Page 67 of Archer

I groaned as she settled onto me, and when I opened my eyes, she kissed me again.

“I have an idea,” she said.

I grinned. “Me too.”

Harper kissed my cheek and leaned back. “Don’t say no until I finish. We need to draw him out so it’s easy for the sheriff to make the arrest.”

I closed my eyes and silently counted. I didn’t make it to ten before she started again.

“No, listen.” She gestured around us. “He’s watching all the time. He knows I added a doorbell camera, then a ton of home security, and there’s a giant, sexy Marine living here. He has to know we’re looking for him, or if he hasn’t figured that out yet, he at least knows I am guarding myself against him. Probably the former, which means, sooner or later, he’s going to plot his big move or run. Either way is not great for our plan to catch him. We need to be proactive.”

“How?” The word was out before I thought better of it. But she wasn’t wrong. We needed to move faster. I just didn’t have any ideas other than what we were already doing to reach our goal.

Harper moved off my lap and faced me on the cushion at my side. “I think we should give him a reason to come to us.”

I tried to control my scowl and choose my words, but the response was automatic. “Absolutely not. You hired us to protect you. There’s no way I’m letting you put yourself in danger.”

The look she offered in return was sad, a little like she was looking at a puppy. “I’m already in danger, Archer. I have been for months. But right now, I’m also well protected. I have you, Knox, Colton, and the entire sheriff’s department. When will I ever be this safe again?”

I groaned, and her smile warmed.

She pulled out her phone. “What if I post on my social media to get his attention? Something about finding my voice again and feeling inspired by the ocean. I can include a photo of me on the deck with my guitar.”

“No.” My head shook, and the word came out harsher than I intended.

Her eyes flashed. “How is posting on Instagram any more dangerous than just existing? He already knows I’m here,” she repeated.

“Fine. You post. And then what?”

“Then we use all your fancy surveillance equipment. Catch him. Colton can use his IP address or something. Triangulate his cell phone. I don’t know. That’s your part to figure out.”

I wanted to argue, but the strategic part of my brain reviewed the soundness of the plan. Lure the target into known territory, maintain superior position, neutralize the threat.

“I don’t like it,” I said.

“You don’t have to like it. We don’t like our current situation either. We just have to hurry things along so someone can arrest this guy.”

I stared at her, impressed, but frustrated. She’d been terrorized for months but kept fighting back.

“At least talk to your team.”

I pushed onto my feet. “I’ll call Knox and Colton and see what they think.”

Relief flooded her face. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’re not going to like the restrictions I’m about to put in place.”

The corner of her mouth lifted. “I can live with that.”

Chapter 21

Archer

Knox arrived forty minutes later, Colton right behind him. We gathered around Harper’s kitchen table, laptops and phones spread across the surface.

“How are we going to play this?” Knox asked.

“Let’s take a look.” Colton’s fingers flew across his keyboard, opening windows and navigating to Harper’s social media feeds. “If Webb’s watching her social media, and I’m confident he is, using that against him is wicked smart.”