Page 28 of Island Rescuer

“Hang on.” He couldn’t let her continue thinking it was one-sided. “Harper, I’d be willing to let you use me. Possibly honored.”

She laughed.

“I’m serious. I’ve had a thing for you for years. It’s one reason I try to avoid working in this area. Seeing you is bittersweet.” He brushed a lock of hair from her face, smoothing it behind her ear. “You’re way too good for me.”

Slowly, he reached for her, thrilled when she moved into his touch. His hands glided from her shoulders, down over her silky, sun-warmed skin until his fingers laced through hers. “You’ve been the most beautiful, unattainable light in my life. Even back when I was a stupid kid you made me want to be better. This might not be conventional and we may not go out on dates, but there is no reason to rush into anything.”

Rushing her would be a crime. He wanted to savor every minute.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. I don’t want regrets either. We can take our time. Whoever is doing this, I won’t let him hurt you.” The hope in her gaze nearly brought him to his knees. “And if the case ends before we’re ready, we can make more time for each other. If that’s what you want.”

Never had he been so candid with a woman. With anyone. But Harper made him feel safe enough to show all his cards.

“And what if I want to jump right into bed? Or climb you like a tree right here?”

He laughed, a rusty sound. Aroused beyond reason, he tugged her close. She rested her cheek against his chest, tucking her head under his chin. Giving absolute trust, with her body and her words. He could practically hear the walls around his heart crashing down. It was a wonder she didn’t feel the sand shaking from the impact.

From his pocket, his phone screeched like a banshee. She jumped but he kept an arm around her waist. “It’s Jenna,” he explained as he answered. “You’re on speaker. What did you find?”

“Oh.” she sounded surprised. “Good morning to you both. I was expecting Knox alone.”

“I can go back inside,” Harper volunteered.

“You’re at the beach. I can hear the waves,” Jenna explained. “I will not be blamed for cutting short a beach break. Besides, you’re only going to ask him what I learned.”

“True enough,” Harper admitted.

“Are you sitting down?”

Exchanging a look, the two of them plopped down in the dry sand several paces away from the water line. The grin she gave him was worth any long-held secret. “Come on Jenna, talk.”

“I’m summarizing because I’ve been pulling text messages off Harper’s phone. Whoever this is, he’s desperate, chatty, or both. And before you ask, I’m only ninety-nine percent sure it’s a man. Regardless, we have a ransom demand.”

Harper reared back.

“From a burner phone.”

“Untraceable, yes.”

“How much?” Harper queried.

“Fifty thousand or, I’m quoting here, ‘the next time, you will go down with the ship’. There are meeting details included that I have forwarded to Knox and headquarters.”

“We will not be going to a meeting,” he said.

Beside him, she shuddered. “He’s admitting to planting the device on the boat.”

“Pretty much,” Jenna said. “I’m confident he hired it done, based on the foot traffic at the dock.”

Harper pressed her hands under her thighs, but not before he saw them shaking. “Have you found who leaked the information about my fishing trip?”

He admired her steady voice, especially after an eventful night and on the heels of this news.

“Knox is the expert in the field of course, but from what I’ve seen, it was dumb luck. The friends you were fishing with were in the resort bar the night before. There is another man who was near your friends, and I think it’s the same man out on the dock the next morning. About an hour ahead of your arrival. But the lighting sucks and the guy was deliberately avoiding cameras. Whoever is behind this is following you closely, Harper. Probably for a while now.”

“You sent everything to Bruce?” Knox asked.

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