Page 147 of The Secrets She Keeps

Leena had liked it when Brianna had held her in the rocking chair, even though she said she wasn't a baby or anything. Brianna had just rocked her until Leena had fallen asleep too. Leena didn’t weigh very much, it hadn’t been hard to tuck her in while she’d been sleeping at all.

She couldn't protect herself from Trey and his friends andguns.Leena just couldn't.

Brianna knocked on the door. And waited. There were a lot of cars there. Probably having a party or something. Of their redneck friends.

It took a long moment, but it finally opened.

"Brianna, what do we owe thislovelysurprise?" that woman,Eden,said. "This is a really bad time. Family emergency and everything. Please leave a message about Iagan’s skateboard orhis bike or whatever else has crawled up your ass about my son with our secretary, and we'll get back with you like never, okay?"

Brianna took the boldest step of her life.And pushed her way past the slightly taller woman and into the Colesons' home for the first time ever. "I need to talk toyou.Well, I really need to talk to Heather. It's a family emergency for me too. Where is she?"

"What are you doing? Are you insane?" Dr. Coleson-Greene was there, an angry tone in her words. She even snarled at Brianna.Just like Heather liked to do. Didallof the Colesons have rabies or something? “Get out. Now. We don’t have time for your bullshit.”

"What's going on now? I've got the first aid bags," another woman said behind her. Dr. Coleson-Greene stepped to the side.“And Iagan’s backpack. It’s dark. Why isshehere?”

Brianna just stared. She didn’t think she’d ever beenthisclose to them before.

The grown-up version of Leena stared at Brianna now.Right down to the freckles and almost black curly hair.

Brianna’s sister Samia.

Leena looked so much like her it was incredible.

"We need to talk. We really need to talk,” Brianna said. Ithurtto look at Samia right now.

"Not now. We're having a familycrisisat the moment. And we are about to go on a rescue mission here," one who looked like that Ariella Deane said, obvious impatience in her tone. As Brianna watched, she slipped her nurse scrub top over her head and her pale blue pants to the floor. She just stood there, in her bra and panties and mostly naked, until Summer tossed her a black sweatshirt and dark jeans and she scrambled into them and a pair of tennis shoes.

Did she have no sense of modesty whatsoever? Brianna would never strip down in front of another woman like that.

"What do youwant?"Summer asked, irritation in her tone too.

"I need to talk to you all!" Brianna just yelled it. It was forLeena.She was going to make them listen.

"What on earth is going on now?" The older one,Bonnie,was there next. "Brianna, we're afraid now isn't a great time for visitors. We're a bit busy right now.”

“No kidding,” the once-naked nurse said really sarcastically. Brianna didn’t like her any more than she liked Heather.

"I am here aboutTimothy!"Brianna said it, yelling again. "I need you all to listen to me right now. Trey’s dirty nasty friends were by Powell’s parents’ house today, and something iswrong.Something bad is happening, and we need to stop it."

The Colesons stepped closer. Eden got right in Brianna's face. It was the closest Brianna had ever been to her. It shocked her what she saw, what she realized.Edenlooked more like Brianna than Bethany ever had. "You know Timothy, don’t you?”

Brianna just nodded like an idiot, as she looked into her younger sister's face. "I do. And Trey. And I know they are doing something tonight, and I don't know how to stop them. But it’s going to be bad, really bad. Trey…Trey isevil.More than I have ever known before. Timothy isn’t, but Trey is. And Timothy is really…naive where Trey is concerned.”

Eden grabbed her arm. "How do you know Timothy? Start talking, lady. You really want to start talking, or I’m going to kick your ass right now. I’ll really enjoy it too."

Well. This sister was a lot fiercer than she looked. And Brianna actually believed she meant it too.

“Timothy is myfather.”

108

They had a plan.It sucked. But it was a plan.

And it involved putting Heather right in the middle of everything.

He wouldneverbe able to repay Heather for what she was doing now.

"She's the best, you know," Miguel said. "Heather—she's the best at this type of thing. At predicting how people will react in any situation."

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