by Abby Knox
"You're despicable and stupid. There's no treasure, and meanwhile, you're going to have a furious pair of moms on your ass when they find out what's happening."
He shrugged. "I think they'll prove useful to us if you can't find what we're looking for."
The sound of securing locks echoed down the concrete steps, and then Opal and Pearl appeared, descending the steps with flashlights in their hands.
The man pointed a stubby finger in Harper's face. "Now. Be a good girl."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Dash
* * *
Holden, Katie, and Mike arrived together to collect Dash from the downtown police precinct.
"What the fuck, dude? You grabbed the mayor?" Holden looked both awed and horrified.
Dash looked around as various desk officers glanced sideways at Mike, who stood in the lobby like a stone statue, surveying the room, an imposing figure even among a room full of burly, grizzled cops. Mike held a bulky plastic bag in his hands and had a strange, grim look on his face that Dash did not like.
Katie cleared her throat and placed a hand on Holden's arm. "Sweetie. No talking until he's out of custody."
Dash gestured with his chin in Mike's direction. "What's Mike carrying? Did he find out anything?"
Katie then turned to Dash. "I'm not sure. Say nothing to the police until my lawyer contacts you. Trevor will take care of everything."
All of that became moot as soon as an investigating officer approached to process Dash out of the precinct. "Mayor's insisting on dropping the charges. However, I can't fathom why. But trust me," the officer said, glaring up at Dash. He was a foot shorter but twice as wide and undoubtedly could make Dash hit the ground hard in a street fight. He looked even tougher and scrappier than Billy if that were possible. "If you ever come within twenty feet of that man again, you're not going to jail. You're going under the jail."
Outside, the sun was setting, and the temperature was dropping. Dash zipped up his jacket as he, Holden, Katie, and Mike put their heads together on the marble steps.
Dash asked, "You guys find out anything?"
Mike nodded, unlocking his phone and pulling up the email. "I listened to that recording. I can't identify the voice but listen to the background."
All Dash heard was an echoing sound. The voice was so familiar, and the way the dude breathed… "Where have I heard that before? God, I can't think…I need to think."
Dash stormed off away from the group, barreling down the stairs toward the crosswalk. He didn't know where he was going. Everyone caught up to him as he waited for the light to change.
"Have some water," Katie said, nodding toward a coffee shop on the corner. "And maybe something to eat. It might help you think."
There was no way Dash would be able to eat or drink anything before he found Harper.
He crossed the street at a run before the light changed, still unsure where he was going. Cars honked as they blew past him; a city bus almost hit him, and he darted away just in time on the opposite sidewalk. Dash had gone feral, not knowing where to
look or what to do.
He replayed the recording over and over in his mind.
Whoever was on the recording knew exactly where Katie was.
His fists balled, Dash pounded his chest as he ran.
"Idiot. Why did you leave her alone for even a second? She probably went sniffing around for that story and… Jesus. I hate this. I hate this."
He slowed down to a fast walk and tried to clear his head of his self-defeating thoughts. He tried to think of ideas as to where she might be. Who might have her.
All he was left with were thoughts about how he wished he had behaved.
Dash wished he had stopped being such an argumentative asshole with Harper much sooner. He wished they'd gotten together at a younger age, wished they had started a life sooner. Maybe they would have moved out of this hellhole neighborhood, bought a house in the suburbs by then.
Oh, but who was he kidding? Even if they had been together for years by that point, he would have zero chance of moving Harper Ross out of Dockside. She loved it there, for whatever bonkers reason.
Come on, Dash. You know the reason. That place is a part of her.
The real wish, the deep-down raw truth of it, was that he wished they'd been together all along so that he could have told her that he loved her.
And he did.
He may have cursed her name, grumbled as he watched her flit around the neighborhood promoting one cause or another. But the truth was he loved Harper. His arms hurt—actually hurt—to hold her. His world was empty without her in it. His heart thumped as if he wanted to burst outside of his body to find her heart.
As soon as he found her—and he would—he was going to tell her right away. She would know that he loved her, and he didn't even care if she loved him back. He loved her an insane amount, and he no longer cared about keeping guard of his heart.
He wanted to love her the way his dad loved his mom. Those two did not have nearly enough time to spend together in this life, and he was going to be damned if he wasted another second of his life acting too cool for anything. He loved Harper, and that was that.
He would do anything to protect her, and whoever intended her harm had better be praying to God to save their ass because Dash intended to bury it.
When Dash figured out who had taken her, he would lay him six feet deep.
He stalked down the block, aware that his friends were catching up to him.
You can't murder whoever is responsible for Harper's disappearance. Then you'll be rotting in jail for the rest of your life. Still, Mike was a fucking scary dude. Between him and Billy, maybe they would know how to make a body disappear for good. Somewhere where nobody would look. He'd heard legends of mafia guys tossing their victims into wet concrete at construction sites, their bodies never found again. He'd have to have access to some construction site with lax security first. The storm sewers would not work; a body would just show up days later in the river.
