Page 173 of The Secrets She Keeps

Brianna fought panicking as the minutes dragged by. Leena was out there.

She was in trouble. Brianna hadn’t been able to help, to protect Bethany from Trey’s evil. But she had an opportunity to help her baby sister now.

The Colesons were there, all around her. Cara Coleson had Commander Rodriguez’s little baby in her arms. That…that little girl, that beautiful little girl, was Brianna’s sister too.

Family.

That was what mattered.

Trey was in surgery now—she’d heard the mayor’s wife telling someone a few minutes ago. Brianna didn’t think it was going to be good for Trey. Even if he did live or something.

She just hoped Gunnar was going to be okay.

“What about Aunt Heather? We should be in there with her,” Cara said. She spoke either too loud at times, or too softly.

Brianna couldn’t figure her out.

But Alex seemed to like her.

He had even driven Cara and Brianna to the hospital after Jake MacNamara had told them they had to go there, and be interviewed, while they waited on word about Heather and Gunnar and Daniel McKellen. Alex was staying with Cara and everything.

Detective Acardi just rumbled that they weren’t going anywhere until the TSP figured out exactly what had happened. That the hospital would know where to find all of them when they needed to. That this was all a big mess, and it had been his night off, damn it. But she’d seen real worry in his eyes. She thought he and Gunnar were good friends too.

The Colesons had the two babies with them there. The rest of the kids had stayed in their beds. That really tattooed manand his wife—she thought the woman was Heather’s sister—and their teenager were watching the kids, with a few cops staying with them too.

Since the Colesons could be targets and everything.

That man with the tattoos had found Powell’s mother outside in their driveway when he arrived home from a job interview, when Melissa had escaped Trey and his evil friends.

When Heather had gotten her out. Everybody was really worried about Heather now.

Brianna waited her turn impatiently. Then Jack was there. Her Jack, so beautiful. Looking like he was in charge and everything. He shot her a glare. Like she’d done something wrong. She hadn’t. She’d just wanted to help her sister, that was all.

A security guard had died tonight. Someone had said he was only twenty-four. Far too young to have died. Murdered. By Trey.

Brianna fought the nausea.

Timothy had been the one to do something wrong. Timothy and Trey. Not her.

Brianna threw her head back and shot him a dirty look in return. And turned away.

He’d been such a jerk since she’d gotten Leena. It had shown her his true side. It really wasn’t one she liked. And she didn’t trust he’d help her either. Not when it really mattered. He didn’t like Leena at all anyway.

Leena.

She was out there. She had to be scared. She just had to.

And Timothy was getting even further away.

Brianna pulled in a deep breath, and made her decision.

A big blond man had just walked in. He was a cop. She knew he was.

Brianna walked right up to him. “Detective Lake.”

“Ms. Claireson. I have to admit I am shocked to see you in this particular party.”

“I need your help. I really do,” Brianna said. To Ariella Deane’s brother-in-law. “What about Leena?”

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