Chapter 18

18

Plans changed, apparently. Powell was good with that tonight. She wanted to stay close to where the action was—something was definitely going on with Gunnar and Heather. They were tense and agitated and very obviously sharing secrets.

She had studied them as they'd spoken.

She didn't see any physical attraction between them. She was almost sure of that. Gunnar did not look at Heather the way he looked at Powell. She could see that for herself—and she would just ignore how the idea of him looking at her heated her insides, thank you very much.

But Heather seemed to trust Gunnar.

And possibly Alex. Maybe. Somewhat.

Heather had instinctively tensed when she'd seen Mac and Brandt, but she seemed okay with Alex. She treated Alex just the same as she did Gunnar, in a lot of ways.

No, Heather was far more open with Alex than Gunnar.

Powell just couldn't figure out why that was. Her brother was kind of curmudgeony, not exactly the most personable Barratt out there. But Heather seemed okay with him.

Because Alex was Heather's neighbor and not a cop maybe?

But the bodyguards—Powell suspected Heather was very afraid of the bodyguards. The woman just wasn't letting it show that much. It took her a few minutes, but Powell put it together. Finally.

Heather felt safer with Gunnar and Alex. Period.

Heather didn't feel safe with Mac or Brandt, and definitely not with the bodyguards at all.

Alex wasn't about to let Cara out of his sight for even two minutes until Heather returned. Heather had checked her family in, then rushed out with one of the bodyguards after admonishing Cara to stay put in the lobby until she came back. To stay visible at all times.

Alex had reassured Heather that he wasn't going anywhere, that he wasn't leaving Cara. Powell had seconded that. She wasn't about to leave Cara in the lobby either.

Powell thought it reassured the other woman to see Powell there too.

Gunnar had told Heather the same thing—he wasn't leaving the girls until Heather was back. It had been enough—Heather had finally left. With Charlotte offering to show her how to get to the secondhand store up the road. It wasn't that hard to find—Powell suspected Charlotte had just sensed the same fear Powell had.

That meant dinner was going to be delayed. Powell was good with that—she didn't exactly like the idea of Heather and Cara eating alone. Both women looked exhausted. She doubted the last week or so had been easy for any of the Colesons at all. Hope had almost died. Because of evil. There was no other way to describe what had happened to Hope, Haldyn, and Madison.

"How is Hope doing?" Powell had met Heather's younger sister a few times. Hope was funny and open and bubbly and sweet and kind. Haldyn had really taken to Hope too. So had Madison.

Hope was the kind of person that made people smile.

"Better. She's home now. She came home yesterday." Cara shot her a wicked grin. "Miguel carried her inside and kind of just…took care of her all day. Like all day. He showed up at our house and left his three kids with us and went to the hospital with my mom to get Hope, like everyone had just planned it that way. But none of us even knew he was coming, not even Aunt Heather or Mom. He stayed almost all day too. He's staying at our house until Heather gets back now. But we never really invited him to, I don't think."

"Mig is? Why?" Gunnar asked. "He's still off on medical leave, right?"

Powell knew the story—Miguel Rodriguez had been shot a week before Hope and Haldyn. By Heather's ex. She'd heard there were a lot of theories going around.

"He's supposed to go back tomorrow. I think he has a thing for Hope, and that's why he's there—but Hope doesn't. Hope says he's just being nice because he's Heather's friend. He was Uncle Nick's best friend years ago too. Heather brought Nick home one day because he'd gotten beaten up on a case. We all took care of Nick then. Heather is always bringing stray people home when they need helping hands. So does my mom. Or they did. Until we moved to Finley Creek anyway, after Nick died. Heather and Mom don't really like us bringing people there now. I don't think they trust people that much anymore."

Cara liked to talk when she was comfortable. Powell had gotten used to the random things Cara would say in week one of working with her. She just nodded and listened.

"So we just took care of Uncle Nick instead. Like we did Miguel when he was shot too. Uncle Nick fell in love with Joy like almost instantly, and they had four kids before Eastman murdered Uncle Nick and almost killed Joy and baby Nalla. I think Hope believes Miguel has a thing for Heather, but he really doesn't. Everyone else can see that. Miguel is Heather's best friend ever now , I think." Cara just kept talking. And talking. "Her first day of work in Finley Creek, Heather came home and was crying because she was so happy. She told Joy that Miguel worked right there in the same department. And then they were both really happy. I like it when Heather is happy. She's so beautiful when she is laughing. So is Joy. Heather used to laugh all the time, you know."

