better marksman than he’d given him credit for. He ignored the burn along with all of his other aches and pains.
Because none of that mattered. He had to find Harper. He’d called her name, but gotten no response. Perhaps she was in trouble, either having met up with Morrow or Blackman. Then again, maybe...
Maybe nothing.
She was in trouble. His gut shouted it.
Max and the others were headed in his direction. He hoped. But he wasn’t even sure where he was and could only give them directions based on the location of the sun.
He’d managed to follow Harper’s and Star’s tracks until he got deep into the wooded area. At that point, he lost them. He had some tracking skills, but they weren’t good enough to figure out which way she and the dog had gone once they’d veered off the path.
He did think there was a third person with them, which made him leery and alert.
“Harper? Can you hear me?”
“She’s still not answering,” Max said, stating the obvious. “We need to find her ASAP.”
More of the obvious.
Riley sent up prayers for her safety and his own. Returning to Asher was paramount. He couldn’t get killed and break his promise to be there for his nephew. “Priorities,” he muttered.
“What was that?” Max asked.
“Nothing. Just reminding myself I can’t die.”
“Right. Remember that.”
Riley came to another clearing along the river and noticed the small cabin set back up on a hill. He started toward it, glancing over his shoulder, hating that he was so exposed.
But if there was anyone in that cabin, they might have seen or heard something that could help lead him to Van or Harper. Right now, he preferred Harper. He was almost desperate to know she was safe.
As he approached the cabin, he looked down and thought he saw paw prints. Star?
“Harper? Harper!”
A footstep behind him.
He spun to see Van Blackman taking aim.
Riley dove behind the nearest tree.
* * *
Harper’s ears tuned in to the sounds around her even while her head throbbed. Had Riley called her name? “Riley?”
She struggled with the ropes and froze when she heard a sound in the door. Had Jake come back?
A shuffling, snuffling sound reached her. “Jake? Riley?”
A shadow fell across the entryway and a furry head rounded the corner.
Harper sucked in a breath at the sight of the wolf. The animal spotted her and bared its teeth while a low growl rumbled in its chest.
Star went into a barking frenzy and lunged. The wolf bolted and Harper’s shoulders slumped. Star returned to her side and nudged her. “I know, girl. We’ve got to get out of here.”
She finally managed to get her hands free of the back of the chair. That piece of the rope dropped to the dirt floor. And while her hands were still tied together, at least she could move. She managed to get hold of the earpiece still dangling over her shoulder and slip it into her ear. She could hear the conversation even though she wouldn’t be able to call out until she got her radio in hand. Right now, the team was silent.
Where was Riley?
“You see him?”
Max’s voice came to her.
“Negative,” Ian said.
“Keep looking. He’s shot so he might be passed out somewhere.”
Who was shot? Riley? Had she heard that right?
She tugged her feet up closer and with her bound hands pulled her pants leg up to expose the knife she kept on, strapped to the inside of her right ankle. It was a good thing Jake had grabbed her left one and not the right one or he would have felt it.
She snagged it and worked it under the ropes holding her ankles together. The sharp blade sliced through the fiber.
Now the tricky part.
Harper sat in the chair and pulled her feet up to rest on the seat. She clasped the handle of the knife between her knees and turned the blade outward. She brought her hands up and slid the rope up and down against the razor-sharp edge until her wrists fell free.
She shoved the knife back into the case then stood. Dizziness hit her and she swayed for a moment while she got her balance. Finally, she thought she could move without falling and stumbled to the counter to grab her radio.
“Max. Ian?”
“Harper! Where are you?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but Jake overpowered me and tied me up in a little cabin where he’s been staying. It’s near the river and that’s about all I know. I’m going to retrace my steps. Where’s Riley?”
“Haven’t heard from him in a while,” Max said. “He let us know he’d been shot and then we lost contact with him.”
Shot? “How bad?”
“Not bad. Just a graze.”
Another wave of dizziness hit her and she shut her eyes while she waited for it to pass. “All right, I’ll start looking.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Not as bad as I could have been. Jake got me in the head with my cuffs. If you come across him, don’t fall for anything he says. He’s definitely a double agent.”
“10-4 on that.”
His disappointment came through loud and clear. Harper rearmed herself with the weapon Jake had tossed onto the counter then called Star to her side and stepped out of th
e cabin.
