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Steele couldn’t believeJacob Feldman’s pregnant ex-wife had almost been snatched right under their noses. The near miss would earn them a scowl from their bosses, Lieutenant Joe Kingsley and Captain Rhy Finnegan. Both guys were fair and decent men, but they also held high standards.
He would take full responsibility for the incident. He and Brock had been watching her from a distance. He hadn’t anticipated these guys would try to grab her during daylight hours, early in the morning no less.
He hated knowing Harper was pregnant and in danger. She was right, none of this was her fault.
He was certain the actions of her ex-husband had dragged her into this mess. What Harper didn’t know was that Feldman wasn’t killed in prison the way she’d been told.
No, the weasel had decided to testify against his coconspirators, so his death had been faked. Easily enough to do after he’d gotten beat up in prison bad enough to require a trip to the hospital. He was currently being held in a safe house down in Chicago. The truth would be revealed when they got closer to trial.
Someone else obviously knew Feldman was still alive. Maybe they’d even decided to abduct Harper as leverage against Feldman, hoping to get the guy to change his mind about testifying against the big boss, Tommy Grotto.
Either that or someone believed Harper knew more about Feldman’s illegal activities than she’d let on.
Considering the way Harper had filed for divorce exactly twenty-four hoursbeforeJacob Feldman was arrested, he felt certain she had discovered key information related to his illegal activities.
A theory that seemed to have been the motive behind the abduction attempt.
Glancing at her in the rearview mirror, Steele took note of the way she stared out through the window without saying a word.
“Did you want us to call your boss?” he asked, breaking the silence.
Her jaw tightened, but she shook her head and pulled her phone from her purse. “I’ll do it.”
He and Brock exchanged a glance as she made the call, explaining to her boss, Attorney Trent Gibson, about how she’d been attacked and was being taken to the police station for questioning.
“I promise I’m fine and so is the baby,” she said. “I don’t know how long this will take, though.”
Another silence as she listened to whatever her boss was saying.
“Okay, thanks, Trent. I appreciate that. I’ll let you know.” She lowered the phone, then asked, “Does my boss know about you two following me?”
“No, we’ve never met him.” He held her gaze in the rearview mirror. “We only know that he’s your boss.”
“Yeah, sure.” Her tone indicated she didn’t believe him.
Brock shrugged and looked away. Steele could tell that his fellow teammate didn’t trust Harper Crane any more than she trusted them.
He pulled into the parking lot of the third district police station, then threw the gearshift into park. He pushed out from behind the wheel, then quickly jumped out to open the back passenger door for Harper, knowing she couldn’t get out of the caged area on her own.
“Be careful,” he warned, taking her elbow. “It’s slippery.”
She gave a curt nod and allowed him to escort her inside. Brock followed behind, covering her back without being asked.
Whoever had tried to grab Harper could easily try again. A fact he wasn’t sure she really appreciated.
“This way.” He steered her through the maze of cubicles to one of the interview rooms. “Have a seat.”
She did, then crossed her arms over her chest. “How long is this going to take?”
He stifled a sigh, dropping into a chair across from her. “Ms. Crane, we need to understand how much you knew about your husband’s business dealings.”
“Ex-husband.” She held his gaze for a long moment, then added, “I didn’t know anything. I had no idea he was about to be arrested.”
He didn’t believe it. “So you’re saying it was just a coincidence that he was arrested twenty-four hours after you filed for divorce?”
A flicker of uncertainty darkened her green eyes, but then she nodded. “Yes. I—he’d changed. He became withdrawn, terse, angry, and verbally abusive.” She dropped her hands to her pregnant belly. “He’d morphed into a completely different person from the man I’d married two years ago.”
Steele swallowed a sigh. He’d hoped she’d be more forthcoming after nearly being kidnapped off the street. “Those guys tried to grab you for a reason, Ms. Crane. Have you considered what might have happened if we hadn’t been there?”
