Page 150 of The Secrets She Keeps

She heard voices nearby. She dropped down. And crept around the peninsula. Toward the window that looked out at the park.

Miguel and Gunnar were out there, ready to enter at any moment. But the only way she had to signal them if there was a problem was through Hope.

That meant there was going to be a split-second delay, no matter what she tried to do to negate it.

Her task: distract the men inside.

Until Gunnar and Miguel could find ways to neutralize all of them.

Hope had given Miguel her own headset. He was tapped in.But it was up to Hope to coordinate all the information now.

Heather peered around the end of the peninsula.

Powell was there, furthest from Heather. She had Trey focused entirely on her. Melissa was on the left sofa, clear across the large room.

There were two men in the room with Powell and Melissa. She recognized them immediately. Now. In the light, there was no mistaking the man who had once been her brother-in-law. Who technically still was.

Which meant, his asshole son was still her stepnephew. Yuck.

Well, Heather had other nephews she wasn't so fond of.

Luc had once topped that list.

Trey had just displaced that irritating billionaire nephew completely. She could deal. But for now, she had to find a way to do what she had to do.

"I'm going to be sick!" Powell suddenly almost shouted. She took off. Toward the powder room down the opposite hall. Clear across the room from her mother.

Trey cursed and followed her. Heather held her breath, sure he was going to shoot Powell and be done with it. He wasn't going to want a hostage being ill everywhere. Trey was even more squeamish than Heather.

To her surprise, he followed Powell.

And so did his father. Down thehall. Way down the hall. Opposite of the kitchen. Where the powder room most likely was.

They weren’t focused on Melissa at all.

Slight change of plans.

That was all the opportunity Heather needed.

Heather hopped to her feet almost silently and crept to the back of the couch, where Melissa sat as fast as she could.

Heather wrapped her hand around the older woman's mouth and shifted. So that Powell's mother could see her.

She’d never forget how that woman’s eyes widened in that moment when her eyes met Heather’s. With hope.

Heather shook her head to keep Melissa silent. She pulled Melissa to her feet. And led her to the door Heather had entered.

And out into the night. "Go. Hurry. Start toward my house. Go to my house, Number Nine Jude Way, and stay there."

They were eight blocks away. Melissa would be safe there. Eden would make sure of it. And Norm should be getting home at any moment. Her brother-in-law would do what had to be done to protect all inside.

"My daughter...Mason...they..."

"Go.I can get them out faster without you in the way. Go. Mac and Alex are waiting back at my place. Go.”

Heather watched Powell's mother take off toward Jude Way. She touched the button on her headset. "Melissa Barratt is out.I have told her to go your way, back to her sons. I'm going back in."

"Watch yourself, Heath. We have your back. We're in the Barratts' cameras now, but they aren’t great,"Hope said.“Two men in the hall, lower level, others are second floor; one is searching for jewelry in the master bedroom, another is going through what looks like a library.”

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