“Riley!” She knew he’d called her name. So where was he?
She sprinted around the side of the little house and stopped when she saw Van Blackman aiming a gun at Riley. She lifted hers. “Federal agent! Put the weapon down, Blackman, or you die.”
The man spun and aimed the weapon at her. She started to squeeze the trigger when Riley leaped out from behind the tree and tackled the man.
* * *
Riley threw a solid punch and caught Van in the mouth. Van’s head snapped back even as the man rolled and snagged his weapon. As Riley went in for another hit, Van brought the weapon up against the side of Riley’s head.
From the corner of his eye, Riley saw Harper, her own weapon trained on Van, and knew the only reason she hadn’t shot was because she was afraid of hitting him.
And now Van had him hostage, his harsh breaths echoing in his ear while the barrel of the gun dug into his temple.
“You’re a hard man to kill, Martelli,” Blackman snarled, pulling Riley to his feet while keeping the gun steady.
Riley stood and swayed. He was running out of strength and gritted his teeth to keep his knees locked. “You’re a hard man to find, Blackman,” he managed to say, his voice sounding a lot more firm than he’d thought it would.
Blackman laughed. “Well, I guess the hunt is over.”
“I guess it is.” Weakness and nausea swept over Riley and his side flamed with pain from the bullet wound. Truthfully, it was all he could do to remain standing. But falling or passing out weren’t options. “Are you going to come peacefully or am I going to have to shoot you? I know which one I’m hoping for.”
Van laughed. “I think you’re delusional. I’m the one with the weapon on you. And if your pretty girlfriend doesn’t drop hers, you die.”
He let his gaze lock on hers. “Don’t drop it.”
Rage seethed in the look she shot the man behind him. “Van, I can’t drop my gun. You’re done. You can’t win this.”
“Of course I can. It’s simple. If I’m going to prison, Riley dies. If you let me go, he lives. Are you willing to sacrifice his life for mine?”
“Don’t listen to him. He’ll just come back and finish the job later,” Riley ground out. “If you drop your weapon, he’ll simply shoot both of us.” The gun pressed tighter against his head and Riley winced. “Here. What about this? I’ll go with you. You can drop me off somewhere and it’ll all be done. You’ll be free and Harper and I’ll be alive. She has nothing to do with this, Van. This is between you and me.”
“Not anymore. You brought her here. You brought them all here. You and the local police, I can outrun and outsmart.” He shook his head. “The FBI is a different story.”
Van seemed to be favoring his left arm. “What’s wrong with your arm?”
“Nothing’s wrong with my arm.”
“I shot him, that’s what’s wrong with it,” Harper said. “So you left a note on my door telling me to stay away because you were mad Riley brought in the FBI?” she said as she moved sideways. “Did you really think that was going to work?”
Van laughed and turned with Riley in front of him. “It was worth a shot.”
“So what are you going to do?” Harper asked. “If you shoot him, you’ll just have the FBI on your tail even harder than we already are.”
“I never planned to kill you in the beginning, Riley. What happened to Charlotte was tragic and I deeply regret it. But I’m not going to jail. You’re like a dog with a bone. You just don’t give up.” He paused and a look of regret crossed his face. “I didn’t mean to shoot Asher.”
Riley’s jaw tightened. With effort, he restrained himself from trying to spin out of the man’s grasp so he could tear him apart with his bare hands. “But you did.”
“Is he okay?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Is he going to be ok—” He broke off with a shout and the weapon slipped from Riley’s temple.
“Bite!” Harper yelled the command. Riley let his legs give way and slumped to the ground even as he caught a blur of motion from the corner of his eye.
Van let out another harsh scream and fell to the ground, Star’s powerful jaws locked around his forearm.
Riley rolled. Pain held him frozen. Blackness swirled and he had a hard time keeping his eyes open. The moment passed and he was finally able to catch his breath and roll to his side, his gun pressing into his hip.
Van lay on his stomach, silent and still. Harper called Star off and the animal backed up, her focus never wavering from the man on the ground. She had her radio button depressed while she kept her weapon on Van.
“Are you okay, Riley?” she asked.
“What’s happening? What’s going on? Someone report in now!”
Max’s voice came through the headset, but Riley couldn’t answer.
“Suspect down,” Harper stated. “Approaching him.”
Riley took another breath and his vision cleared.
