Free Built for Power by Kathleen Brooks Page A

soon after. Two months later, she was pregnant and they became engaged. The next day, I left for England on scholarship. My father was true to his word and cut me off. In the only act of defiance my mother ever made, she sent me enough cash for the plane ticket and living expenses for one month.”
    “Have you seen them since?”
    “When I have to. Brad and Stacy are married with two children and happily spending the family money. They enjoy rubbing it in my face every time I show up.”
    “Humph. That usually means the opposite is true. But it makes me like you more. If you were a prick like your brother, then I wouldn’t let you near my Bree. But the question I still have is, what are your intentions with Bree? I will say you’re definitely the cutest thing that’s been hanging around here lately.” Shirley winked.
    “Wait, what do you mean, lately?” Logan didn’t like the idea of other guys begging George to let them up to Bree’s office.
    “That’s right. Bree is surrounded by men, but it will take a special man to get her attention. The question is, are you the one or are you just trying to have some fun before heading back across the pond?”
    Logan was about to answer automatically that he was the right man, but Shirley had a point. What was he going to do? It wouldn’t be fair to either of them to toy with emotions and then leave.
    “I don’t know,” he said sadly. The thought of giving up on Bree so soon after meeting her filled him with despair. Could he turn his back on something that felt so right just because it was new? All he knew was when he thought about his future, he saw Bree in it. That had to mean something. “But, I intend to find out. That is, if I can get her address.”
    Shirley pulled out a piece of paper from the basket on her walker. Without saying a word, she wrote something down, folded it up, and tossed the paper on the floor. “Whoopsie—it slipped. Could you pick that up for me, dear?”
    Logan shook his head and bent over to pick up the piece of paper. When he straightened back up and turned around, Shirley gave him a wink and scooted off to the elevators whistling. He opened the paper and saw an address and a message: Take care of my girl or you’ll answer to me.
     
    Later that night, Logan pulled up to the address Shirley had given him with a to-go container of chicken noodle soup and the flowers. He cut the engine and was trying to wrangle the flowers out of the car when he saw a dark shadow dart from behind the house. The figure ran down the block and disappeared.
    Logan pushed the flowers back into the seat and ran around the car. He knew the sway of those hips even in the dark. What in the world was Bree up to? Turning his car around, he took off in the direction she had run. When he reached the end of the street, he saw the taillights of a cab as it took off. He didn’t know what she was up to, but somehow he knew it wasn’t a good idea.
    The cab stopped and Bree got out. Logan parked his car and tried to catch up, but it was too late. She was gone.
     
    Bree put on the ski mask as she approached Jeff’s construction site. She pulled out the wire cutters and looked around to see if anyone was coming. Clipping just enough wire to pull back the fence, she slid through the opening and headed to the trailer. Unlike all the damage Jeff had probably done to her site, she wasn’t going to vandalize anything. No, she was after something far more damaging to Jeff . . . his employment records.
    She snuck around a backhoe and plastered herself to the side of the trailer. Sliding through the shadows, she rounded the back and looked up at the window. Trailers got so hot in the summer, the window was usually open with a fan in it. AC units could only do so much and she had a feeling Jeff was the type not to install them unless he had to. Sure enough, a box fan sat in the open window.
    Bree looked around until she found a piece of lumber. Leaning it against the side of the