Page 55 of Archer

Chapter 16

Archer

I’d fallen into a routine of endless fatigue. I barely slept at night. I didn’t rest during the day. And my biggest problem wasn’t the stalker tormenting Harper. If he came close enough, or made the right mistake, he’d be gone, dropped like a rock. He was just an annoyance, a scratch that would soon be itched.

It was the woman in the next room, with the gentle soul and fierce heart. A woman with the courage of someone twice my size packed into a tiny, vulnerable frame, who kept me awake and on edge.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Harper’s face tilted toward mine. I felt the ghost of her breath against my lips and heard that small sound she’d made when I pulled away.

I did the right thing.

That didn’t stop it from feeling like the worst mistake of my life.

Four-thirty came as a relief. I threw on my running clothes and headed outside, desperate for the burn of physical exertion to clear my head. I ran until my lungs screamed, until my legs burned. I ran until I couldn’t think about anything except putting one foot in front of the other.

In the end, that didn’t help either.

By the time I returned to the cottage, Harper was already awake. Gentle humming rose from the kitchen, backdropped by the clink of mugs and the gurgle of the coffee maker.

I waffled, knowing I should shower first and give us both some space.

Instead, I followed the sound of her melody into the kitchen.

Harper stood at the counter, hair loose around her shoulders, wearing shorts and a tank top. When she turned, our eyes met, and the memory of nearly kissing her crashed over me.

“Morning,” she said.

“Morning.”

The chemistry of last night returned in an instant, heavy and restless between us.

Harper grabbed two mugs. “Coffee?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

We stood a few feet apart as she poured, then passed me one mug. The silence felt loaded, and the pressure to speak built in my chest.

“About last night—” I started.

My phone rang and I imagined throwing it into the ocean.

Colton’s name appeared on the screen. “Sorry,” I muttered, then answered immediately. Hopefully he had definitive results on that video footage. Was it a shadow caused by something I couldn’t find or comprehend? Or was it Harper’s stalker, practically walking right up to her back door? “What’ve you got?”

“Breakthrough.” His voice was tight with excitement. “I didn’t get anywhere on the shadow from the other night, but I’ve got a feeling we both know it wasn’t a shadow.”

I grunted.

“Better news is that I’ve been reviewing venue footage from Harper’s shows. Bluebird Café from six months ago, plus every show that resulted in a delivery.”

I put him on speaker. “Go ahead.”

“There’s one face that appears every time. Always close to the stage. Oftentimes front row, other times, side stage right.”

Harper’s mug clattered against the counter as she set it down. “So, he attends the shows first.”

“If this is him,” Colton said. “Then, yeah.”

“Can you ID him?” I asked.