Harper stepped up to Van and he lashed out with a foot, knocking her in the knee. Harper went down once again, dropping her gun. She scrambled to get out of his reach, but Van was too quick, landing a punch in her stomach. The air whooshed from her and she bent, now on all fours.
“Harper!”
Move! Riley’s brain issued the order, but his body was slow to respond.
Van grabbed the knife from her now-exposed ankle case and raised it over Harper’s head. “You should have listened to my warning.”
Riley’s fingers fumbled for the weapon beneath him, then grasped it.
He raised it and fired. Then fired again.
Van’s eyes widened.
The knife slipped from his suddenly slack grip and he fell to the ground with a thud.
Harper let out a gasp and Riley crawled over to her. She gasped again and made a wheezing sound. “Breathe,” Riley said softly, “just breathe.”
She nodded and took a few more seconds to get her breath. Then she pushed him away and reached out to lay two fingers on Van’s neck. Her eyes lifted to his. “He’s dead,” she whispered then fell back to the ground with a grunt. “I’ll get up...in...a minute.”
She lay there for a full minute and a half then rolled into a sitting position.
“I should be glad.” He looked at the man who’d been in his nightmares for the past two months. The man who’d killed his sister and altered the lives of his family forever.
“You’re not?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what I am, to be honest. Except glad it’s over.” He sighed heavily. “And sad it came to this.” He frowned and touched her forehead gently. “Are you okay? He got you with a hard hit.”
“That was from the cuffs earlier. I’m fine.”
“Cuffs?”
She wave a hand in dismissal. “You saved my life.”
He shrugged. “I figure I owed you.”
She smiled and he looked back at Van and shuddered. He hauled himself to his feet and held out a hand to help her up.
Star watched them, her gaze bouncing from one to the other. Then her ears perked and she turned.
Riley saw Max, Ian and the other dogs heading their way. “Well, better late than never, right?”
Harper grimaced. “Right.”
Riley stepped back, nursing his wounds, doing his best to ignore the pain pounding through him while he watched the others gather around Harper and demand to know what had happened.
While she explained, he realized he’d fallen in love with her. In spite of his determined efforts to prevent it from happening, his heart had gone and betrayed him. Her strength had impressed him, her beauty ensnared him. Limitless courage, heart rending compassion, a selfless love for those she put first in her life...all of those traits belonged to Harper, and his heart had fallen. Hard. It had let her in in spite of his resistance.
But he couldn’t love her. Loving someone else just wasn’t going to happen. Because love hurt.
He’d loved h
is mother and Asher and he’d be there for them, but that was it. Once he’d made the decision, the pain in his heart actually rivaled the one in his side and the rest of his battered body.
And then he had no more time to think. The team now surrounded him, questioned him and demanded to know that he was all right.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Well, you’re going to the hospital.”
“I don’t need a hospital.” He touched his side. “It’s just a flesh wound.”
“You’re going. Period,” Max said in a stern tone.
Riley sighed. “Fine, but I’m going to the same hospital where my nephew is.”
“Deal.” Max nodded to Ian. “Let’s get some vehicles up here so we can take care of this mess.” He looked down at Van. “And a coroner.” His eyes took in the cabin. “Is there a blanket in there?”
Harper nodded. “I’ll get it.”
“You stay put.” Max stepped into the cabin. He was gone so long Harper almost went after him. But he finally reappeared carrying the blanket from the cot.
“That’s part of a crime scene, you know,” Harper said.
“Yeah. That’s why I processed that area before I took the blanket.”
They fell silent and simply waited. Harper finally heard the sound of engines heading their way. She glanced at Riley and wondered what was going on with him. He was so closed off and shuttered. She slipped over to him. “You okay?”
“Not really.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly.
He shook his head. “I just need some time to think.”
“About?”
“Everything.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.”
She raised a brow. “All right.” She wasn’t going to pry it out of him. If he wanted to talk, he knew where to find her.
He raked a bandaged hand through the hair that already stood on end. He opened his mouth to speak then shut it when Leo pulled up.
With an ambulance right behind him.
Leo climbed from the Suburban. “Any sign of Jake?” Harper asked.
“No, afraid not.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. Two paramedics approached and she was surprised Riley didn’t argue about being checked out.
When they approached her, she sighed and figured she might as well be a good sport as well.
Bounty Hunter (Classified K-9 Unit) Page 16