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Chapter Thirteen

Still frazzled and unsettled, Harper debated cancelling her meetings for the rest of the week. She was finally willing to retreat somewhere completely off-the-grid and private. Somewhere even more sheltered than the private beach at Hargrave Hideaway. But she needed the distraction of work. Needed something productive to keep her grounded until the police caught Walker.

It was clear now, though no one had said it to her face, that his only plan was to hurt and destroy her. He was doing a good job, without ever laying a hand on her.

He’d burned down her home to draw her out.

Maybe she could do something similar. Last night, she’d had nightmares about standoffs worthy of those old western films. Or maybe they were dreams. Either way, she longed to be brave enough to stand in the middle of a street and challenge Walker to just come out and finish her.

She had the courage, but not the skills to end things in her favor. At this point she wasn’t even sure how she wanted it to end. Just so long as it was over. She couldn’t hide indefinitely, even with Knox as her devoted protector.

Because what was happening between them wasn’t a real relationship. It was merely a holding pattern with great sex and fabulous camaraderie. He offered amazing support and strength when she needed it. But what kind of partner was she to him?

Would she never find equal footing in a relationship? Of course, there should be give and take and the scales wouldn’t always balance. She’d seen that in her parents’ relationship as she’d grown up and understood their dynamic better. Love was the core, but they got annoyed with each other. They argued. And they made up, she thought with a smile. At the end of the day—every day—they were together. If not physically, then definitely in the heart.

Why did love have to be so hard? Even her dream man wasn’t working out.

Because of Walker.

At least her problems with Knox weren’t rooted in money or a search for influence. She supposed she should count it a win. At the very least, some might call it progress.

Her phone rang and she picked it up, eager for a diversion. “Hey, Trina.”

“Hello! Is there a chance you could come for a visit? I need some girl talk.”

“I’d love that. Let me run it by Knox and I’ll text you.”

“Wonderful. See you soon!”

She hurried into the kitchen where he was making lunch. “Knox?” He turned and his smile made her melt. “Trina called. She’d like me to come by, and I could use a change of scenery.”

“Fine by me,” Knox said. He came over and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “She’s got enough security that I can give you two some room. You might even feel normal.”

She laughed. “Thanks for understanding.”

When they reached the Inn, Harper hurried to join Trina in the tea room. Her friend had set up a table near the big windows overlooking a lovely garden. Knox kept his word, dropping her off and moving back to the hallway. He could see her, but he wasn’t right over her shoulder.

“Are things okay?” Trina asked, pouring a cup for each of them.

“Sure. It’s just hard. I want the nightmare to end.”

“Well, of course you do.” Trina gave her a huge smile. “Why not focus on the good stuff? You love him,” she said. “I can see it. It’s so wonderful.”

“No. Well, yes, you’re right,” Harper admitted. “I haven’t told him and it might not work out. But it does feel incredible.”

“I’m so happy for you,” Trina gushed quietly.

They chatted about mutual interests, books, and men. Trina was ready to be done with the man her parents had sent over to meet her.

Spying movement in the garden, Harper stopped listening. Landon Walker was right there. In the garden. Staring at her through the glass. If she moved, or hollered for Knox, he’d get away.

She couldn’t believe he’d found her here. Hadn’t she just been asking for this confrontation a couple hours ago?

He sat down on a bench, taunting her. This was her chance to make a stand. To put an end to the nonsense.

“Trina, call the police. Tell them Landon Walker is trespassing. Then tell Knox.” Harper wanted this to go down the right way.

“Pardon?” The happiness drained from Trina’s gaze, replaced with fear. “What are you talking about?”

“Walker,” she repeated. “The man we’ve been looking for is here, in the garden. I’m going to lead him away.”

Trina grabbed her arm. “Lead him where? Don’t do this. Stay here. Let him come to you.”

There was no way she was going to let him destroy another hotel with his hatred of her.

“I know what I’m doing.” What a bald-faced lie. She knew Trina recognized it as such. “Please, just call the police. Tell Knox. I can hold him off that long.”

She slipped away from her friend, standing tall as she crossed in front of the glass wall. Then, at last, she was outside, facing off with Landon Walker.

His eyes were hidden by sunglasses, and a trucker hat was pulled low, but there was no mistaking his intent. Fury poured off him. His lip curled in a vicious sneer.

She studied him, looking for any sign of a weapon. His hands were empty and there weren’t any obvious gun-shaped lumps under his t-shirt.

“You bitch,” he snarled. “You are finally going to pay.”