Powell smirked at her brothers. Alex was hanging on Cara's every word. But so was Mac. Why? Powell narrowed her eyes at her big brother. He just smirked in return. Yes, McKinley Mason Barratt was up to something.

"Hope thinks guys only have the hots for super-sexy women like Summer and Eden and Heather—and never girls like her. It drives Heather crazy. She doesn't like it when Hope talks negatively about herself like that at all. Heather has always just sort of taken care of Hope, you know? Well, Heather took care of all of us when we were little really. Like while my mom worked constantly and stuff. Heather was always the one in charge. Heather also says she thinks Hope is a little bit afraid of Miguel because he's a cop, and Hope is afraid of all guy cops now. Especially really big strong ones, and Miguel is, like, really big and strong. Like the biggest and the strongest ever. It's kind of hard to miss. So is Heather—afraid of guy cops now, I mean, even if she's never said it out loud—so I think she'd be able to tell that Hope is too, right?"

"Probably." Powell was used to Cara's unique way of talking. But both her brothers and Gunnar had slightly shell-shocked looks on their faces. Normally, she was quiet, but when she felt comfortable, Cara talked. Sometimes, completely without filters. Or artifice. It was one reason why Powell liked her so much—she knew what Cara was thinking. And Cara was unfailingly honest.

But sometimes, Cara talked about things she probably shouldn't. Powell made a point of protecting her from the repercussions of that when she could. Still, Cara was safe right here with Powell and her brothers. No matter what.

Cara was gently arranging the preschooler on the couch. The little girl snuggled into the cushions and pulled her rear end up before going back to sleep. "Heather says guys do like Hope a lot too, but Hope just doesn't always notice when they do. Like, never notices. She never really has, even when we were in high school and college together. Guys would talk to the three of us a lot, you know—Hope and I always had Cashie too—and Hope would just not get it. She is way too naive where guys are concerned. It's a problem really. We have to watch her so she doesn't get into situations she shouldn't. Cashie was always watching her like crazy when we were in school. Just to be on the safe side. Hope doesn't understand guys at all."

Alex made a slightly choked sound. Powell knew exactly what her brother was thinking—Cara was more than just naive with men too. Powell had made it one of her missions at B-3 to run interference with Cara and the men at the firm. Just in case.

"The guys do like Hope at the TSP. Murdoch just always chases them off. From Hope and Heather both. He says he has a family obligation to do it," Gunnar said. "He really enjoys it. He's weird that way."

"We like Murdoch best of our new…relatives. He's funny and really nice and actually acts like he wants to know us too. Heather doesn't want any guy to have a thing for her ever again, though. She says she's becoming the Ice Queen of Hughes Heights like Eden did. Definitely no guys from the TSP ever again. Which makes sense really. Considering what happened to her because of the TSP. The horrible things they let happen to her and everything."

The baby fussed. To Powell's surprise, Gunnar reached down and unlatched her carrier straps. He slipped the baby girl out of her seat and snuggled her to that broad, perfect chest of his. He covered her with the blanket and jiggled her a little until she settled. Like he'd done it a thousand times before.

Well, at least one of them knew what to do with a baby.

Even if it wasn't her.

"She has a pacifier clipped to her shirt. If she'll take it, it might keep her asleep a little longer. Ember's going to wake up hungry any minute. But Heather didn't have time to pump before we left—or privacy on the jet. I really hope Heather gets back here fast. Commander Butthead McKellen showed up and told Heather she had to come up here this morning, kind of whether Heather wanted to or not. Heather told them she couldn't leave the girls behind for three or four days—it wouldn't even be possible for her to leave Ember that long, anyway—and now here we are. Heather had to come. She can't afford to lose her job, you know."

"That was it?" Powell asked. "They just showed up without warning?"

"Yes. Heather barely had time to take a shower while my mom and Eddie packed for her, and I grabbed my stuff. Most of us were still in our pajamas. I was the only one who didn't have anything scheduled to do this week since the law school is on break, so I was the only one of us who could come with her to watch the girls. Heather freaked a little when she was first told it was an unpaid suspension. For three whole weeks. She couldn't afford that. None of us can afford to help, especially with Hope's salary gone now too. But I heard Murdoch threatened to beat Commander Butthead McKellen up if it wasn't switched to paid."

