Page 24 of Fearless
“I’m more interested in who the shooter is and how he, she, knew we were here.” I recap what we had learned from Mike and then share Harper’s assessment of the situation. “If Robert and Eloise are hiding, then someone may be after Harper to be used as leverage. I never should have allowed her to come. She’s in more danger than we thought.”
“Don’t let Harper hear you say that. Women don’t like beingallowedto do anything,” Jessie says, chastising me.
“You know what I mean, Jessie. If I hadn’t married her, thenshe wouldn’t have been able to come here and wouldn’t have been hurt. What if it had been a bullet instead of a tranquilizer dart?” I retort.
Elijah crosses his ankle atop a knee and leans back. “That might be true, but then you wouldn’t be here either. Would you have stood idly by and let us handle things knowing it’s your best friend and his wife who are in trouble? No, you wouldn’t, and you shouldn’t expect anything less from Harper, who has far more to lose than you.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” I mumble. I’m not used to being the one getting verbally slammed.
Elijah smiles. “Since I have your permission, I’ll give you my two cents.”
Jessie pats his hand. “Baby, your advice is worth at least a nickel.”
“In this case, I’ll give it away for free,” Elijah jests. “Roger, I’ve been in the same headspace you’re currently occupying. If you recall, I had to watch Jessie throw herself into dangerous situations over and over again, aware I had two choices in front of me. I could have walked away so I didn’t ever have to witness her getting hurt, or I could have stayed by her side to protect her. Neither option was going to change who she was at her core, which was to save those she loved regardless of the cost. I chose to support her.”
I remember the event he’s referring to. Elijah continues, “Harper is the same way. She will risk everything to save her parents, with or without you. So, the question you have to ask yourself is, where do you want to be if or when Harper needs rescuing? Do you want to pretend that Harper hasn’t chosen adangerous line of work or be at her side to pull her out of the fire?”
I glance over my shoulder at the closed bedroom door. Harper had already been knocked down, and I was fortunate enough to be the one there to pick her up. How many times has she been in danger, and I wasn’t there to protect her?
“Up until now, ignorance has been bliss, and I’ve trusted God to watch over Harper. I still do, but I’ll admit that I want to watch over her, too.”
Chapter thirteen
Harper
My head pounds like a jackhammer in a subway tunnel, and it’s quite the task of opening my eyes as I wake from my nap. I must have been exhausted because I don’t even remember falling asleep or walking back to our suite.
“Hey, Angel. Welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?” Roger asks, his voice sounding distant. He lightly caresses my face with the tips of his fingers and tucks a few strands of hair behind my ear. My eyes close in contentment as I press my cheek into the palm of his hand, basking in the feel of his touch.
I sound like I swallowed a frog when I reply and try to sit up, “I feel like a bomb went off in my head. What happened?”
Roger places a washcloth in a bowl of ice water and rings it out. Placing it on my forehead, he tells me the unvarnished truth. “We were attacked, and you were hit with a tranquilizer dart. You’ve been out for nearly four hours. Everyone is in the living room, and we’re about to debrief with Ethan and Ben.”
When I stand up, my legs nearly buckle from the weight, butRoger catches me and guides me to sit on the edge of the bed. “Harper, you should rest and let the drugs wear off. We can back brief you when the meeting is over.”
He means well, but I don’t want to miss anything or have something lost in translation. “I’m going to be fine. I just need a minute to get my legs underneath me, and then I’ll be in shortly. I’m going to splash some water on my face.”
Roger wants to say more, but he just gives me a single nod and leaves. I go into the bathroom and glance in the mirror, horrified by the train wreck staring back at me. I’m a total mess with knotted hair and puffy eyes. I’m half tempted to refresh my makeup before I join the team in the living space. Then I remember the verse my mother used to quote any time I started to let vanity take hold.
I can hear her voice as if she’s in the room with me.“Harper, remember 1 Samuel 16:7 any time you start to believe outward appearances matter more than what’s in your heart. ‘But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’”
While I decide not to waste precious minutes applying a fresh coat of mascara, I do take a few seconds to wipe the smudges of liner from underneath my eyes and brush my hair. “It’s good enough for government work,” I say to my reflection before inhaling deeply and spinning on my heel to join the team.
“What if the man in fatigues is one of the agents that we’re looking for? All four of Finnegan’s men were Tier 1 operators in the military prior to working with the FBI. Henricksonand Walsh were Navy Seals, Ackerman was Delta Force, and Zurkowski was in the Ranger Regimental Reconnaissance Company,” Savannah says from the wall-mounted television screen. When I enter the room, she greets me with a “Hey, Harper.”
I wave to the camera as I occupy the open spot next to Roger on the couch. Roger moves over to make a little more room but doesn’t miss a beat when he replies to Savannah’s assertion. “I’m inclined to agree, and not only because he wanted Harper taken somewhere safe. He addressed me as Agent Cavenaugh.”
“Can someone please fill me in on what you all are discussing?” I ask. Roger nods and gives me a breakdown of the shooter in the foliage and the man in woodland camouflage who chased after him. When he’s finished, I ask, “Why would someone use tranq darts? How did they even know we were here?”
Roger purses his lips, but it’s Patrick who answers. Leaning forward and folding his hands on the table in front of him, he says, “Roger filled us in on the developments regarding the boat rental and the possibility that Robert and Eloise are in hiding. As such, we believe that you are now a target. If they want to draw your father out, apprehending you is a good way to do it. As far ashowthey know you’re there, either they recognized you once you arrived at the property, or they’ve been watching you for some time.”
“We need to get Harper out of here,” Roger says like I’m not sitting right next to him. “She’s in danger, and it’s not safe for her any longer.”
I huff out an exasperated breath. “What about you?” I askhim, annoyance lacing my tone.
“What about me?”
“You’re my father’s best friend. You could also be used as leverage. You could be in as much danger as I am, Roger.”
