Page 8 of The Secrets She Keeps

“No,” Miguel said flatly as a young baby fussed behind him. “You won’t be doing that. Heather is going to be with her family right now. There will be time for TSP questions later. Period.”

Gunnar had never heard Miguel sound like that before. It was obvious the man, normally easy-going, wasn’t about to budge. And the fury was unmistakable. Elliot nodded, sending Miguel a considering look. “Heather is in the waiting room through here.”

“I know the way, Chief Marshall,” Bonnie said with a quiet dignity that Gunnar had always admired.

Gunnar followed the crowd to the nearest waiting room. Powell was right there—between her friends Shelby and Zoey. He checked Powell quickly. Then looked for Heather.

He wanted to check on Heather for himself.

There she was. In the back corner. Behind Jarrod. Pale and afraid, her niece Zoey, Murdoch Lake’s wife, next to her.

Heather stood the instant she heard her family. Gunnar kept himself and Daniel back when Daniel started to go to her. Heather lifted her baby girl from her carrier and snuggled the fussing baby closer. The look on her face—Gunnar would never forget how Heather looked holding her baby at that moment.

Daniel McKellen, the commander of Major Crimes, was just staring at her and at that baby with a look Gunnar had never seen on the man’s face before.

Gunnar pulled Daniel into the hallway. He had questions. Daniel had answers. That mattered now. “Tell me what in the hell happened out there tonight?”

“Sol Kimball was one of the choir hall shooters.”

The choir hall shooting—when Zoey and two other women Gunnar cared about had been ambushed and shot and Shelby had been abducted. Months ago, well over a year. They had been looking for the shooters ever since. Sol Kimball was the head of Major Crimes: Assault.

“The driver. Tonight, he heard his buddies talking about attacking a forensics team on scene. He tried to stop it. In the process, he shot Haldyn and Hope. We’ve now identified four of the choir hall shooters. One more is still out there. Heather’s ex, Steve Wilson, coordinated it but wasn’t there that night, apparently. We’re still putting things together,” Daniel continued, fury in his tone. “Wilson’s been stalking Heather for years, Gun. Those assholes in Wichita Falls threatened her to keep that quiet. They didn’t stop him. He attacked her one night fourteen months ago. And he got her pregnant.”

Gunnar bit back the curse as what Daniel was saying sank in. “Where is Wilson now?”

“Wilson and Kimball are both in surgery. They most likely won’t make it. Bell and Costovia are dead. There is still a fifth man out there who was a part of Haldyn’s abduction earlier this month. That’s who we are going to focus on now. He…I want that one taken alive. For the answers he carries.”

“Hope and Haldyn now?”

“Haldyn’s in with Dr. Jacobson. I don’t know…any updates.” Daniel rubbed at his face with one hand. His eyes were red. His hand shook. Gunnar knew—Daniel had been in love with Haldyn once. “And Hope, no one has said anything about her yet. Hope walked most of the way to the door.”

“That’s a good sign, right?”

“I hope so. Now, we are just waiting. Brett Naylor is at County Gen. I’ve sent Lila and Price and a few others there to wait on word. Costovia shot him in the back when they ambushed the forensics van. Kimball and Haldyn found him and called it in.”

“What in the hell is going on around here, Dan?”

“I think it’s like Jarrod said. We’re atwar,Gunnar. We’re atwar.Kimball made it clear tonight—there are people in the Wichita Falls post involved. And people inourpost, still. Andprivate companies backing them all. The TSP are foot soldiers. Kimball said they are just paid to be the grunts.”

“Then we’re going to find them all. I need to get in there. With Powell. This…this is going to be tearing her apart.” And he needed to be withhernow.

“I think it’s going to tear us all apart in the end. And I don’t know what to do to stop it.”

5

Powell stayedin her spot across from Hope Coleson’s family. Her own family, her parents, her brothers Alex and Mac, they were there. Mac was almost standing guard at the door now. Of course, they were there. They all considered Haldyn a part of their family. And had for years.

Her mom’s fear was right there on her beautiful face. Her mom loved Haldyn. Powell knew that. The rest of Powell’s friends were there too. Zoey and Shelby, together like always. And Madison looked horrible. She’d been hurt tonight, too, but Powell had missed the details of how. And why.

All she wanted to know was that Haldyn was going to be okay.

Someone knelt in front of her. He had a bottle of something in his hand. “Drink this. Eat these. I know your stomach’s upset right now.”

She looked into blue, blue eyes and just nodded. Took the crackers and the juice from Gunnar’s hands. She’d been looking for him. He’d had an expression she hadn’t understood when he and Daniel had stepped back in. “I should talk to the doctors, I think. Did someone call her sisters?”

“I think Dan did, babe.” Gunnar cupped her cheek quickly. “This is the best hospital in the state. We know that.”

Powell just nodded.

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