Page 25 of The Secrets She Keeps

“I have never seen Gunnar this angry before,” Charlotte whispered to Powell. Powell just shook her head. She hadn’t either. Powell shrugged. Gunnar headed toward the doors.

Steps behind Alex.

“Wait a minute,” Mac said, next to Powell, watching. He and Heather hadn’t exactly clicked when they’d met before. No denying that. And Mac’s annoying-beyond-belief letters from Luc definitely hadn’t helped. “Heather has ababy? An actual kid? Those are her kids? She has kids?”

“Mac, sweetie, you did know Heather has two little girls, right?” Her brother could get a bit consumed by whatever he was working on at times. And be a bit clueless. She loved him anyway. And it would take a special kind of woman to handlehimwithout wanting to clobber him every other day. “Missed that at the hospital the other night?”

She was pretty certain Heather had had her girls with her then.

Of course, Mac had been in and out of the waiting room. Pacing a bit. He always had kind of prowled when things were bothering him. Maybe he just hadn’t put it together? Or had missed everything?

“I just thought they were her sisters’ kids. Her family was passing the kids around like crazy. All the Coleson kids look alike. I didn’t know Heather had captured a man long enough to reproduce. Who is the father? Or did she devour him when she was finished with him?” He had that intense look in his eyes again. One that told her he was going into Curious Mac mode. Which could be a not-good thing.

Andthatquestion was not one she wanted Heather to hear him asking.

“Do noteverask that question out loud in front of a Coleson,” Powell told him sharply. “About the girls’ father. Ever. I mean it. Do not talk about their fatherat allin front of the Colesons, or they will rip your face off and tear you apart and feast on your insides. I’ll fill you in later. In fact, don’t mention the girls’ father—if you can even call him that—in front ofanyonefrom Major Crimes. Especially Gunnar, apparently. Good way to get your arms ripped off and shoved down your throat. Or so I have already heard.”

“Noted.” But that curious look in his blue eyes? He was going to get himself into trouble. Her brother had problems. He really did.

“I wonder what Daniel did? He and Gunnar fought about Heather a few days ago. Daniel suspended her for something the day after Hope was shot. Most of Major Crimes are angry over that. Like steaming angry. All of them. I’ve never seen Gunnar that angry before.” Powell was seriously resisting the urge to follow him right now.

She hadneverseen that beautiful Viking man angry. Not like this.

And definitely not at Daniel. The two men were very close friends. Almost as close as Daniel and Mac, for that matter.

Gunnar was saying something to Heather, taking the bag in her left hand and swinging it over his own shoulder. She held the baby carrier in her other hand.

They were very pretty together like that. People were looking at them too. People always looked at beautiful people—Powell had seen that before. She had three highly beautiful brothers that she had made a point of observing her entire life, after all.

Alex was saying something to Cara, almost hovering over her. He was looking at her in a way Powell had never seen him look at a woman before.

How interesting.

She knew he had been attracted to Cara before, but he was almost ridiculous in how he was looking at her now. She’d been convinced her brother was just flirting with Cara, playing. Not serious. Alex had a habit of not beingseriouswith women at all. Powell had just wanted him toapologizeand convince Cara not to quit. That was it.

“That’s the little intern Alex is being stupid over right there? She’s a Coleson?” Mac asked, just watching, a strange light in his eyes. “Great. I didn’t realize that.”

And apparently wasn’t too happy with it either.

“You really did miss things, didn’t you?” Which, Powell had kind of missed it too, but ribbing her older brother was a requirement.

“I’ve been incredibly busy on the Wagner case. I do know that girl’s his neighbor. I met her before. I think. Around the firm, maybe. They all look alike—the Colesons, not the interns. Well, maybe not the interns, actually. I don’t think I’ve looked closely at the interns in ten years. I knew he had a thing for an intern,but I didn’t put it together that she is a Coleson. I didn’t know it had progressed to that. Hell, he’s almost as bad as Brandt.”

“Nothing wrong with knowing the woman you want, bro. Getting her to realize how you feel is a bit harder, unfortunately,” Brandt said, watching from his seat by the fire. “He’s totally gone over her, isn’t he?”

“I don’t know,” Powell said, thinking. “Better play nice with the Colesons, Mac. You’re going to be seeing far more of them, I’m sure.”

“Great. Just what I wanted to hear. Heather has fangs. A smart man won’t get too close. Maybe there is still time to warn Alex away from that girl?”

“Don’t be a jerk to Heather, Mac. Just don’t. I know she looks like she’s a badass and tough enough to handle anything you dish out, but she really isn’t,” Powell said, watching as Gunnar obviously introduced Charlotte to the two women. As she remembered how hurting Heather had been that night. “Especially right now. She just isn’t.”

“Then what is she?”

Powell studied the older woman for a moment. There was an agitation about Heather that she hadn’t seen before. But the woman had been through utter hell. Haldyn had shared some details about why Steve Wilson had focused on Hope. Powell couldn’t imagine how Heather had made it through. “She’s afraid, Mac. Terrified. Beyond afraid in ways I don’t think you can ever imagine. She has been through more hell than any one woman deserves. And it is heartbreaking on the soul-deepest level. I’m not sure how she’s even made it this far.”

His eyes showed pure curiosity. Well, she wasn’t going to gossip about that woman—even with her brother. And she wasn’t stupid. He’d find out eventually.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I…didn’t realize. Does Luc know?”

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