The voice of evil polluted his mind deeper and deeper the more he thought about it. He had to stop focusing on revenge and start focusing on Harper.
He replayed the recording again in his mind. "…tell that little chippy to leave it alone or end up so far underground nobody will ever find 'em."
Dash stopped dead in his tracks. Suddenly, his sixth sense woke up, and he could hear the words. He understood their meaning.
He spun around and faced Holden and Katie. "I think I know where she is."
Holden grabbed his friend by the shoulder. "What do you need us to do?"
"Call Levi and have him meet us at the sinkhole. Katie? Where's Mike?"
Just then, tires screeched as Katie's Jeep SUV came to a halt right next to them on the sidewalk. "There he is," she said calmly, hopping into the back seat. "Dash, you take the front and navigate."
As they all buckled in while Mike peeled away down the street toward the south side of the city, Dash muttered, "Gee, Holden. This probably would have been a better choice of vehicle for our last caper."
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Harper
* * *
As Opal and Pearl held her arms behind her back, Harper waited for her moment.
Opal was taller than Harper but not particularly strong. Pearl was about Harper's height and seemed not to be trying very hard to keep Harper still. The dude taping up her ankle was twice her size, but Harper had a mean kick.
She breathed in deeply even as the duct tape covered her mouth. She tried to stay calm and gather her thoughts.
How had she gotten herself into this?
She wished Dash was here with her right now. She found herself wishing she'd gone straight to work and then straight home to Dash's arms.
Most of all, Harper wished she had spent less time antagonizing him and more time getting to know the real man.
When they got back together—and they would find each other again—she was not going to waste
a single second.
She would tell him everything. She wanted to be with him for the rest of her life. She would never find anybody who was so good to her. He wanted to protect her so badly, it seemed written into his DNA. He just wanted to be close to her, and god, she wanted nothing else but to love him.
Wait, was that right? Did she love him?
How could she have a sworn nemesis her entire life but then fall in love with him only days after finally falling into bed?
But the connection was beyond physical. She loved the way he looked at her when she talked. She loved the way he had stopped acting aloof and too cool for the things she cared about.
And yet, she knew so little about the real him. Why had they had so much sex and so little conversation?
Maybe because he was a relentless, enthusiastic jackhammer, that's why. Harper could not help but smirk and then laugh as she recalled the dirty joke she'd said out loud in front of Fr. O'Brien.
As soon as she escaped, she would march right over to Dash and tell him they needed to get married as quickly as possible. She knew she wanted him and nobody else, and the sooner they began a life together, the better.
"The fuck are you laughing about?" The square-jawed man was almost finished taping up her ankle. He'd done a decent job of it, and she guessed she could probably walk on it. Slowly, but at least without incredible amounts of pain.
Boosted by her admitting her feelings to herself, and feeling better about her ankle, a wave of raw strength rolled through her. While the man was just about to cut the tape and release her ankle, Harper gritted her teeth and kicked with all her might.
She grunted in disgust as the ball of her foot connected with the man's teeth, and he tumbled backward, his back and head hitting the edges of the concrete stairs.
Chapter Thirty
Dash
* * *
Outfitted with headsets, guns, and ammo, the Brute Squad surrounded the sinkhole and waited for Dash's instructions.
"When she showed me the route of the tunnels, she said it goes all the way from the river, down to the basement of the distillery, with several exit points along the way. I don't know if I'm right about this, but I just have a strong feeling she's down there somewhere. I know it sounds crazy, but I need to know; I need to try."
Billy dropped an ammo bag to the ground and opened it up, and began handing out headlamps to everyone.
"When did you get…you know what? Never mind. Thanks, Billy."
Looking around at his friends, Dash said, "We look like we know what we're doing for once."
"You don't, though. But I can help."
All of the members of the Brute Squad turned at the sound of a woman's voice. A small, blonde woman with wide brown eyes was standing to Dash's left, her arms folded across her chest.
"I'm sorry, who are you? Did the mayor send a crew to help?" Dash was confused.
She held out a hand and shook Dash's as she eyed the group. "I followed you from the newspaper. I'm Ainsley Donovan. I've been looking into tunnels for 15 years, and if you don't want to die down there, you'll take me with you."
Dash looked around at his friends. Levi looked skeptical. Holden shrugged and said, "We'll need all the help we can get."
Mike said, "No way, no how, are we bringing a lady down there."
Ainsley shot him a look. "Okay, boomer. I hope your sexism can save you when you get hopelessly lost."
Mike grunted. Alex put up his hands and said, "Listen, we have enough supplies for an extra person since Declan's keeping an eye out for Harper at Crow Bar in case she turns up there. It couldn't hurt to have someone who's familiar with these tunnels."
Those were the most words any of them had ever heard the new guy utter since he arrived last month. He had a strange kind of accent, the type that Dash recognized from that creepy thriller movie set in Minnesota. Alex was the opposite of creepy. He had a wide-open, friendly face who was eager to help at a moment's notice, no questions asked. He could assist Griff and Declan around the bar; he could carry a keg by himself, which was a remarkable feat.
