A second voice that Harper recognized as Billy's replied, "On it, Mike."
Harper didn't know why Dash wasn't letting her up yet. She was about to ask, but then she felt the trembling. And then, warm wetness against the back of her neck.
Her heart broke into a thousand pieces and knitted itself back together. "Dash," she heaved on a sob. "They could have killed you."
His voice quivered. "You're okay."
He seemed to be saying this to reassure himself. Dash didn't care that he could have been killed while going head to head with her kidnappers. He only cared that she was okay.
Still, she needed to know what happened. "Who got shot?"
Dash breathed in deeply and exhaled against her neck. "Mike shot those molls. They'll be okay, but their guy, not so much." Dash said.
"Opal and Pearl!?" Harper couldn't help but worry about them. Yes, they'd tricked her and kidnapped her. After all this, Harper still maintained a feeling that these women had had no desire to be a part of any of this.
"Shh… baby. They aimed, and Mike fired before any of us had our weapons even drawn. I'm so sorry, but they were about to—"
Harper cut him off. "Let me up!"
Dash eased off of her, and she rose to seated. She grabbed his face and began to cry harder. "What are you even doing down here?"
He began to explain, but Harper cut him off again. "I don't care. Of course, you figured it out. See? I told you you were a genius."
With tears streaming down her face, she kissed him so hard she knocked him over. Dash didn't seem to mind.
At least until he realized she was trembling from head to toe.
"Let's get you out of here."
Chapter Thirty-Two
Harper
Dash held her hand all that day, through statement after statement for the police and the DA's office.
She urged him to take a break, get some fresh air, get something to eat. But he did nothing but hold her hand, leaving only to fetch her water, snacks, and socks for her bare feet. He looked spooked, and his knee bounced up and down in anxiety.
Through her conversations with the investigators, they learned that Girardi himself believed a hidden box of cash in the tunnels was not far from the distillery. The police couldn't say much, but they thought that the Girardi family's extravagant lifestyle had drained almost all of the crime boss's liquidity, and he needed cash to pay for lawyers as he awaited trial in federal court.
As for Opal and Pearl, they were known mob girlfriends to Nick and Paul Russo. Informants had told police they believed the Russo crime family of New York had been waiting for their moment to control the Newcastle black market. "The New York outfit is hardly in need of cash," said the lead investigator. "We're waiting on official statements from the girls, but we think the Russos wanted to find that loot first as a way to send the message that they're in charge now. With Nick Russo dead, Paul on the run, and nobody with that supposed loot in hand, I'd guess the whole thing is going to die down or start a gang war. Either way, we'll be watching."
Harper didn't feel delighted knowing that one of her captors was now missing, but when she looked over at Dash, she felt safer than she'd ever felt in her life."
When Harper had signed the final report and was free to go, Dash pulled her to her feet and planted the most tender, sweet, chaste kiss on her forehead. A sense of relief and security washed over her.
She could have let that bubble of safety continue, but soon felt as if they were being watched. When she craned her neck, Harper realized that the Dockside police precinct was overwhelmed with people. Not just the Brute Squad plus Mike but also her moms, Fr. O'Brien, DeeDee from the diner, Mr. Ruiz, and any number of people that she frequently spoke to daily. It felt as if the entire neighborhood was there.
Her mouth hanging open, she looked around in astonishment.
"What are you all doing here?"
Lora and Desiree rushed over. "What the hell do you think we're doing here?"
Harper laughed as she stood and accepted a hug from both her moms. "Not you. Everyone else."
The lobby was crammed with people. Declan was there too, and Greg, and several people from the newspaper.
"We all came to make sure you were okay," said Fr. O'Brien. "Never be so surprised at how much people care, Harper."
Harper shook her head in awe.
Mike then approached and handed her the plastic bag he was holding. "One of my buddies, who's a private investigator, found these shoes on the beach. I'm guessing they're yours?"
Eyes wide, Harper snatched the bag open and found her socks and shoes that she'd stupidly left on the beach. "I would have given them to you sooner, but I just got here. I was taking care of some other business."
Dash looked at Mike and said, "Why the hell didn't you tell me you found her shoes?"
Mike turned to Dash and answered, "I didn't want Dash to lose hope. Finding someone's shoes on the beach usually doesn't bode well." He turned back to Harper. "As to the other business, we found your car."
Mike explained that because she'd left her phone in the car. "The car was parked at an abandoned house near the warehouse district. Nobody was around, but it might be a place of interest to the police."
Speechless, Harper grabbed Mike around the waist in a grateful hug.
Dash grunted and shook Mike's hand. "While I don't appreciate you withholding that information from me, you probably did save me some stress. So thank you."
With that, Dash scooped her up in his arms and whisked her away.
"I got something to say to you without a thousand pairs of eyes watching us," Dash growled as they headed out the door.
Once outside, he gently placed her in the back of Katie's
