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“We’re missing something,” he muttered to himself.
“Look, even if Jake had told me something about his business dealings, what’s the point of coming after me now? He’s dead; he can’t testify.”
Steele stopped and stared at her for a long moment. Then he sighed and jammed his fingers through his dark hair. “Jake Feldman isn’t dead. He’s being held in a safe house out of town.”
“What?” She instinctively wrapped her arms around her belly as his confession sank deep. Her ex-husband was still alive.
And he’d done or said something that had placed her and her unborn child directly in the line of fire.
* * *
Harper lookedshell-shocked by the news. He hid a wince, knowing Joe and Rhy wouldn’t be happy that he’d told Harper the truth about her ex-husband. Yet he couldn’t keep lying to her. Besides, the more she knew, the more she’d cooperate.
He hoped.
“Your ex has agreed to testify against Tommy Grotto,” he said. “After Jake was beaten up in jail, he decided it was in his best interest to give us what we needed to put Grotto away for the rest of his life.”
“In exchange for what?” she asked, her voice hoarse.
“Witness protection.” He crossed over to drop beside her. “I’m sorry, Harper. But it’s obvious Grotto or his allies know your ex-husband is still alive. And I think they’re trying to get to you to force Feldman’s hand.”
“Force his hand how?” She tucked a strand of her long blond hair behind her ear.
He had to admire her grit. Harper Crane hadn’t fallen apart as he’d feared. “If Grotto can get his hands on you, he can threaten to kill you if Feldman doesn’t back down.”
Before he’d even finished speaking, she was shaking her head. “No way. That’s ridiculous. Jake couldn’t care less about me. He’d never sacrifice himself to save me.”
Her blunt assessment startled him. “But you’re carrying his baby.”
“Yeah. The baby he hadn’t wanted.” She turned to look at him with a solemn expression. “Trust me on this. Jake wouldn’t care if I was killed. And the baby too. That’s not what’s going on here.”
Then what was? He wasn’t sure how to respond since that was the only theory that had made any sense.
His radio squawked. Rising to his feet, he moved away from Harper to respond. “Go ahead, Brock.”
“No sign of the shooter but we found a 9x19 mm Parabellum shell casing. Possibly from a SIG Sauer P226, just like those that we found in that warehouse in Ravenswood.”
The same type of handguns Jake Feldman had been dealing, although that ammo could be used in other weapons too. “What are the chances of picking up prints?”
“Not very likely,” Brock said. “The casing has been sent to the lab, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”
He knew his teammate was right. The shooter had likely worn gloves, especially in the cold winter temps. “Anything else?”
“We’re pulling a mangled slug out of the squad now,” Brock said. “Not sure it will be much good. Boss wants to know where you are.”
“Safe.” He didn’t want to admit he’d brought Harper home. Brock, Joe, and Rhy would have a field day with that. It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d lectured Joe on getting too emotionally involved with Elly, a woman he’d been protecting. He could easily imagine Joe turning his words back against him. “What’s the status on a safe house?”
“Joe and Rhy are looking into it.” Thankfully, Brock didn’t press for more information. “Let me know where I should meet you.”
“I will. Later.” He quickly ended the radio transmission. He’d bought them a little time, hopefully long enough for Joe and Rhy to come through with the safe house.
It bothered him to know an innocent pregnant woman was in danger. Monique had died in a car crash from a drunk driver heading the wrong way on the interstate. His girlfriend had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Was that what happened to Harper?
Maybe not since her ex-husband is a known criminal. And criminals didn’t care about the sanctity of life. He’d seen a lot of bad stuff working as part of the tactical team over the past three years and as a street cop for four years before that.
Sure, there were plenty of good people in the world. It just so happened that he was exposed to those who were the exact opposite.
Whatever. This was what he’d signed up for. After his older sister, Amelia, had been killed by her stalker ex-boyfriend, Steele had made it his mission to protect the innocent.