“Pay for what, exactly?” She had no idea where the bravado came from, but she was going to cling to it and use it. “I don’t recall any contracts between us.”

“We were together. A couple,” he insisted.

“We went out on a few dates,” she countered. They hadn’t even slept together. She had made up excuse after excuse to avoid taking things that far. She should have trusted her intuition and broken up with him much earlier. “I don’t recall that being any kind of implicit contract.”

“Stop with the legal double talk.” He stepped forward, she sidled away.

A low hedge of roses and boxwoods separated them. Nothing that could really protect her, but she had her eye on the path leading away from the Inn. From there she might be able to get him down to the beach. After that she had no idea. She just didn’t want any more innocent people affected by his bad decisions.

“You went out with me. You said you were interested in my business.”

“You sure talked about it a lot,” she agreed. “I am a good listener. Everyone says so.”

He swore again and came at her.

She scampered down the path and around a bench, pausing just long enough to make sure he was following. “What exactly do you think you need from me?”

“You’ve destroyed me!” His face turned red. “Everyone knew we were a couple.”

“So I should sue you for slander,” she snapped.

“Everyone knew . It’s like whenever you go to a new restaurant and suddenly it’s the hot spot in town.”

He was so full of crap. “You’re delusional.” If he was going to call her names, she would be mean. She couldn’t remember a single time when she had set the trend for fine dining in Charleston.

“No. Everyone saw it the way I saw it,” he screamed at her. “You were with me. We were together . I was about to close a major deal when you stopped taking my calls.”

“Delusional,” she repeated. “We were never going to be together. If you were making deals and implying that was the case, you made your own mess. You deserve every bad thing that happened.”

He lunged for her, and this time she wasn’t ready. He came straight over the bench and tackled her.

For a moment everything inside her froze. Her muscles locked and her breath backed up in her lungs. Only her heart moved, hammering inside her chest, demanding action.

She bucked and kicked. Finding a little space, she managed to scratch his face. He reared back and she scooted away. Thorns bit into her palms and scraped up her knees, but then she was up and moving.

It wasn’t like a nightmare where she couldn’t move her legs. No, she ran. Hard and fast. Her feet pounding against the pavement as she raced through the parking lot. Behind her he was gaining, his longer legs eating up her small head start.

He shouted threats, but she kept going. She glanced back once and bumped into a car hard enough to slow her down. She let the momentum carry her around the vehicle. Trying to hide.

It didn’t fool him and he was on top of her again in a hurry.

But she was ready for his next attack and managed to get her knee up at the right moment. It was a glancing blow to his groin, but it still slowed him down. Amped up on adrenaline and determination, she made the most of the opportunity and barreled down toward the beach.

She had to decide whether to go over the dunes or get caught on the short boardwalk that protected the natural barrier. She went for the boardwalk. Good habits died hard. Maybe she could use the weathered wood to her advantage, somehow.

Walker cut her off, slamming her down on the steps and knocking the air out of her lungs. He grabbed her by the throat, crushing her airway. She saw his mouth moving and felt the spittle strike her face as he screamed at her. The words were a jumble of nonsense. Pure hatred and anger. She tugged at his hands, tried to remember those self-defense lessons on escaping a chokehold.

Her maneuver only bought her a short reprieve. He countered quickly, maintaining the advantage. She thought she heard shouting in the distance. Maybe even a siren. She prayed it was real and not just a figment of her oxygen-deprived imagination. So much for her plan to hold him off. Her bravado was used up and gone, but she kept on fighting.

She caught his ear and gripped and pulled with all her might. She put everything into dragging that ear right off his head. He screamed, fighting her. The pressure lifted from her throat and she dragged in air, even as she held on. He would not get away. Would not disappear.

“Let him go!” An unfamiliar voice shouted at her. “Let him go.”

“I’ve got him,” she said. This was the bad guy, she was doing the right thing.

“Harper. Harper, it’s over.”

She recognized Knox’s voice. He’d come up behind her and his larger hand covered hers where she still clutched Walker’s ear. “Let him go,” Knox said. “Look, Harper. Caldwell’s got him covered. He’s not going anywhere.”

She hadn’t realized her eyes were closed and when she opened them she saw they were surrounded. She was kneeling on Walker’s chest with no clear idea how she’d gotten there. A small trickle of blood was smeared across Walker’s face and over her hand from her nails biting into his ear.

And now that blood was on Knox too. She lurched away from Walker and curled into Knox’s support. Against her will, the tears started flowing. A blanket came over her shoulders a moment later.

