Bounty Hunter

The doctor started to speak and Riley fingered one of the tubes running out of the little guy’s body. Fresh fury rocked him. He drew in a deep breath. God, where are You? Where were You? Why didn’t You protect them?

THREE

Harper frowned as she waited on Riley to come back out of the room he’d entered.

They were on the pediatric floor and Harper would admit, once she realized he was heading for the hospital, she’d thought he might be meeting a woman who worked there. A girlfriend nurse or doctor. Then she wondered why that was her first thought. She finally admitted it was because she wanted to know if there was someone special in his life. She grimaced. Why did it matter? It was not like she wanted him to act on his subtle hint about going to the restaurant on a date. Not with her, anyway. Did she?

She did.

And she didn’t.

She loved her job and knew she was good at it, but deep down, in a place she would only admit to herself, she wanted more. But she was afraid she just wasn’t meant to have a family of her own. And right now wasn’t the time to think about it. Conflicted, she pushed the thoughts away and focused on the reason she was there.

Once they’d arrived on the floor, the fact that everyone greeted Riley warmly seemed to support the theory that he was a regular visitor. But he hadn’t spoken to any of the women there other than to offer a brief wave and a smile. He’d gone into one of the rooms followed by the doctor shortly thereafter. Her curiosity ramped up into high gear.

But one thing was settled. He definitely wasn’t meeting Jake Morrow. So who? The woman who’d walked out wiping tears from her cheeks? She definitely looked like someone who might be Riley’s type. Pretty, with a sweet smile she’d shot at the nursing station as she’d passed by.

Harper stayed where she could see the door and waited. Ten minutes later, her patience paid off. The doctor stepped out and she waited for him to walk her way. “Excuse me?”

He stopped. “Yes?” He looked to be in his midforties and was a good-looking guy with kind green eyes.

Harper flashed her badge. “I’m investigating a case. Do you know Riley Martelli?”

“Of course. He’s Asher’s uncle. A better guy you’ll never meet.”

The glowing endorsement eased her nerves a bit. “That’s good to hear. And your patient is Asher?”

The kind eyes hardened. “Yes.”

“Can you tell me what happened to him?”

“No. HIPAA laws and all that.” Harper frowned and the doc lifted a brow. “But it was all over the news. You didn’t see it?”

“I’m not from around here. Can you fill me in?”

He hesitated and shrugged. “I can tell you what was on the news. Asher caught two bullets when a stalker went after his mother.”

Harper gasped. “That’s horrible.” Even though she’d seen a lot of awful in her line of work, she would never become numb to murder.

He nodded. “Charlotte, Asher’s mother, died almost instantly with a bullet that went through her heart. Asher pulled through. One of the bullets is lodged very near his spine and he needs some pretty tricky surgery to remove it. The one that went through his shoulder did some damage, but nothing major.”

“But he’ll be all right?”

“He’s already pretty well recovered from that one. Until we can get the bullet from his back, though, he won’t be able to walk. And yes, all of that was on the news—well, on television in a press conference, I guess you would say. After Charlotte was killed, her mother went on television and told the story. She then begged people to be on the lookout for Van Blackman and to call the police if he was spotted.”

“Did it help? Her plea?”

The doctor shrugged. “They got some leads but nothing that panned out.” His nostrils flared. “And so he’s walking around a free man while that little boy now has no mother and can’t get out of that bed.” His eyes flashed in fury at the injustice and Harper tried to process the words and push aside her shock.

“When is he supposed to have the surgery?” she asked.

“We’ve been waiting for him to heal enough to handle it. When he first got here, we didn’t think he was going to make it, but he’s pulled through like a champ.” He smiled proudly. “In fact, that’s his new nickname around here. Champ. We’re still waiting to see when we can schedule the surgery.”

“Doctor? Special Agent Prentiss?”

She froze and grimaced. Busted. She turned to find Riley staring at her. “I told you to call me Harper.”

He raised a brow. “Harper. What are you doing here?”

She opened her mouth then shut it. What could she say?

His hands went to his hips and he frowned. “Did you follow me?”

“Yes.”

“But...why?”

