Chapter 17
Harper left the guys to do what guys do when women are absent—kick tires, scratch, eat raw meat. Okay, she’d really made a run for a safe zone before Adam caught on to the reason for her blush. She and Noah hadn’t gotten past a chaste kiss, yet she could imagine his rough palms on her bare skin.
The thought freaked her out.
She closed the door behind her, threw the bolt, and hurried to the kitchen to lock the glass doors, too. Since Noah had given her the spare key, she had to hope he didn’t have a drawer full of back-ups to his back-up key. She needed some alone time to get herself together.
Why hadn’t she pushed him away before the kiss? It was as if her mouth was a moth heading straight for the front porch light, not realizing the heat could sizzle her wings off.
And everything else, too.
How had she expected that she could work with him in a professional manner when all she wanted was to press her naked body against his naked body?
“What’s wrong with me?” The same thing that was wrong with her when she’d been seventeen and he was everything bad for her. He was like that first sneaked sip of beer at a family party, or eating half a cake when you know your jeans are already too tight. You know it’s wrong, but you can’t help yourself.
Noah became an emotional high to a good girl who wanted to be a little bit bad, and she hadn’t been able to resist.
Her phone chimed. “Harper?”
Taryn. “Hey, you.” A flood of relief filled her. Taryn felt like a lifeline in the darkness. “I tried to call you.”
“I know,” Taryn said. “Our operator passed on your call. She said you sounded anxious and had called from jail. I wish I’d phoned sooner, but it’s been crazy here.”
“You’re still at Quantico?”
“We are. We head back on Monday.”
Drat. She’d hoped the Brash & Brazen operator had been wrong. She could use assistance from someone whose bones she didn’t want to jump.
“So what’s up with the jail thing?” Taryn said. “Give me the brief overview. I have a workshop in thirty.
Harper jumped right in. She was finished in ten. “We’ve talked to a couple of potential suspects but so far we have nothing. I’m hoping that when you get back, you can help?”
She hated her helpless tone, but the walls were closing in. Willard had an army of lawyers and investigators digging for dirt to use against her. The truth of her innocence wouldn’t stand in his way.
“We? Who are we?”
“I hired Noah to help me. He has skills.”
There was a pause. “Noah? As in Noah Slade, your ex?”
“The same.”
“Is that a good idea?” Taryn said slowly. She was known for speaking her mind. For her to be diplomatic meant she was concerned for Harper.
“Probably not,” she admitted. She might as well get the truth out there as Taryn was like a human lie detector machine. “He’s hotter than ever and I’ve had dreams of us doing the wild thing.”
Taryn sighed. “Not good.”
The one thing about spending months together traveling in close quarters meant there were few secrets between the Muskrats cheerleading team members. Many nights were spent with wine and deep conversations. When Taryn, Summer, and Jess had been ejected from the bus by Willard and Alvin the Ape, Harper had been heartbroken. Only the financial strain of paying bills kept her on the team. But she hadn’t been silent about her feelings on the matter. No wonder Willard hated her.
Her and her big mouth. It sure enjoyed getting her into trouble. Still, she wasn’t about to keep quiet when her friends had been wronged.
Although she wore a sparkly skirt and sequins for her job, she was a protective tiger when it came to her friends.
“I know that I’m walking a mine field.” How could she explain to Taryn how she felt about anything with her life so complicated? “I wouldn’t come within a hundred miles of Noah if I had any other choice. He’s my kryptonite. He’s also my best choice to get me out of this murder rap.”
She could hear Taryn breathing on the other end so she knew the line was still open. Taryn was a loyal friend. She’d do what she could for the case.
“I’ll come home today.”
“Absolutely not.” Harper took a breath. “Please finish your week. I’m fine. Really. I can handle this until you get back.”
She needed help, not protection. She wouldn’t go down with a whimper, but a roar. Muskrat cheerleaders were tough.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
They ended the call with the promise that Taryn would call when she returned to Michigan. Just having that lifeline, even if she didn’t use it, gave her comfort.
Harper stared at the phone. Everything inside her wanted to call Taryn back and beg her to use Summer and Jess’s talents to end this ridiculous witch hunt, but the kickass part of her said hell no.
Noah had skills even if they’d gotten off to a slow start. They needed to keep their lips off each other and focus.
So she sat on the couch with a pad and paper and listed everyone who hated Gerald and could kill him.
With the list down to fifteen suspects, she took a second look and crossed off two who she deduced were more bluster than murderous. She could add them again later if the evidence pointed their way.
At the top of the list, she’d put Kimmie. True that Kimmie was a third of Gerald’s size and unlikely able to plunge a knife in his chest, but she was also the one person who’d dealt with the most crap from the boss.
With testimony from the team to back her up as to what Gerald had put her through, no sensible jury would ever convict her. What if he’d tried something on her, and she killed him in self-defense?
That’s why Harper had to talk to her. Even if she wasn’t the killer, she might know stuff. Assistants were often privy to a surprising number of secrets. Gerald couldn’t sneeze without Kimmie making a note of it in her laptop.
The squawk of tires outside broke into her thoughts. Curious, she went to the window and peered out. A black SUV stood parked at the curb and someone loitered near her car.
Concerned that the rental might be vandalized—not that it could hurt the car any worse—she hurried outside. A large man in black leaned over to check the missing hubcap tire. She grabbed a small flowerpot off the deck rail and hoisted it like a weapon.
That damn car was going back to Cheap in one piece if she had to hire a security guard to guard against future damage.
She got within five feet of the guy when his deep voice brought her upright.
“You actually drive this piece of shit?”
There was something familiar about him. He straightened to the height of a grown grizzly bear and turned. She squeaked in shock as the familiar face came into view.
“Hello, Harper.”