and his practice. The answer had to be there somewhere. She’d done her research on the firm he was with. His clients. The cases he’d worked on. Nothing seemed out of place, at least that she could find. They were considered top litigators. Very powerful. Were they trustworthy? Did they have clients who didn’t bear a lot of scrutiny? She couldn’t imagine Dane jumping into murky waters, not after knowing him all this time. She needed a lot more information before she could come to any conclusions, though.
And that’s what you have Galaxy for, so let them do their job and you do yours.
She finished the donut, discovered she was still hungry and reached for another one. As she took a bite, a memory flashed through her brain, a scene where she and Brianne were sitting in her apartment in Texas with a box of a dozen donuts between them, gorging on the sugary goodness. For a moment her throat tightened and she couldn’t swallow. She forced it down with some coffee and took a deep breath. She had to get hold of herself.
“I met some people today.” She leaned forward in her chair, closer to her sister’s comatose body. “Well, one person. A man.” She smiled in spite of herself. “His office is in a plane that I think cost more money than you or I will ever see. And he’s really great looking.”
Okay, that wasn’t good. The image of Blaze burst into her brain and once again her hormones sprang to life.
“But that’s beside the point,” she went on, and forced herself to mean it. She couldn’t believe she was having these thoughts in this situation. What kind of sister did that make her? “I have a good feeling about him. He’s going to find out who did this and we’re going to make them pay, in many painful ways. But it sure would help if you remember anything at all.”
Come on, Brianne. Wake up. Tell me if you saw anything. Help me find this asshole.
“Sounds like a good plan to me.”
Peyton jumped, barely avoiding spilling her coffee.
“Here.” Male hands grabbed paper napkins from the tray table and blotted her fingers where drops of coffee had splashed.
“Thank you. I’m good.” Peyton set the now half-empty cup next to the donut box and rose from the chair to face Nolan Hamilton.
She could see the resemblance between the brothers, but where Blaze was all raw energy and power, Nolan’s image was quieter, more refined, his power more mental than physical, although he did look as if he could hold his own in any fight. And they both had that air of quiet, earned confidence that made her feel safe in their hands.
“Sit.” He motioned to the chair. “You don’t need to stand to talk to me. Besides, you look exhausted. And that’s a fact, not a criticism. Go on. Sit down.”
She dropped gratefully back into the chair.
“Thank you for giving me your brother’s phone number.” She gave Nolan a tired smile. “For the first time since everything happened, I have the feeling someone is going to get me some answers.”
“Oh, no doubt there. If anyone can find them, it’s Galaxy.” He studied her face. “You should go get some sleep, Peyton. Your sister is doing as well as can be expected. Maybe even a little better. Her condition is not deteriorating, so I am cautiously optimistic. But you won’t be any good to anyone if you collapse from exhaustion.”
“I’m just so afraid to leave her.” She reached through the bedrails to close her fingers over Brianne’s uninjured hand. “I have this awful feeling that if I’m not here, she’ll just slip away.”
Nolan took one of her hands in both of his. “She made it through this afternoon, right? I just checked her chart and her vitals look okay. I think a few hours of sleep in a bed instead of a chair will do both of you some good.”
Peyton was pretty sure he was right. This afternoon’s meeting had been pretty draining. On top of the hours she’d been sitting beside this bed, her body was poised on the verge of collapse. She gave Brianne’s hand one more soft and gentle squeeze, then pushed to her feet.
“You’ll call me if there’s any change at all? Even the smallest one?”
“Word of honor. Now get out of here.” He picked up the box from the tray table and smiled as he handed