Knox held her, murmuring praise she couldn’t possibly deserve. She had no idea how long they sat there. “I’m sorry,” she said at last.

“Don’t apologize to me.” He gave her a gentle squeeze. “Do you want to watch them haul him out?”

“Yes.” She sat up a little and he helped her to her feet. She turned just in time to see Caldwell and Lieutenant Frazier marching a handcuffed Walker to a patrol car.

A big crowd had gathered. She saw Lila and Travis, Nina’s husband Boone, Trina, and plenty of others. Her brother wedged himself through and caught her in a tight hug.

“Are you all right?”

She appreciated the brotherly concern and embrace, but she wanted Knox. His strong arms, his steady heartbeat under her cheek. “I’m okay.”

“What were you thinking?” Rhett demanded.

“It was time to be done with this,” she replied. “It was dragging on. And when I saw him, I just acted.”

“You did the right thing,” Knox said, rubbing her shoulders. “You put up a hell of a fight.”

“The self-defense classes paid off.”

“I wanted to get a swing in,” Rhett admitted.

“There’s a pretty long line,” Knox said. “Starting with me. Your sister gave him enough to think about for all of us.”

“Will he get out?” she asked. Her voice was a hoarse whisper. “Can he press charges?”

“None that will stick,” Rhett assured her. “I’m going to follow the process for as long as they’ll let me.” He kissed her forehead, then looked at Knox. “Take care of her?

“Count on it.”

It felt as if they were alone, even with the crowd surrounding them. “You took a few years off my life,” Knox said, cuddling her close for a moment. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“Because.” She had to clear her throat, it was so raw and painful. “Because I knew you were close. I didn’t think I would have to run this far but I wanted to get him away from the Inn.”

“Of course you did.”

“Can you blame me after what happened at the resort? I did?—”

“Your voice is killing me, sweetheart,” he cut in. “Rest it. You can tell me later.”

“No, now. I checked to see if he was armed. I don’t want you to think?—”

She paused as Lieutenant Frasier joined them. “We’re going to need a statement from you, Harper.”

“Of course,” she rasped. She looked down at her hand stained with Walker’s blood. Her throat burned every time she spoke thanks to the man’s brutality. How long before that passed, she wondered.

“She needs to go to the clinic,” Knox said. “We need to have all this documented.” Misery in his eyes, he pointed to her throat and scraped hands, her torn up dress and knees. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” She reached for him, but he stepped away.

Suddenly exhausted and feeling shaky, Harper couldn’t follow the conversation any longer. Knox and the lieutenant were talking, Lila was urging her along toward a car that had pulled up, and Travis climbed out of the driver’s seat.

* * *

Knox helped Lila guide Harper to Travis’s car. “After the clinic, just get her back to the Hargrave place. Please.”

“Sure thing,” Travis said.

“Hang on.” Harper stopped short. “You’re not coming with me?”

“Not yet. I need to file my report,” he said. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but it was part of the job. “I’ll come by and see you.”

He didn’t like the frown creasing her brow or the uncertainty swirling in her gaze. She didn’t seem to believe him. That hurt after all they’d been through. Hadn’t he been up front with everything? He’d told her Jenna had found the connection between Walker and one of his dad’s sketchy real estate groups. Gamble and Swann had known his parents were problematic from the start.

And they’d hired him anyway. Vouched for him time and again.

That didn’t mean Harper should be as accepting. His parents would never change. If they learned he was with Harper, they’d never stop trying to dig into the Ellington pockets.

“I’ll come by,” he promised with a soft kiss to her cheek. “Just as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be waiting.” She wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug.

He held her close, playing it as cool as possible while his body still quaked with fear and adrenaline. He’d nearly lost her.

Nearly.

“Come on, Harper.” Lila drew her away. She’d arrived with Travis. Knox figured that must’ve been a lively discussion between the couple. “We’ll take her by the clinic first,” she added.

“Thanks.” They would make sure she was all right.

“But I’m fine,” Harper protested.

“It’s only a precaution,” Lila soothed, opening the car door. “Humor me.”

Travis stuck out his hand. “Job well done,” he said, his voice low. “You succeeded. Let that sink in.”

“Right.”

When she was out of sight, a cold certainty flooded him to the bone. He loved her. And the immediate job might be done, but he wanted to protect her for the rest of their lives. Although he wasn’t ready to give up his career, he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up Harper.

Even if that meant seeing his parents locked behind bars.

Somehow, he would find a way to make it all work.