Page 41 of The Secrets She Keeps

It made Powell a bit giddy to think about. Her bestie on the whole planet was in love. Seriously in love.

Haldyn deserved a man who loved and adored her enough to see how wonderful she was. And commitfullyin a way Daniel never had. That it was the man Haldyn had been snarling at for years was just hilarious, though.

Powell was thinking about how quickly life could change when she rounded the corner and almost slammed into a tall man in a baseball cap headed to the same stairs she was. “Ohh!”

She looked up. Into hazel eyes and a face she was sure she had seen somewhere before. “I’m sorry. I was lost in my own head. I should pay better attention.”

His eyes flared. With interest. He had his hands around her waist. And he wasn’t letting go. In fact, the man lifted her closer. Far too close.

Powell stepped back. Fast. Talk about personal-space violation. “I’m sorry. Please excuse me.”

“No, I’m sorry. I was just as distracted.” He put a respectable distance between them so fast that maybe she’d imagined him tightening his grip on her before. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No. I’m good. I’m a bit clumsy sometimes.” She looked at him again. He looked really familiar. “Have we met before?”

He hesitated a moment. A look of irritation went over his face. “No. I don’t believe we have. If you’ll excuse me, I do have a colleague waiting.”

And Powell was right in the middle of the hallway. She felt like an idiot, just standing in his way. “Of course. I’m a bit more rattled than I expected. I need to find my brothers. Have a good day.”

“You too.” He touched the brim of his ballcap lightly. His eyes were still hard and irritated. Powell resisted the urge to shiver.

She knew she had seen him somewhere before.

And it hadn’t beenherein Wyoming.

She just couldn’t figure out where.

28

It feltgood to be back on Powell’s home turf, she decided as she was almost ready to leave her office for the night her first day back in Texas, but knowing that she’d left so many things unfinished with Gunnar wasn’t sitting so well.

He’d kissed her in her hotel room that morning, though. Things haddefinitelybeen left unfinished then.

Then again, maybe it had been the donuts she’d eaten for a snack a few hours earlier making her feel a littleiffy.

Food was really strange right now. No denying that.

Powell tried to distract herself by mentally unpacking some of the things Cara had said in Wyoming. She’d not wanted to leave the younger woman behind. But the TSP’s business wasn’t finished—and Powell’s had been. And she’d had a meeting she couldn’t miss that morning.

But Cara had been at B-3 not even an hour ago. She’d told Powell they’d all flown back from Masterson on Houghton’s private jet. Heather had retreated back to Coleson Castle. Even though Daniel had offered to drive her and Cara and the girls home. Apparently, Norm and Miguel Rodriguez had already been waiting for Heather—both of them growling and snarling.

At Daniel.

Powell had heard about the evidence leak. Daniel had pulled her and Alex aside and asked them what could be done to keep things under control. It hadn’t been pretty.

Everything seemed to be escalating, rapidly. Since the day someone had taken Haldyn—and almost taken Powell too—it was like everything was going crazy at the TSP. It terrified her. Absolutely terrified her. For Gunnar, for Heather, and Daniel, and Madison, Haldyn and Jarrod, Murdoch, all of herfriends.

Powell hated feeling powerless. Not being able tohelpthe people she cared about.

Well, she might not be able to help the TSP, but maybe she could help Cara. There was something about what Cara had said that was sticking in Powell’s head. She just couldn’t figure out what it was.

So it was time to look at thebig picturewhere the Colesons were concerned. Financially. It didn’t make sense that there would be that much of a financial struggle in one family that size.

Eden had legal fees that were astronomical, for a case that she had basically won. But Cara had said there had been ample evidence to support her innocence long before it went to court. So why had it been taken to court in the first place? That was a waste of time and resources. So…why?

Now there was the entire question of Hope’s medical bills. When there shouldn’t be. The sheer amount of coverage the Colesons received in the local news sites was weird too. Almost unnatural.Deliberate.

Something strange was going on with Cara’s family. Powell wanted to know why. She was going to start digging.

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