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“Well, I know I probably shouldn’t say it, considering, but I miss him, too.”
Powell and her uncle had been particularly close. He’d gotten her started in investing when she’d been twelve. And had always watched over her. “He looked good, Powell. I promise. Healthy. Fit. A bit stressed, but…he loves Beck very much. He said Beck’s mother died when Beck was two days old. From the timing, he was probably going back to him after what happened with Melody’s family. I think Handley and that woman were together for a long time. He said Beck was a definite surprise.”
“He was taking care of his baby, I get that. And now…Melody and Houghton have Handley’s son. Talk about strange.”
“He’s a bit older than my Orion,” Zoey said. “When Melody’s ready, I’ll bring him over. They can play. I think they’d both like that. In the meantime, Haldyn Devyn, you are going to rest. We’ll figure out what is going on eventually. But you are safe here. I promise.”
Just like that, Zoey shooed everyone away. She was safe here. Zoey and her friends—they had her back.
More than anyone ever had.
Haldyn was asleep before the door closed, with Powell’s fingers wrapped around her own.
14
Jarrod was bored out of his mind. He’d stayed at the “castle” before. His closest friend in the world was married to Barratt, after all. She’d needed him with her a time or two. And there had been a couple of instances where there had been threats made against her or her family that her husband had taken seriously. Had asked Jarrod to look into. And Jarrod had. But sitting around, Haldyn-sitting was driving him insane.
Especially the first few days, when all the woman did was rest and heal.
Jarrod wanted to be out there finding the SOBs who’d hurt Haldyn and almost nabbed her buddy Powell. The two women were as close as roses and thorns. Everyone knew that.
Gunnar had been able to get two lousy numbers off the license plate. He had scooped Powell up and keep her safe just mere seconds before those bastards could throw Powell in behind Haldyn. But it had been close. Had the people on the street not intervened…
Powell had been further away from the attackers. That was all the difference.
Gunnar hadn’t been able to get to Haldyn, too.
Jarrod thought the guy felt guilty for the bruises on Haldyn’s face.
Jarrod didn’t feel guilty. He just felt pissed.
He and Gunnar now sat clear across the room from their charges in a massive parlor, where Powell had led Haldyn an hour earlier. She’d covered Haldyn with a blanket and fussed. The way Jarrod never would have expected her to. Powell didn’t seem the nurturing type at first glance.
Standoffish, even. Especially with men. A little snotty, in that way some rich women wore so effortlessly. That had been his early impressions of that woman. A little uppity, even.
He was starting to suspect he’d misjudged her a great deal. Powell Barratt was just extremely reserved.
She wasn’t the quietest of the devil women who ran around with Haldyn, but close. Madison, Charlotte, Haldyn, Daryn—all worked forensics. Powell Barratt was a realtor. They were also usually joined by Zoey Lake and Shelby MacNamara—wives of Jarrod’s colleagues Murdoch Lake and Jake MacNamara. Zoey had been with the TSP until the Eastman case, when she’d nearly been killed.
Those women were inseparable.
He suspected Zoey, who spent a lot of time at Melody’s, would be showing up again that evening, too, with her two kids and her teenage sister in tow. Shelby had just left an hour ago—with her two-week-old baby girl and Shelby’s wart of a husband.
Jake was on paternity leave from the Major Crimes unit at the moment, and very proud of it. The man was bragging about what he had accomplished, by creating the most beautiful baby girl in existence. His wife had apparently miraculously incubated her perfectly, too.
Shelby tolerated Jake somehow. Jarrod hadn’t yet figured out why.
Jarrod had spit-up on his shoulder, now; thank you, baby Nariska MacNamara—who looked more like her gorgeous mother and not her toad father.
The women were taking turns taking care of Haldyn. Fussing.
The demon women and little Beck Barratt. Beck had decided his job was to take care of his Hal. That kid had been all about Haldyn from the moment he’d seen her at breakfast. He’d run to check on her, bring her something she absolutely needed—usually a toy or a drink or a cookie or a blankie—then would run right back to Mommy Meldy.
He also seemed particularly fond of his Aunt Siddy and Cuddin Pow. He climbed all over those two almost constantly. He was warming up to New Daddy Hoe-dun only slightly. When his favorite women weren’t around anyway.
Jarrod and Gunnar, though, they were interlopers. The enemy. And Beck glared at them every chance he could get. Especially when they got near Beck’s women.
Jarrod thought the kid was absolutely hilarious.
