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“Nothing.” He shouldn’t have said anything.
“You accused Joe of crossing the line to protect Elly,” she pressed.
“That situation was different, as Elly Finnegan is Rhy’s youngest sister.” He turned to glance back at her. “Rhy’s the captain of our tactical team.”
“Oh, I see.” Her gaze narrowed. “Special treatment for one of your own.”
“Not exactly,” Brock said. “We all wanted Joe to step back from the case. It’s not smart to mix personal feelings with danger. Tends to cloud a man’s judgment.”
Steele turned away. “Brock is right. This is very different.”
“Yes, I know. I was the one who married a criminal.” Her statement didn’t hold any bitterness, but it made him feel bad anyway.
“We will both protect you with our lives, Harper,” Steele said. “Without hesitation.”
“Truth,” Brock agreed. Then he let out a surprising chuckle. “Cannot believe you tossed that in Joe’s face.”
“Didn’t mean to, it slipped out.” Steele changed the subject. “Tell me about this rental.”
“It’s a small house in a suburban neighborhood,” Brock said. “I got it cheap since it’s offseason.”
“I’ll reimburse you,” Steele said. “This is my fault, not yours.”
“It’s fine.” Brock seemed to have softened his attitude toward Harper. “I don’t like the way they found your home.”
He didn’t much like it either. Yet he owned a piece of that. Which reminded him of something he neglected to ask. Pulling out his phone, he called Joe back. “Hey, did anyone find a GPS tracker on Harper’s car?”
“Yes, there was one tucked under the front end,” Joe admitted. “The tech guys are checking it out now, but it appears to be a basic model that’s easy enough to buy over the internet.”
It galled him that he’d missed it. “Okay, thanks.” He tucked his phone away. “We need to check out Harper’s place. There’s likely someone keeping an eye on it.”
“I thought you and Brock were keeping an eye on it,” she said.
They had been. She lived in a second-floor apartment in Greenland. It was a small brown apartment complex with only eight residences. “We never saw anyone staked out nearby. But that doesn’t mean they haven’t sent someone there to wait for you.”
“I don’t get all this.” Her low tone sounded frustrated. “There’s no reason to target me. Absolutely none. I don’t know anything, and despite the timing, I wasn’t involved in Jake’s arrest.”
He empathized with her plight, but clearly someone thought she was important. Why? He wasn’t sure. Before he could say anything more, though, Brock exited the highway and turned into a quiet neighborhood.
Minutes later, his teammate pulled into the driveway of a small white house with a one-car detached garage. “This is it,” Brock announced.
“It’s nice,” Harper said with admiration.
There was no reason to feel sorry for her having to raise her baby in an apartment. Plenty of people rented, especially now that real estate prices had skyrocketed to ridiculous levels. Taking Joe’s words to heart, he thrust his sympathy aside. All that mattered was keeping her safe. Once they’d arrested those responsible, he’d walk away from Harper Crane, moving on to his next case.
End of story.
He pushed out of the vehicle, going around to help Harper. He caught her wince as she stepped out. “You’re hurt?”
“Just my feet.” She managed a wan smile. “These shoes were not meant for fleeing through backyards. I’d much rather have a pair of comfy running shoes.”
“I’ll see what we can do,” he said. Brock raised his brow, but Steele simply shrugged. “We need her to be able to run if necessary.”
“Fine, I’ll get whatever she needs,” Brock reluctantly agreed. “Along with a replacement phone.”
Steele held out his arm for Harper, not wanting her to fall on the icy pavement. Despite his assuring her that they could take her to the hospital to be checked out, he’d rather not be put in that position.
That baby of hers needed to stay right where it belonged.
