Page 45 of Steele

His boss whistled. “Not sure the ATF will go along with that.”

“I know, but what do you think?” If Steele were honest, he’d admit he didn’t trust his instincts when it came to Harper.

“I think she’s right in saying she knows him better than we do. It can’t hurt.”

“Okay, thanks.” Steele would go along with the plan since the ATF had to approve the meeting anyway.

“Do you need more cash?” Rhy asked. “Or any other kind of support?”

“I’m good. But if you hear anything, please keep me in the loop. I’m concerned the ATF will freeze me out now that they’ve found the gun.”

“I will. But I’m sure they’re smart enough to realize that Harper is being framed,” Rhy assured him.

Banner? Yes. Perkins? Not so much. “Take care, Rhy.” He disconnected from the call.

He stood and paced, listening at Harper’s bedroom door for a moment, before moving on. He hated to admit that the investigation was at a standstill. Unless something popped with the evidence they’d collected so far, there wasn’t anything more he could do.

Except arrange the meeting between Harper and Feldman.

He didn’t want to do it. He paced again, trying to come up with another plan.

When his phone rang, he grimaced when he recognized Banner’s number. Glancing at Harper’s bedroom door, he was glad it was still closed. He quickly touched the talk button. “What’s up?”

“Where are you?” Banner asked.

“Safe. What’s going on? Did you find the shooter?”

“No, but we have techs reviewing street camera video,” Banner said. “We also put a rush on the ballistics testing of the SIG found in the apartment.”

His gut clenched. “Any prints on the weapon?”

There was a slight hesitation. “No prints, seems as if the gun was wiped clean. But the tech just informed me the gun is a match for the slug found embedded in Ellis Starkey’s body. It’s the murder weapon.”

The news was a sucker punch to the gut. He sank onto the sofa. “That’s interesting. I’m convinced Grotto placed it there.”

There was a long pause from Banner. “Look, Delaney, I know how you feel. But we can’t ignore the evidence.”

“You mean the planted evidence.” He couldn’t hold back the anger. “Come on, Banner, think about it. If Harper had used the weapon to kill Starkey and wiped her prints off, why would she keep it in her apartment? Why not toss it in Lake Michigan?”

Hearing a gasp, he turned to see Harper standing in the doorway, her hand over her mouth. He winced, realizing he’d been practically shouting at Banner.

“I know, it’s definitely suspicious,” Banner agreed. “I just thought you should know. We’d like to formally ask Harper not to leave the area.”

His gut clenched again. That almost sounded like they were planning to arrest her. “Fine. Anything else?”

“No. Just keep in touch, okay?” With that, Banner disconnected from the call.

“When are they coming to get me?” Harper asked.

“They’re not.” He tossed his phone aside and rose to his feet. He crossed over to take her hands in his. “It’s clearly a setup. Banner and Perkins don’t know where we are, and I plan to keep it that way.”

She nodded, her gaze downcast. The way she accepted her imminent arrest broke his heart. He pulled her into his arms, wishing he could put her on a plane and fly to a remote island in the middle of the ocean. Anything to keep her safe.

To his surprise, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight. He gathered her closer still, desperate to reassure her that she was safe with him.

“Thanks for believing in me.” Her voice was muffled against his shirt.

“Always.” He meant it, even though as a cop he shouldn’t. Logically, anything was possible.

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