Dash then noticed the way Alex stared at Ainsley, and Ainsley was smiling back at him.
"Thanks, Corn Fed," she said. Did she just…wink at Alex? They were all about to put their lives at risk to find one of Dockside's favorite daughters, and Alex and Ainsley were flirting. Welp. He fits right in. The Brute Squad doesn't mess around when they decide they like someone.
Dash looked at Billy. "Alright then. Billy? Suit her up, and let's find my girl."
Crouching down on his hands and knees, he flicked on the headlamp and got a look around. Below the asphalt gash in the street, Dash saw rubble from the road, rebar, trash, and dirt.
He jumped into the darkness and navigated his way down the piles of trash and debris until he found firm footing. Straight ahead, running along the length of Old Harbor Drive that crossed Tenth Street, was a tunnel that was barely big enough for him to crouch and walk through. He then turned and called up. "Ainsley, you're next."
Dash reached up to catch her as she jumped down, but got a surprise when he realized that Alex was already there, arms up, helping Ainsley down into the tunnel.
His squadmate set the petite reporter down and asked, "You okay?"
She nodded up and smiled. "All good, Scarecrow. Let's do this."
Chapter Thirty-One
Harper
* * *
Not waiting to see whether she'd successfully knocked the square-jawed man unconscious, Harper seized the moment when Opal's grip let up on her arms. Pearl, oddly, had already let go completely.
Harper grabbed a stray flashlight in the kerfuffle and, pushing down all her worst fears, flew toward the opening in the wall.
I'm not afraid of this. This can't hurt me. I'm safe. I'm going to be okay, she repeated to herself as she ran.
Ignoring the sounds of Opal and Pearl scrambling to their feet behind her and the sound of creatures scurrying in the earth ahead of her, Harper ran as fast as she could, trying not to think about what sorts of filth she might be stepping into with her bare feet.
Bearings, get your bearings. Where are you?
Without slowing down, she forced herself to think. To remember the surroundings when Opal had opened the door at the top of the steps. The basement door had faced the front entrance on Old Harbor Drive. That means she was headed north. If this was the tunnel she thought it was—and what else could it be—she should be able to run straight to the river…as long as the rubble from the sinkhole didn't block her way.
Her only other choice was to hope against hope that not every basement along the route had already bricked in its tunnel access.
But she knew better than to count on that.
The smell of damp earth was beginning to make her ill the more she ran. She needed to slow down and catch her breath. That would have been a bad idea, as she heard footsteps behind her. Two sets of footsteps. Maybe even three.
Shit.
Using her flashlight, she counted all the bricked-in access points along the way. If she kept going that way, she would run straight into the area of the sinkhole.
She had no idea how bad it was, if she could even gain access through the rubble, or trash, or whatever else had been thrown in there in the weeks since it appeared, but she had to try.
If I turn off my flashlight, I'll lose them.
Switching off the light, she continued on, barreling straight ahead in the dark, praying for no errant tree stumps, snakes, or worse.
As soon as she switched off her light, she saw shadows in dim light. Multiple shadows. Big shadows.
Harper tasted fire in the back of her throat, knowing that this was the end.
The bad people were coming. She was surrounded. Girardi soldiers coming from one side. Russos bringing up the rear, whoever the hell the Russos were.
This was it.
Stopping, she rested her hand against the earthen wall and doubled over to catch her breath.
Wh
at a waste, she thought. All these people were going after some legendary mafia loot that probably never existed in the first place. They were likely to meet in the middle and shoot each other here in the tunnels, and she would be caught in the crossfire.
She fought back tears and talked out loud to herself, "What a stupid way for me to die. There is no treasure, and when I don't find it, they'll kill me. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid way to die."
It was then that she began hearing voices in her head.
"Harper?!"
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She was so tired, cold, and frightened, she heard voices. She was hearing Dash.
He would never know what happened to her. Just like those other girls taken from Dockside. Maybe even Pearl and Opal were doing all of this against their will. Who was to say? Nobody would ever find any of them.
Unable to hold back sobs, her knees gave out, and she slumped to the dirt floor.
She hoped, if nothing else, that Dash would be able to move on and live a happy life. She hoped her moms would reach out to him and stay in touch. She hoped he went on to have a dozen fat babies and live to be a hundred years old or more with some other woman. Someone who would help him see his worth.
She hoped, because that's all there was left to do.
Closing her eyes, she braced for whatever might happen next.
Footsteps approached, closer and closer. Someone shouted. "She's here!"
That sounded weirdly like Ainsley. Now Harper felt delusional. Claustrophobia was making her nuts, now.
Then another voice rang out, "Cover them! They have guns!"
Her instinct was to sit up, but as her mind told her that this was reality and not a hallucination, she rolled over and covered her head. Something heavy fell on top of her.