He cursed and covered Harper’s body more fully with his own.
Bullets continued to spray the room, giving him no chance to rise and fire back. Loud footsteps sounded throughout the house, no doubt his team coming after hearing the gunfire.
“I’m gonna kill all of you!” the man growled.
Cody waited one more heartbeat before rising just enough to shoot.
He fired almost simultaneously with someone else from the hall, Cody’s bullet catching the man in the chest, and the other hitting Harper’s father from behind.
The man dropped, and Eastern stepped forward. His brother’s round had been the kill shot. One bullet to the back of the head.
CHAPTER 29
Harper watched the moon as it glimmered into the hospital room through the large window. It was late. Or early, depending on which way you looked at it. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep for a million hours, but both Cody and the paramedics had pushed for her to come to the hospital and get some x-rays and checks.
She could just hear Cody’s deep, raspy voice from the hall. He was on the phone, possibly with Eastern or Kayden. It was the first time he’d left her side since he’d found her in that room.
Dread pitted in her belly at the memory of everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. The panic at waking in that basement. The fear of running and hiding from her father, who would no doubt have punished her for what she’d done.
Even as a kid, when she’d heard her father from the other room, angry and high, and knowing he could easily turn that anger on her, the fear hadn’t come close to what it was tonight. Because tonight, she’d known that there was a very real possibility he’d kill her once he’d found her hiding spot. And it wouldn’t have taken him long to find it. There were only so many places to hide in the old farmhouse.
There had been, of course, the slim chance she could have fought him off. He’d already been weak after she’d stabbed him in the neck and shoulder. But as she’d found out when he’d shown up in that doorway, he’d had a gun, and her single nail wouldn’t have done much against that.
The hand on her arm caused her to jump, then cringe at the sharp pain in her ribs. She’d been given pain meds, but they must have started wearing off.
Cody cursed under his breath. “Sorry. I thought you heard me come in.”
“It’s my fault. I was somewhere else.”
He wrapped his fingers around her hand. “How are you feeling?”
“I don’t know. I’m not sure if I should feel good because my kidnapper’s dead, or sad because that kidnapper was my father.”
“You feel whatever you feel, Harper.”
“I feel relief. But also a bit sad. Because after everything, I think I was still holding out some hope that he could change. Or at least learn to take responsibility for his actions. It was stupid.”
“No, it was human. He never deserved you.”
“No, he didn’t.” That was something she could say with utmost certainty. “I can’t believe that after finally getting his freedom, all he wanted to do was make me suffer.”
“He was sick in the head and incapable of manning up to any situation.”
Cody was right. That was exactly what her father was. She squeezed his hand. “How did you find me?”
An emotion Harper couldn’t place crossed Cody’s face. “We actually called your mother.”
Shock had her brows shooting up. “My mother?”
“Yeah. At first, she denied your father would have had anything to do with your disappearance. When I told her we had proof in the form of video surveillance in the alley, she told usabout a man your father met in prison, who owned property not far from Misty Peak.”
She nodded slowly. “I should probably be surprised that she denied my father’s involvement. But I’m not. I’m surprised she helped you. And you know what…thatdoesn’tmake me sad. Because family isn’t always blood. It’s the people you find who love and support you the most. The people you choose.”
He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. “We’re all your family here in Misty Peak, Harper. And we always will be.”
Her eyes teared up. “I’m learning that.”
“I was so scared when I realized you’d been taken. And I’m so damn sorry that you weren’t safe in my bar.”
