Chapter 27
Hope looked at Cashlyn, certain she hadn’t heard her niece right. Sometimes Cashlyn said the strangest things. Cashlyn had definitely gone off the deep end this time. But…things had been insane since what had happened to Heather and everything. “She heard this?”
“Alyssia heard Rafe and Luc and Daniel arguing over it in Daniel’s room yesterday. They apparently didn’t realize she was there—she rather does try to stay out of the way, and everything. Nervous. Especially of men, and anyone connected to the Barratts or Deanes, considering…”
Hope knew Cashlyn’s friend’s story. What had happened when the former computer forensics supervisor—Alyssia’s father—had tried to do to Melody Barratt’s younger sister.
And to the chief of the TSP and his wife Gabby.
Bennett Russell had actually blown up the forensics lab, injuring several people in the process.
Alyssia had been caught up in the collateral, abducted, beaten and left for dead. Just because people wanted to control her father and make that sick bastard do what they wanted. Daniel McKellen had been one of the men to find Alyssia.
It had almost gotten innocent people killed—Alyssia’s father had blown up the Finley Creek TSP lab in response.
No one at the TSP would ever really forget.
But Alyssia had been a victim, too. Cashlyn had told her before that people should remember that, as well.
She wasn’t responsible for what her father had done—any more than Samia, Eden, or Summer were. Brianna, either, for that matter.
Alyssia was healing, Cashlyn had told her. But she still had the nightmares. She probably always would. Well, Hope understood nightmares, too. She hadn’t slept a full night in weeks. Not since she’d been shot, not since what had happened to Heather.
Honestly—she hadn’t really slept without nightmares since what Eastman had done to her family back in October. Or…before. When Steve Wilson had tried to hurt her and Heather that night fourteen months ago. Hope was afraid it would never stop. Never go away.
“Really. Well. Come on. I think we need…” They had asked that jerk Daniel McKellen to come to their house so that they could help him. Because her mom had a soft heart and couldn’t stand seeing anyone alone like Daniel apparently was. And Summer and Cashlyn had almost adopted him like a lost puppy.
They had trusted him. Well, apparently, they shouldn’t have.
The rat.
“Yes. And Daniel was discussing the logistics, she said. She’s very angry, not just on our behalf, but I do think she might have had a bit of a crush on that man.
Thought he was heroic and honorable and not a mandog or something like that.
I do have to say she said Rafe was vehemently opposed at first, but Rafe did ultimately agree to go along with it.
We know where that big brother’s loyalty lies now, don’t we?
I will not forget. Alyssia tucked herself behind one of the laundry carts and listened.
Now, this is all second hand, of course.
But she’s a good friend and I do trust her. ”
Cashlyn and Alyssia had had a few classes together several years ago, at a satellite campus Cashlyn had attended the year before they’d moved to Finley Creek. They had reconnected when Cashlyn had transferred to Finley Creek. “We’re going to have to tell Mom and the others.”
It took them five minutes to have all of the people in their house in one spot. Norm had taken their three younger kids shopping for shoes—Megan and Marcia were on the loveseat now, after having spent the day at FCU.
“What’s going on?” her mom asked.
Hope took a small roll call. They were in luck. Everyone was right there. Well, almost. “We have a big problem.”
About six-foot-four, brown hair and brown eyes and a far too pretty face kind of problem. He might be a total toad but he was very pretty to look at.
“What?” Her mom asked, fear in her big beautiful brown eyes. “Is Heather—”
“She’s doing okay. Getting better,” Cashlyn said, quickly. “I checked on her about an hour ago. It’s not her. Mora is sitting with her for a few hours, until one of us volunteers to take the night shift. Heather is getting cranky again.”
“Than what is it?” Crispin asked, her phone in her hand. She always had her phone in her hand now. And she wore a smartwatch. Hope suspected it was so Crispin could have more than one way to call for help if she needed it. Hope wore a similar watch herself.
They had been gifts from Joy, after…Eastman had happened to Crispin and after…Kimball and Steve had happened to Hope.
She settled onto the couch, Cashlyn on one side of her, Cara on the other, and Crispin at her feet.
That was usually where they ended up for family meetings.
Mostly. Unless Heather was there. Hope somehow always found her way to her older sister’s side then.
She really wished Heather was there right now.
Heather would know exactly what they should do. “Daniel McKellen. That rat.”
“Okay, time to spill,” Eden said. “What’s going on? And you’d better talk fast. Miguel is going to be here in like ten minutes to get the kids.”
Hope did not want to hear his opinion on what they should do next.