Harper glanced at the doctor who looked decidedly uncomfortable. She offered him a small smile. “Thank you.”

“Sure.” He escaped quickly.

Harper looked back at the glowering Riley. “I don’t blame you for being mad. I just had to make sure you weren’t meeting with Jake Morrow.”

“Meeting with Ja—” He ran a hand through his reddish blond hair. “Why would I be meeting with the man who shot at me?”

He was either truly confused or an Oscar worthy performer. “I don’t want to take you away from your nephew, but is there somewhere we can go to talk? When you’re finished?” Her phone buzzed but she ignored it for the moment.

He stared at her a moment longer then shrugged. “Let me tell my mother and Asher what I’m doing. We can go down to the cafeteria and get a sandwich. I’m starving.”

“Sure.”

He started to walk away then turned back. “Hey, do you have Star with you?”

“Yes. She’s in the car. Why?” She’d wanted to remain inconspicuous. Walking in with Star would have made her stand out like a sore thumb. The dog was fine in the temperature-controlled area of the vehicle.

“I’ll tell you in a minute.”

He was gone all of thirty seconds before he returned. “I was going to ask you to bring Star up to see Asher, but he’s sleeping deeply. I don’t want to disturb him.”

“I’m happy to bring Star to see him. Just let me know when.” They walked to the elevator. “So the doctor told me a little bit about what happened. He said Asher is your nephew.”

“Yes.”

“And Van Blackman, the man you mentioned, killed your sister. He shot your nephew, too.” The doctor had given her the information, but she wanted to hear it from Riley. Guilt pierced her. She remembered him trying to tell her why he wanted the reward money and she’d cut him off.

“Yes. He stalked her for months before he finally snapped and opened fire on them in the grocery store parking lot. She died and I now have custody of Asher.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He nodded and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “I am, too.”

Harper bit her lip. “Asher’s why you need the money, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. The medical bills are piling up. The insurance plan my sister had wasn’t a very good one and Asher needs surgery. Extensive, expensive surgery. We’ve had a few people donate to a fund that was set up, but that money’s running out and it’s getting harder and harder to pay the bills.”

Her heart went out to him. How awful.

Harper’s phone rang again and this time she pulled it from the clip on her belt. “Excuse me. Why don’t you get in line and get your food? Go ahead and eat if I’m not back in time.”

“You want anything? You didn’t have time to eat if you followed me here.”

“Get me whatever you’re having. I’m not picky.”

“Chicken salad?”

“Sure, and don’t wait on me to eat. I never know how long I’ll be when I get on the phone with Dylan.” She hit the button to answer the phone before it could go to voice mail. “Prentiss here.”

“Harper, this is Dylan.”

“What do you have?”

“Your guy, Riley Martelli, is clean. I couldn’t come up with anything that connected him with Jake Morrow or anyone else that would throw up red flags. He was actually a cop for several years before he became a bounty hunter.”

“What? He never mentioned that.” She cut her eyes to him as he stood at the counter placing his order. Yeah, she could see him in some form of law enforcement. He had that aura about him.

“Yep. A decorated officer, too.”

“Why’d he quit?”

“I don’t know. There’s nothing in his record to indicate what made him change careers. Whatever the reason, he’s still catching the bad guys and putting them away. I did find out that his sister was murdered—”

“I know that part. He told me.”

“He told you she had a stalker? And that he has sole custody of his nephew?”

“Yes.”

“All right, then. Let’s move to Penny.”

“What about her?”

“Nothing. Meaning I couldn’t find anything that might connect her to Colorado. No relatives, no job, no credit card action.”

Harper pressed her thumb to her forehead where the beginning of a headache gathered. “Which might be exactly why she came here. For the very fact there was nothing in her past or present to lead anyone to think she’d run here.”

“True. What else do you need?”

“Nothing. I needed what you just gave me.” The assurance that Riley was on the up and up being the most important piece of intel. She was rather surprised at the intense relief that flowed through her.

“Great. Then I’ve got one more thing for you.”

“I’m ready.”

“I just got off the phone with Max. We’ve got the evidence in house and will be going through it shortly.”

“Keep me updated.”

“Of course.”

