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Yeah, that was likely why no one had stopped them.
It didn’t take long for her to become short of breath again. Steele slowed his pace, casting a sideways glance at her. “One more block, okay?”
Did she have a choice? She nodded, saving her breath. True to his word, he led her through another yard to the next street. As if on cue, a black SUV turned the corner, coming toward them. Her heart squeezed, fearing these were the bad guys, but she needn’t have worried.
Steele raised his hand and paused, waiting for the vehicle to get closer. Then he opened the rear passenger door. “Get in.”
Pathetically grateful to get off her aching feet, she did. Steele shut the door, then jogged around to climb in beside Brock.
“What happened?” Brock asked as he drove away.
“At least two men, maybe more, peppered Harper’s car with bullets.” Steele shook his head. “I don’t know if that was merely a warning or if they were planning to head inside my place to find her. I didn’t stick around long enough to find out. We left through the back door, climbed the fence, then called you.”
“Climbed the fence?” Brock’s gaze met hers briefly in the rearview mirror. Was it her imagination or had there been a hint of admiration there? She told herself it didn’t matter what Brock thought. Or Steele, for that matter.
“She did great.” Steele turned in his seat to face her. “Are you sure you’re okay? No issues with your pregnancy?”
“As far as I can tell, I’m fine.” She wasn’t exactly an expert in the having a baby department. This was her first and likely only pregnancy. There was no way on earth she planned on getting married again. She wasn’t even sure how she’d manage to raise this child, but she would do everything in her power to keep her baby safe.
“You need to let us know if anything changes.” Steele pinned her with an intense gaze. “We can get you checked out at the hospital if needed.”
“Trust me, I will.” She hadn’t planned or anticipated this pregnancy, and the circumstances were less than ideal. Still, she wanted this baby more than anything, even knowing the child would carry Jake’s blood in his or her veins.
This baby was a blessing, a reason to celebrate in her otherwise bleak life. She only hoped that being off work wouldn’t risk her job. Raising a child alone would be difficult enough, but not being employed would make it ten times worse. Especially since she’d learned her parents had been in debt when they died. She had nothing to fall back on, other than hard work and determination.
She’d been thankful Trent Gibson hadn’t terminated her after her ex-husband’s arrest. Maybe her boss had spared her because she’d already filed for divorce. And because he made a living representing criminals like Jake.
“There’s a glitch on the safe house,” Brock said, interrupting her thoughts. “I’m taking you to a secondary location.”
“What caused the change?” Steele frowned. “Clearly Harper’s life is in danger.”
“Technically, we don’t know that the shooter wants her dead.” Brock didn’t seem to notice how Steele glared at him. “But the truth is, she isn’t a material witness.”
“What does that mean?” she demanded. “My life and that of my baby don’t matter?”
“Of course, you both matter. But we can’t use the city’s funds to pay for a safe house for you.” Steele’s tone was grim. Then he addressed Brock. “What’s the plan?”
“I’ve arranged for a rental; it’s also in Ravenswood.” Brock glanced at him. “Don’t blame Joe or Rhy, they did their best. They’re always supportive of us. It was Michaels who put a kibosh on the safe house.”
“Yeah, I figured,” Steele said with a sigh.
She didn’t know who Rhy and Joe were personally, but it was clear both men were well liked and respected. It was humbling to know that Steele was doing his best to protect her.
“I booked the place under my name,” Brock continued. “But it’s concerning that Harper’s vehicle was found at your home.”
Steele scowled and shook his head. “My fault. I should have checked to make sure there wasn’t a GPS tracker on it. Either that or they tracked her phone.”
She felt her pockets, checked her purse, and sighed. “I left my phone on your sofa.”
“That’s probably a good thing.” Brock met her gaze in the rearview again. “Harper, you’re absolutely sure you don’t know who is behind this?”
She bit back a sarcastic response. “I promise that if I did, I’d tell you. I have no love or respect for my ex-husband.” A thought occurred to her. “Maybe Jake hired someone to hurt or kill me?”
“You told her?” Brock demanded.
“Yeah, I think she deserves to know what she’s up against,” Steele responded. “Whoever is behind this isn’t going to give up. Not if they took a chance by coming to a cop’s house to grab her.”
Brock let out an exasperated sigh. “I hope that doesn’t come back to bite you in the butt.”
