Page 30 of The Secrets She Keeps

Didn’t she have any pride?

Well, no. She knew she didn’t. Not where the man was concerned anyway.

Powell was seriously in way over her head now.

19

Gunnar was goingto call Daniel and trynotto rip into that man. Something was definitely going on. Gunnar wanted to know what it was. He took off toward the end of the hall that led to the basement of the inn and dialed. Daniel answered on the second ring.

“Is she okay?Cooled off any? That woman seriously has a temper. And her entire family has fangs. A sweet-faced teenager threatened to bite me. I think the kid meant it. The oldest sister was stirring a big pot on the stove and eyeing me like I was about to end up in it. That is one terrifying family.”

“Why the hell do you even care?” Gunnar asked, anger instantly rekindling as he thought about the fear in Heather’s eyes. “I don’t think she’sokay.How can she be? You basically strong-armed her, didn’t you? Why?”

“I have my reasons. I needed Heather inaccessible as fast as possible.They are already trying to get to Hope right now.”

Fear for the Hope gremlin stabbed him. “Is Hope safe?”

“Rodriguez seems to have just moved himself in with her family for some reason I am not going to think about. It’s Heather they really want, though. I wanted Heather as faraway from this shitstorm as I can get her. I think they see her as a highly valuable pawn right now. Stillman and his goons are making rumbles about getting to her. They have no jurisdiction in Masterson County. Stillman is playing games.”

Sounded like Daniel was now too. Gunnar kept that thought to himself. “You honestly think you are protecting her with this maneuvering? She thinksyouare the one setting her up for something. So does her entire family.”

Daniel cursed.

“Yeah, try that on for size. They think you are going to throw them right under the bus. You and the chief and the governor—all to serve your own motivations. Remember that. That family’s been through enough hell—and you are using them, Dan. We both know that. Keep that in mind when you look in the mirror.”

“You think I don’t already realize that?”

“I don’t know. Do you? You’ve let this damned war with the Wichita Falls TSP change you. In ways you’d better think about. Sometimes, the ends don’t justify the cost. Don’t become the very monster you are fighting so hard against right now. She didn’t even have a damned winter coat. Heather, her niece, or her kids. Plus she’s terrified of those bodyguards, by the way. There is something else you need to know. Someone out of the main branch is screwing with Hope’s paperwork. Trying to deny that kid workers’ comp and loading her down with the hospital bills the TSP should pay. Money that family desperately needs. Heather’s been skipping lunch to pay bills already, Dan. Bills Steve Wilson caused when he hurt her. Fix this shit. And while you’re at it, look into an open assault case on two of her nieces. Cara and Samia. See if that connects to Wilson or his goons. And if it was buried on our end.”

“I’ll get someone on that. Keep me posted if she needs anything. Anything at all. I’ll make this up to her someday. I promise.”

Well, that was a promise Gunnar didn’t think Daniel would ever be able to keep.

20

They gaineda party and ended up at a large table in the dining room. Powell, her brothers, Gunnar, and Heather and Cara and the girls. Dinner was as awkward as Powell thought it could get.

At first.

Gunnar was brooding over something. Preoccupied and worried.

Heather was tired and overwhelmed—it wasn’t hard to miss.

Heather had returned and carried her older daughter into the dining room. The little girl was fussy—waking in a strange place had definitely upset her. But Heather calmed her down, snuggled her, and had her happy within minutes. Then Heather had just matter-of-factly taken her fussing baby into her arms and settled in to nurse her baby.

Then Heather had dealt withMac.

Mac deserved it.

He had been needling Heather and taunting her—they all knew that. Probably because Heather had said a few very not-nice things about Mac’s bestest friend forever, Commander Butthead McKellen, when she’d come back in out of the cold.

Well, Powell couldn’t blame her—it was freezing out there.

But Mac had that whole buddy-loyalty thing going on. And Heather just seemed to set her older brother off.

Powell had bit back a laugh when the waitress—one of Charlotte’s many cousins—had thought Mac and Heather were together and the girls were his. They were such a beautiful family, and everything.

Powell had snickered. Mac and Heather together would make a far-too-beautiful couple. No one could ever miss that. Her brother looked like he was computer-generated perfect—she’d had that thought before. And Heather was as gorgeous as Zoey.

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