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Had he known where Harper was or what she’d been doing?
I’d been able to track her with Mason’s help. It hadn’t been tough pinging her cell phone to the nearest tower, and then zeroing in on her location.
Had the Italian man done the same?
What did he want with Harper?
He didn’t look like the type of guy who would be into water sports or go anywhere near a river.
I paddled hard and fast.
In the distance, I caught a glance at her raft. The fork was up ahead, and she headed toward the right.
Shit.
“Harper!” I shouted, hoping that she’d listen to my advice.
Her long blonde hair darted around as she glanced over her shoulder at me.
I paddled harder and faster, closing the gap between us. I honestly thought she’d try to outrun me. Instead, she put her paddle down in the raft and waited for me to approach.
My heart raced as I caught up to her, and as I came alongside her raft, I grabbed the rope and tied our rafts together at the handles.
A weak smile played on her lips. “I didn’t think you’d follow me after I left your ass twice,” Harper said.
“I’m persistent.”
Harper laughed and shook her head. “You’re something else.”
Grinning, I secured a knot, keeping our rafts together. I handed her a helmet. “Put this on.”
“And if I don’t?”
“I won’t let you go down the rougher rapids.” The rafts were already nearing the right entrance of the fork, and it would take too much time to get to the opposite side. “Please.”
She huffed under her breath and took the helmet from my hands, securing it on her head and clipping it under her chin.
I reached behind me for the life jacket. “This too, please.”
At least I didn’t have to hold her down and force her to wear it. I didn’t think that would have gone over too well.
She’d have likely thrown me into the water.
“Fine. I can’t afford to die out here. Too much paperwork for you, right?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
Had she known that I was hired as her bodyguard?
Did she realize the job went beyond just running security detail on set?
If she hadn’t figured it out already, I couldn’t risk her discovering the truth.
Already she was pissed, but she’d hate me.
“It was a joke. Relax,” Harper said. She secured the life jacket and reached for her paddle. “Are you going to untie us now?”
A huge grin crossed my face. There was no chance in hell that I was untying our rafts until I was confident that she was done for the day. She’d have to be out of the raft and on dry land. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
Her fingers grazed over the knot that I’d tied. She studied it for a long moment before giving up.
I wasn’t sure whether she thought she couldn’t untie it or just didn’t care that much.
Maybe she didn’t mind being stuck with me?
I had all day to convince her that she wasn’t just an assignment.
The raft picked up speed as the current grew faster the closer we approached the rapids.
We’d been chatting and laughing, and I’d nearly missed the fact that we were drawing nearer to the rough waters ahead.