Page 22 of The Secrets She Keeps

“It is. I’m going to deal with the case,” Heather said, motioning Cara up the steps. She kept part of her attention on her niece and Frankie, who Cara carried and was sound asleep—and part on the pair ofbodyguardsHoughton Barratt, billionaire, had insisted accompany them on this little jaunt across country.

Who ever heard of a lowly police lieutenant being guardedby private bodyguards—while on suspension? That was insane.

Heather wasn’t a fool. Something was going on here. “Then we’ll do something fun, just the four of us. We’ll find something to enjoy up here, I promise.”

Heather did not like being manipulated like this.

Heather did not like havingguardswatching her every move either. Especially male ones. Male ones who were former military or law enforcement and who had that same cocky, arrogant man-in-charge look in their eyes when they looked at her. And Cara.

They liked how she and Caralooked.It had been written all over them. Heather had seen that look in men’s eyes countless times since she’d been all of fourteen.

It just terrified her more now than it ever had before.

She knew the truth—she and Cara were far from home, with two very small children, alone with two big, strongmenthat they couldn’t defend themselves against, and they didn’t knowa single person within a thousand miles. She wouldn’t rest easy until she had Cara and the girls home and safe—where they belonged.

“Come on. Inside. Let’s get checked in. Then I am going to go find coats and supplies.” She ran through a mental checklist of everything they’d need; they just hadn’t had time to bring everything with them. They had been drivento the inn by the bodyguards. One of them would have to drive her to the store.

That meant she’d be alone in the truck with one of them.

Heather tried to decide which one she trusted most to watch her children. She didn’t like the idea of leaving Cara and the girls, but once they were inside the inn, she’d leave her niece and her babies locked in the hotel room. The bodyguards were not getting in the room with Cara and the girls. They just weren’t.

Or maybe she’d just carry their bags to their room, then have Cara keep the girls in the lobby until Heather made it back. Where people could see them. Could help them if needed.

Then again, maybe Heather was just letting the paranoia get to her more than she should. Seeing threats in every guy’s face.

It was probably going to take her a long time to get over that.

If she ever did.

“Let’s just get inside. I’m going to text your mom, see how Hope is doing tonight, and let her know we are safely here.” And see which of the TSP she was meeting in the first place. It was most likely Charlie Fields since he had connections to this place. She was okay with that, with Charlie. She didn’t find the older man too much of a problem or a threat. He was mostly just focused on his new wife and their newborn twins.

“I think we’ll be okay here, Aunt Heather. You don’t have to be so scared.” Cara looked at her—from eyes the same shape and shade as her own. Sometimes, that girl realized more about people than she knew.

Heather forced herself to calm down. To take a deep breath.

Cara was right—they were going to be okay. She and Cara and the girls were going to do what they could to enjoy this little unexpected mini-vacation. Then they would go home.

And everything would go back to normal again.

It just…might take Heather a while to realize that. To get past the fear.

She’d lived infearof what Steve or his friends could potentially do to her or her family for more than four years. That man couldn’t hurt her now. He couldn’t hurt anyone ever again. He wasn’t going anywhere, even if he survived the coma.

Everyone knew what kind of monster he was now.

Yes, he had friends. That could make her a target, but she couldn’t live her life in complete fear any longer. Everyone knew what Steve had done, what Stillman hadnotdone too. And that brought her a small measure of protection. At least for now. No one would want eyes in their direction if something happened tohernow. They just wouldn’t.

She still felt like she was in heightened flight or fight mode here. Especially after dealing with McKellen—who reminded her of Steve in so many ways. They didn’tlookalike, other than being of similar height and build, but they had that same kind of commanding arrogance about them.

Heather had once found men like thatattractive.

Well, never again.

She was so doing the Ice Queen thing going forward. For life. That was the plan. Period.

Ember fussed in her sleep, then settled again. With the little hand-knit hat with HHC embroidered in pink on the front, her baby looked so much like Hope that Heather wanted to smile.

With Steve in a coma,Hopedidn’t have to live in fear now either. Heather would never forget that, forget what that bastard had done to her sister. The fear had changed them both.

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