“Thanks, Dylan.”

She hung up. The fact that the evidence was already back at headquarters amazed her although it really shouldn’t. Their unit’s resources by far surpassed anyone else’s. By helicopter, the flight time was probably slightly over an hour. Which meant they should have more information about the evidence by dinnertime.

In the meantime, assuming she had Max’s okay, she needed to see how Riley felt about striking a deal with the FBI.

FOUR

Riley finished off his sandwich and sweet tea then leaned back to watch Harper get started on hers. She’d settled into her chair and eyed his empty plate. “Guess you were hungry?”

“I know you told me not to wait, but I still feel guilty for finishing before you even sat down. Guess I was starved.”

“I’m glad you went ahead and ate.”

He munched an apple while he waited for her to eat then say whatever was on her mind. Halfway through her sandwich, she finally looked up. “Sorry, looks like I was hungry, too.”

He fell silent, thinking. She got up to refill her drink and when she came back he caught her eye. “Why would you think I was working with Morrow?” he asked.

She sighed. “You were so focused on the money.” A shrug. “I don’t know. I thought maybe you were helping him somehow.”

“What do you think now?”

“I think you need the money for Asher. I’m sorry I was so suspicious and so quick to judge. I guess I so rarely come across someone who isn’t willing to do just about anything for money that I can’t recognize someone who doesn’t have dollar signs in his eyes.”

“The dollar signs are there, just not for personal gain. Unless seeing my nephew walk again falls into that category.” His eyes narrowed on her. “I’m guessing my background check came back clean?”

She huffed out a low laugh. “Yes, it did. It also revealed something interesting about you.”

“That I was a cop?”

“Are you a mind reader, too?”

He shook his head with a small smile. “No, it’s just common sense—and it’s not a secret. A simple background check would reveal it.”

It was. “So, why the career change?”

He sighed and shrugged. “For several reasons. There wasn’t any dramatic thing that happened. No specific incident that compelled me to turn in my resignation, I just...got tired.”

“Of?”

“Recycling the criminals.”

“Oh.”

“I would arrest someone and then see them back on the street a week later. I was like, what’s the point? So I started thinking about what I could do that would really make a real difference.”

“But you were making a difference. Just the very nature of your presence, in your uniform, would be a deterrent to some people thinking of committing a crime.”

He nodded. “I know. I agree. Uniformed officers are important and I’m not knocking them or what they do. I’m just saying for me, personally, I wanted to do something a little different. And being a bounty hunter seemed to fit the bill.”

She took another bite of the sandwich then ate a handful of chips. “Do you miss it?”

“I miss certain aspects of it. You know how it is. When you’re a cop, you’re a part of a team. A whole culture that you can only be a part of if you’re wearing the badge. You know what I mean?”

“Yes, I do,” she murmured.

“I miss that connection with the others. Bounty hunting can be a lonely profession.”

“You think you’ll ever go back?”

Riley paused then nodded. “Maybe. One day.” He stood. “But right now I’ve got to focus on finding my sister’s killer. I hope you find Morrow.”

She held up a hand. “Wait, don’t leave yet. Sit back down, please?”

Curious, he sank back into the chair. “What is it?”

“Do you think we could help each other?”

He lifted a brow. “What do you have in mind?”

“Morrow was last seen by you. No more tips have come in since yours. You know those woods and the mountains out there, don’t you?”

He gave a slow nod. “I’ve been going camping there since I could walk. First with my dad and uncles then with friends. Certain areas of it anyway. Why?”

“I have a feeling Jake’s hiding out there.”

“Well, I know for a fact Blackman is out here somewhere. I had a tip that he’d been spotted in Drum Creek. I’ve made a lot of friends in Drum Creek over the years. The owner of the general store, Paul Nelson, and my dad were good friends. Paul called me yesterday and said he’d seen Blackman in the store and he’d bought camping supplies. Said he was going to be hanging around until his business was finished.”

“What business?”

“Good question. I haven’t really figured that out yet, but...” He shrugged. “Anyway, the national park is the only place around Drum Creek that one would need camping supplies so I’m going to search every last acre if that’s what it takes.”

Harper frowned. “That could take a long time.”