It took Powell a moment to process and keep everyone straight. Why on earth had Heather been suspended?

"It wasn't Murdoch who threatened that. It was Dom and Jarrod. I believe ripping Daniel's, uh, lungs out through his ears might have been mentioned at the time," Gunnar said, a dark expression in his beautiful blue eyes. "And what about Hope's salary?"

"They are only giving her thirty percent. I think that has to be wrong—Hope was shot because of that stupid job. Shouldn't her full salary be covered by the TSP while she recuperates? We really need that money right now. Mom and Heather and Summer are trying to rework the budget to cover it and start paying on Hope's hospital bills now too. But, well, Heather had to come here instead."

Cara had told Powell quite a bit about how the Coleson family operated. They all pitched in on the bills equally. No matter what. And even that was tight for all of them. "Hope's full salary should be covered, Cara."

"And not just thirty percent then? They are saying she has only a partial impairment for the worker's comp claim. That just doesn't make sense to me. I was going to ask you if you could explain to me better when I had a chance."

It definitely didn't make sense. Haldyn was getting seventy percent from workers' comp, and the TSP itself was covering the remaining thirty until Haldyn was back on her feet. It should be the same for Hope. Exactly the same. "What?"

"Wait a second—" Alex said. "Hope's salary isn't being fully covered?"

"No. It isn't going to be. She got a letter out of Wichita Falls that says she doesn't get the full seventy percent coverage. She was shot while working by enemies of the TSP. Doesn't that even matter? The letter said that it was personal with Hope , stemming from a previous unsubstantiated domestic violence complaint. It was only unsubstantiated because those people in Wichita Falls hid the files and threatened Heather and Hope to keep their mouths shut. They let Wilson stalk and terrorize Heather for four years and everything . I think we should just sue the TSP, but I think Heather is afraid to even think about it. Especially right now. She's really afraid of what they will do to her or to the rest of us."

Powell saw Mac's eyes narrow at that. Had her brother missed everything that had been happening in Finley Creek lately? Mac had that look now—the one that said he was getting curious. Things happened when Mac got curious. Not always good things either. Damn it. She was going to have to fill him in when she got a chance.

"But he attacked Madison and Haldyn too. And that doesn't make sense to me that it would be personal with Hope and Wilson. What if Hope hadn't been there at all? If someone else had been almost killed instead? Would they get full pay? Then why not Hope? Is Haldyn getting the full pay? If she is, shouldn't Hope get that too?"

Powell thought she definitely should. This didn't make sense at all. She saw the confusion in her brothers' faces too. And anger in Alex's.

"It was Detective Kimball who shot them both, not Wilson, right? Hope didn't have anything to do with Kimball until that night. They also said because Hope had open heart surgery that wasn't related to the bullet she didn't qualify. But the bullet caused the heart attack and surgery. But Hope's kind of freaking out right now. It is a lot of money. And the rest of the family can't help because Samia has her hospital bills from when that guy broke into our apartment and beat her up over Eastman. Mom has her hospital bills from Eastman and Crispin's bills from Eastman, what the insurance won't pay. Heather can't help either because she has all those hospital bills from where Wilson was stalking her and when he beat her up all those other times too."

Mac's face blanched right there in front of Powell. Cara missed it, but Powell didn't. She knew…her older brother was going to have a lot of questions when they were alone.

"And the bills from when she had the babies and when she had to move all those times to try to get away from him. Aunt Heather doesn't have any extra money at all. I think she may have been skipping lunch at work to save money too, Powell. I just can't get Heather to admit it or anything. She is kind of stubborn and won't tell me. I was going to dig into the legalities of Hope's bills this week while the girls were sleeping, but I came up here instead. So it will have to wait until we are back home again."

"I'll make a few calls," Mac said, a look in his eyes that concerned Powell. He looked almost like a Mac-on-a-mission right now. "Someone's messing with her, Cara. I can almost guarantee that. Or doing some maneuvering behind the scenes that they shouldn't be, banking on the idea that Hope won't know she can fight that. But she can."

"But who would ever help us ?" Cara sent him a wide-eyed, completely innocent look. "Heather said to expect bad stuff to happen to us all now. And to watch our backs even more than we already do. I think she believes it's all her fault. Heather's really, really afraid right now. Especially after what that Commander Butthead McKellen did and said this morning. I definitely don't like him at all. He's just a stupid bully, exactly like Steve Wilson."

