Harper took Dani’s hand and squeezed it tightly. “I’m so sorry. I…I promised to protect you and I failed.” She felt tears threatening, and she closed her eyes, trying to ward them off. “I thought I’d failed again. I was so afraid it would be like…” She couldn’t go on as her tears closed up her throat. She’d failed Jan. Jan was dead. She’d failed Dani. If Dani hadn’t fallen from the car, what would have happened? What if she couldn’t have stopped the car? What if he’d gotten away with her? Harper would never have found her. And she would have failed Dani too. Dani would have most likely met the same fate as Jan.

Her heart broke all over again as Dani pulled her into her arms, offering her comfort. Harper should be the strong one, Harper should be comforting Dani, not the other way around. But here they sat, in the darkness of the backseat, holding each other, mixing their tears—soothing their fears.

How many minutes they clung to each other, she didn’t know. When she felt in control again, she gently pulled away, still keeping a hold of Dani’s hand. She looked up, finding Reid watching them in the mirror, eyebrows raised in a question. She had no answer for him.

“Take us back to the motel,” she said, her voice still thick with emotion. “I want to get our things.”

“We need to call Mize. He’ll want us to go in.”

Harper had no intention of going in. Not now. “Motel first.”

Reid eyed her in the mirror for a second, then nodded.

She felt Dani lean against her shoulder, eyes closed. Harper moved closer to her.

“You okay?” she whispered.

Dani nodded but said nothing. Harper noted that their fingers were still linked, and she leaned back against the seat, letting her own eyes slip closed.

Chapter Thirty-Six

Emergency lights flashed all around the motel and Reid slowed as they approached.

“What the hell? Did Hernandez call in the troops?”

They were stopped at the entrance and Reid showed his badge to the officer. “Detectives Springer and Jeremiah,” he said. “What’s going on?”

“Officer down. Sorrell.”

Harper leaned forward. “Down? Dead?”

“Yes, ma’am. Stabbed in the throat.”

“Oh, my God,” Dani whispered.

Reid maneuvered the car between an ambulance and a squad car. Hernandez was standing off to the side, talking to two women. Detectives from Homicide, no doubt. He stopped in front of their rooms and Harper turned to Dani.

“Stay here. I’ll get our things.”

“What are we going to do?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

When Reid would have gone over to talk to Hernandez, Harper stopped him.

“I’m going to get our things, then we’re out of here.”

“Out?” He shook his head. “Harper, no. We go in. We report what happened. We let Mize decide the next course of action.”