He sighed. “The truth is, there are so many places to hide it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Same thing with your guy. It’s going to take time.”

“I realize that, but we have to do something. Sitting around waiting on leads to come in isn’t an option. Not when we know there’s a good possibility Jake is hiding nearby.” She rubbed her forehead. “My question is why he’s sticking around here when he knows he’s been spotted. What is his purpose in staying unless he doesn’t think he needs to leave? Or doesn’t care that he’s been seen?”

“He cared enough to shoot at me.”

“What if he didn’t believe you were who you said you were? What if he thought you were working with the men who kidnapped him?”

“I suppose that’s a possibility,” he conceded.

“The anonymous person sending the texts seemed to think Jake was looking for Penny.”

He quirked a brow. “Is Penny here in Colorado?”

“Not that we know of. What we do know is that Jake’s not going to come to us, so we’re just going to have to go find him. If you’ll help us comb that area and lead us to where he might find a hiding place, I’ll do my best to make all of our resources available to you to help find your sister’s killer. I’ll have to have my boss okay that, of course, but I don’t see why he wouldn’t.”

He studied her then looked away for a brief moment while he considered the idea. All of her resources at his disposal. That would be a huge help. He nodded and captured her gaze with his. “All right,” he said and held out his hand. “If your boss agrees, I’m willing to go with that.”

She shook his hand and the feel of her soft fingers within his grasp made him wonder if his heart would survive the deal.

Riley looked up from Harper’s pretty blue eyes. If he stared into them for too long, she muddled his thoughts.

His gaze landed on a figure near the door and he froze for half a second then leaped to his feet.

Harper jerked. “What is it?”

“Van Blackman.” He bolted from the table and the man spun on his heels to dart out the door.

He heard Harper give chase as well. “Blackman, stop!”

“Federal agent,” Harper called. “Stop now!”

Blackman kept going. Riley pounded after him. What was he doing at the hospital? Had he come to do something to Asher? To finish him off? Fury nearly blinded him and threatened to steal his common sense and self-control. Riley didn’t slow, but Blackman was fast. Van pushed past people in the hospital, grabbed one man and shoved him in front of Riley. Riley caught the elderly man on a stumble. “Sorry, sir. Are you all right?”

“I think so.”

Riley made sure the gentleman had his balance, losing precious seconds of the chase while Blackman lunged out of the hospital exit.

Harper raced past him. Riley fell in behind her and together they dashed out into the hot Colorado sun and ran down the sidewalk. He rounded the corner just in time to see Van jump into a car and speed off.

“No!” Riley skidded to a stop and tried to see the license plate, but Blackman was already turning the corner. “No,” he rasped as he caught his breath.

Harper had run farther than he, only now she was walking back toward him, speaking into her phone. “...green Ford. Four doors, older model. Heading south on Platte Street. Right.” She stopped in front of him. “Are you okay?”

“Just mad he got away again. I can’t believe he showed up here. He’s following me. He’s doing his best to push my buttons.” He drew in a deep breath. “I refuse to let him do that.”

“Good. Let’s get Blackman’s picture to hospital security and ask them to keep an eye out for him. Especially when you’re in the building.”

“That’s a good idea.” Riley clenched his fingers into fists. “He waited until I saw him. Stood there and simply waited for me to look up. He wanted me to know he was there, watching.”

“He’s definitely taunting you if that’s the case.”

“It’s the case.” Riley rubbed a hand over his face and pictured him catching Van and pummeling him into oblivion. No, death would be too easy for the man. He wanted him in prison for the rest of his life where Riley would make sure he constantly reminded the man why he was there. He planned to make prison worse than death for Blackman.

An uncomfortable niggle at his conscience reminded him that it wasn’t his place to extract revenge for his sister’s murder. It was just his job to bring the man in.

Right. He had a feeling he was going to have to keep telling himself that over and over before he had Blackman in custody.

* * *

Harper sat on the bed in her hotel room back in Drum Creek and opened the laptop she was never without. She’d shed her gear and flexed her shoulders. The vest weighed quite a bit, but she refused to go without it when on duty. And right now, she wondered if she should even take it off at all.