Daniel was one of the best men Powell knew. But she kept that to herself right now. She recognized that look on Cara's sweetly beautiful face. Cara meant what she said. She fully believed it.

"Commander Butthead McKellen and Steve Wilson were probably friends or something. And now she's afraid Wilson's other friends at the TSP are going to come after her because of what happened. Or after Hope. My family is going to keep a closer eye on Heather than we had. She didn't tell us about the bad stuff that was happening to her for years because she didn't want us to be afraid. Heather has always been the one to take care of everybody. Heather and my mom protected us, no matter what. They always have."

"No, she doesn't," Gunnar said, looking down at the baby in his arms. He held her like he'd held babies that small every single day. "This is a seriously cute baby right here. She looks like Hope, no denying that."

"Hope thinks that's really funny too. Hope likes to dress her in the same style clothes Hope wears. Since Frankie looks just like Heather. So they each have a mini-me. Colesons do tend to look a lot alike. You can always tell a Coleson when you see one. We heard that millions of times in our old town. I really miss living there. We had lots of friends there. In Finley Creek, we really don't have a lot of friends yet. We don't know who we can trust. But at least we are all mostly together. I like that best."

"You all definitely look a lot alike. Murdoch said the day he pulled Heather over he even asked her if she was related to Zoey or the governor's wife. She just didn't know she was." Gunnar was calming down. Maybe holding the baby was helping. "He thought she had to be one of Zo's missing sisters. I can see why."

"It's really weird. They look like they could be sisters for real. But so do Aunt Joy and Samia, I guess, except for Joy's blond hair. And me and Cashie, even though Cashie was Evil Denita's first. Evil Denita and my mom looked a lot alike, I think. I'm not sure. We don't have any pictures of her. Ember's eyes are getting ready to change to brown, we think. Frankie's did pretty early." Cara handed Gunnar a pink cloth. "You might want to hold on to this. Ember explodey-vomits sometimes. Without warning."

He slipped the cloth under the baby's head. She didn't wake at all.

"She's really sensitive. We think she has food allergies too. Like Frankie. Heather is having a hard time figuring out what they are, though. We know Ember shouldn't have chocolate or food dyes."

"How do you figure out that with a baby that young?" Brandt asked quietly. "How old is she?"

"She's five months now. She was born the week before…Eastman took my mom and Cris and Zoey and Pen and that other girl, Sydney."

"She's very tiny," Gunnar said. His hand covered Ember's entire back.

"She's really skinny for her age. But she has really long legs. That's kind of a Coleson thing too. All of us are really skinny too. Heather used to be the heaviest of us, but she's lost a lot of weight since she had the baby. Well, even before she was pregnant with Ember. I think it was probably stress and fear because of him and him stalking her and everything. We voted on a plan to get her better again. Joy and Samia are making her eat more when they can. Or they threatened to make her drink nutrition shakes that are really gross. It's not that hard to tell. Basically, if Heather eats something and then nurses, and Ember explodes, it's a pretty strong indication." She covered the older girl with a blanket. Cara was very comfortable taking care of the little girls. That was obvious.

Gunnar slipped the baby's pacifier into her little mouth. The baby made a face like she was concentrating. He looked really natural like that. He was going to be a good father. She had no doubt about that. It had her feeling a little gooier toward him in that moment than she had in a while.

She was having a baby with this man.

And they still needed to talk about that. That whole entire "she-was-going-to-change-his-world-completely" conversation she hadn't been able to find a moment to have with him or anything.

Maybe it was poetic that she told him here. Where their baby had been made in the first place. Full circle and everything.

Heather's baby had dark brown hair. For a moment, Powell tried to imagine what her and Gunnar's baby would look like. Powell had dark hair, and dark eyes—like Heather. Gunnar's were blond and blue—chances were likely hers would dominate.

She could definitely have a baby with dark brown hair and probably brown eyes.

It wasn't out of the possibility their baby could look like that sweet little girl right there. Cuddled against Gunnar's chest, safe and loved completely. Powell really couldn't wait to see him hold their baby just like that.

Yes, she was feeling a bit too gooey right now.

Gunnar looked at her. "I need to go call Dan for a moment. You want to hold her?"

Powell held out her arms. She wanted nothing more than to hold that sweet baby right now. He settled the baby into her arms, and then he looked up. His eyes met hers. And Powell was a total goner.

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.