She could imagine what he’d have to say about his buddy.
He’d probably want to go out there and thunk heads or something.
And well…it probably deserved something more Coleson in nature.
“Cash’s friend Alyssia overheard Chief Marshall, Rafe, Luc and Governor Deane and Daniel arguing.
About Daniel taking Summer up on her invitation to come here for a few weeks.
Luc wants Daniel to do it, and to spy on us.
To find out what we know about what’s going on in Finley Creek.
About…everything. He said he wanted Daniel to get close to us somehow. To earn our trust.”
“So the bastard can betray it,” Cashlyn filled in the rest. “Because we may be connected to their case or something, too.”
Well, it was inevitable that led to an uproar. And a lot of very angry Coleson women. Just as Hope had suspected would happen.
“So…what are we going to do about it?” Samia asked. “We could just tell him to take a hike.”
“I don’t want him here,” Cara said, visibly upset. “He’s a jerk. And Aunt Heather won’t want him here at all.”
Well, probably not. Heather would throw a Heather-tastic fit if she even knew he’d been invited to stay with them.
They had discussed that before, but Summer and Cashlyn and her mom had all thought they should at least do their duty and help a Daniel-in-need and everything.
“I think…we should give him what they are looking for.”
Her family looked at her.
“What do you mean? I don’t want a man like that staying here at all,” Samia said, so suspiciously. Samia didn’t trust any man now, not after the way she’d been betrayed before. No one ever talked about what had happened to her.
Emilia Rose was crawling from Samia’s lap, that determined look on her face that said she was getting sleepy.
It was around nap time. Emilia Rose would probably want Hope to hold her now.
Miguel’s children were a fixture at their house every night.
Hope was just fine with that—she adored the three little Miggylings.
But the Miguel that was attached to them…
No. That man…talk about seriously confusing.
She just wasn’t ready to think about Heather’s new—old—bestie right now.
She just wouldn’t. “I mean…Luc wants Daniel to spy on us. Well, why don’t we let him?
We haven’t done anything wrong. We can control what he finds out, too.
And half our family secrets have already been thrown around like parade candy.
So...what can he really find? None of us have ever done anything wrong. ”
They’d had some pretty crappy things happen to them individually, though. Usually where men were concerned. It made a woman leery where the male of the species was concerned and everything.
“And…the man really does need a place to recuperate,” Cashlyn said. “He’s not nearly as strong and recovered as he thinks he is. He is rather stubborn. Maybe…the man just can’t help how he is. Is he…dirty, Hope? From what you’ve seen?”
Hope hesitated. “I don’t know. I don’t trust him. I probably never will. But...do I think he’s in on what happened to me and Heather…I don’t. I’ve…dug…into him. And I can’t find anything that doesn’t look right.”
She’d dug into everyone in Major Crimes now. Even…Commander Miguel Rodriguez. But she wasn’t going to go into detail about him. She wouldn’t invade his privacy that way.
“So…what are you two getting at?” Crispin asked, that look of confusion on her face.
Crispin didn’t always understand people.
To her, everything was more finite—like math.
People were good or people were bad. That kind of thing.
Just like with Cara. Cara’s autism caused her to miss social cues sometimes, but Crispin was just a little extra unaware. “What do you want to do?”
“I want to bring that man here, and just mess with him a little.” Cashlyn had that diabolical-evil-Cashie look on her face Hope had seen so many times before.
Daniel was probably going to be toast, now that she thought about it.
“Bring him here. And in the meantime, Hope and Crispin can find out why Luc wants someone to spy on us. And then…when Heather is back—” Her voice broke and it had Hope’s eyes watering as she thought about the sister who was missing right now.
Nothing…felt right without Heather there.
Heather and her mom—they were the ones who kept their family going, and always had.
They were the strong ones. “We let Heather loose on Daniel McKellen and his little buddies. The man won’t know what hit him.
None of them will. I say…if it’s a war with the Colesons Luc wants, we should give it to him.
I have had enough of their damned games. ”
Cashlyn could look so sweet, but there was a temper hidden inside.
Cashlyn filled them all in on what was going on in her demon-head.
It would work. Hope could see it working really well, actually.
Her niece-bestie was kind of scary at times.
She just hid it behind that sweet Cashlyn-adorable face.
Cashlyn came up with the plan to punish Daniel McKellen faster than Hope would have ever managed the same.
It was a good plan, too. It would work.
And if all it required was her parading around in her skimpies…well…she had a drawer full of silk and lace just waiting. And her sisters-of-the-heart had even more.
Daniel McKellen the Spy wouldn’t know what hit him.