Jake Morrow was an outlier. She had no idea what he might or might not do. If he would shoot at a man who’d clearly identified himself as trying to help him, he might decide he didn’t want her—or the team’s—help, either.

Her ankle knife and service weapon lay on top of the vest within easy reach should she need them.

Star lounged at the foot of the bed, her head on her paws, eyes following Harper’s every move. Harper scratched her faithful partner’s ears then logged in to the secure software that she had access to. She pulled up the profile of the man she’d been looking for. His blue eyes stared back at her and she desperately searched her memory for even just one good thing to remember about him. But the mental search turned up nothing. As it did every time.

She sighed and shut the laptop. Her father was gone from her life. He’d chosen to leave when she was four. Not only leave, but he’d apparently never looked back. So why did she care about where he was, what he was doing—and if he had other children? She’d made something of her life without his help and was proud of that fact.

Still, when she was honest with herself, she would admit the rejection hurt. And that made it hard to picture herself married with children. And while she was being honest, she would also admit it was what she wanted. A husband to love and who loved her. A house full of children and a couple of dogs.

She had Star, of course, and loved the animal, but she wanted a puppy, maybe even several puppies. She smiled at the image then frowned. There was no need to go down that emotional road. It was a dream that had very little chance of coming true. After all, where would she find someone who understood her profession? And not only understood it, but would be willing to put up with it?

Riley’s face came to the forefront of her mind and she grimaced. She didn’t need to think about Riley. Because if she did, she’d have to admit to the attraction she knew was there. Okay, she could admit it.

But the timing was all wrong. Pursuing a romance at this moment was not an option. Her goal, first and foremost, was to find Jake Morrow.

Unfortunately, her mind wanted to investigate the attraction she’d just acknowledged.

Fine. She leaned back and closed her eyes, picturing the bounty hunter with the chocolate-colored eyes that could draw her in and make her want to stay.

Riley Martelli. How would she describe him?

He was a fighter, a survivor. She liked that about him. After all he’d been through with his nephew in the hospital and needing surgery, and his sister killed by a stalker, he pushed through his grief. Or allowed the grief to push him?

Maybe.

He was good-looking in a rugged sort of way, intelligent, loyal, compassionate. And loved fiercely and fully. And he’d lost greatly.

Compared to him, she didn’t think she’d had it quite so bad. Her father may have left her, but at least he was still alive somewhere. God, I’m struggling. Struggling with You, and with this case. I need Your help, and I almost don’t even want to ask for it because part of me is simply afraid You’re not listening. But she knew better than that. God was there. He was real and He cared about what she was going through. She had to believe that no matter what.

She sighed and let her mind jump to Jake Morrow.

She’d never liked him all that much even though she’d admired his skills as an agent. He’d definitely been one of the best agents she’d worked with. But as a person, a man? Not so much.

One of her earlier encounters popped to the forefront of her mind. He’d pressed her to go out with him and when she’d refused, he’d continued to push until she’d told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn’t interested. He’d laughed and backed off, hands held as though she were aiming a weapon at him. “Chill, Harper. Man, you’re uptight, aren’t you? Loosen up and live a little.” His words had been light, but the look in his eye had stayed with her and she’d slept with her gun nearby for several weeks after that incident. But he’d left her alone, seemed to forget all about it, and they’d worked well together in spite of the incident.

She sent a group text to the team. Have any of you guys heard from Zara? I think Dylan’s missing her. He said something about going through withdrawals earlier today.

Nope.

Nada.

Negative.

Each response made her frown, but Zara was in training at Quantico. The rigorous schedule didn’t leave much room for anything else.

But surely she could send a text to her fiancé.

Harper sent the woman a text of her own. Call Dylan. He misses you.

Her eyes grew heavy and she drifted.

Until she heard something at her door. The knob jiggled. Her adrenaline immediately spiked and she sat up. Star was already on the floor facing the door. She gave a low woof. Harper put a hand on the animal’s neck. “Stay,” she whispered. Star didn’t move. Harper glanced at the bedside clock. She’d been asleep most of the night still dressed in yesterday’s clothes. Now it was close to six in the morning.