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“Thanks. It was a long time ago, and the good news is that Amelia’s boyfriend was arrested and thrown in jail. The drunk driver was arrested too. Knowing that justice was done in both cases helps a little.”
“And I’m sure both your sister and your girlfriend are in heaven now.”
He nodded slowly. “I hadn’t considered that, but yeah. I’d like to think so.”
She wanted to press on the issue of his faith but let it go. They ate in silence for a while. The rest of the day loomed ahead of them. Considering she was on borrowed time, about to be arrested at any moment, her thoughts turned back to her ex.
“I really need to talk to Jake.”
He winced and shook his head. “I don’t see how anything good could come out of that.”
“What else am I supposed to do? Sit here and wait for the ATF to slap cuffs around my wrists?” She bit back her impatience. “Do you have a better idea?”
He finished his wrap, then balled up the garbage, shooting it like a basketball into the container in the corner. “Not really. And you’re not going to be arrested, Harper. Banner is leaning toward this being a setup.”
Banner, but not Perkins. “It doesn’t matter. They’re going to want to tie this case up sooner than later.”
“I ran the idea past Rhy,” he admitted. “He’ll discuss it with ATF agents. Your ex-husband is in their custody, so the final decision is out of my hands.”
He’d spoken to Rhy? That surprised her, but she was glad he’d taken her request seriously. She pushed her half-eaten salad away. Despite the meeting being her idea, her stomach churned at the thought of coming face-to-face with Jake.
Yet she would do that and more if it meant keeping her unborn child safe.
* * *
Steele moved awayfrom the kitchenette, shoving his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching for Harper. The way she kept referring to her imminent arrest bothered him.
Deep down, he knew she was mentally preparing herself for the worst. And he even understood it to some extent. Being there when the ATF uncovered the gun in her apartment had been horrible for her. She didn’t want to find herself in that situation again.
He didn’t either. But that didn’t mean he was on board with Harper facing off with Feldman.
The need to do something constructive sent him pacing again. This sitting around, breathing in Harper’s sweet scent, was killing him. He’d rather face another warehouse shooting than sit here pretending he didn’t want to kiss her again.
The shooting at her apartment bugged him. She was wearing borrowed clothes, new shoes, and didn’t have a purse or a phone. There’s no way they were tailed there in Rhy’s SUV either.
Had the ATF agents set them up? No, the more likely scenario was that Grotto had someone watching the place. That person had seen them go inside and had set up an ambush, waiting for them to come out.
“What are you thinking?” Harper asked.
“The incident outside your apartment.” He paused midstride, turning to look at her. “Did you see the shooter?”
“No. I heard the gunshot but didn’t see anyone.”
That made sense as he’d thought the gunman was standing on his side of the building. “I’m a little shocked they missed.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s a good thing.”
“Yeah, but the shooter was close enough that he could have easily killed me.” A thug reluctant to shoot him? Not likely. Going back over the incident in his mind, he realized he’d been standing in front of Harper. Maybe the goal had been to get him to move, opening her up for a shot.
Why? That was the sticking point. Harper seemed to think both Feldman and Grotto might have come after her to seek revenge. That was certainly the motive behind his sister’s murder. Her ex-boyfriend couldn’t stand the idea of being replaced.
But these attacks weren’t up close and personal. Except maybe for the first one, the attempted abduction. In his experience as a cop, personal attacks were not carried out from afar.
They’d thoroughly questioned her, and she claimed she didn’t know anything.
But what if there was something that she knew but didn’t understand the significance behind it? The image of her talking to Dillweed outside her church flashed in his mind.
He spun on his heel. “Harper, I need you to look at more pictures.” Crossing the room, he returned to the small table.
