Page 100 of Secrets

"We don't know who's in the house. We don't know how many people are with her, or if tools are needed to get her out. Plus, my kids are here. We're not taking a chance on getting anyone killed."

"We have to help her," Hannah hisses.

Shaking her head, she lets out a deep breath. "We can't help her if we're dead, okay? Walk ahead with the kids, and I'll be right back. If, for some reason, something happens, run to the clubhouse and get help."

Sutton takes Hannah's hand before she can protest and tells her, "She's right. Except for the whole something happening part. That's not going to happen. Everything is going to be fine."

"Fine," Hannah huffs and walks ahead with Sutton pushing the stroller.

Holding out her phone, Lex takes pictures of Dani as well as the house and street sign as she crosses the road. She keeps her phone in the air at different levels as she takes picture after picture. Walking around the front of the house, she snaps a picture of the house number, her brows furrowed.

"What the fuck are you doing?" a large man wearing an unfamiliar kutte asks, storming out of the house.

Snapping a picture of the man, too, she gives him a sweet smile. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"What are you doing?" he barks again.

"I was walking with my kids and my sisters, and I realized my husband hasn't called. He never misses a call. Kind of obsessed, but again, when you've almost died a few times, you can't really blame him, right?" she asks with a chuckle.

His eyes narrow, but he gives her a small smirk. "If I had a woman who looked like you, I'd probably be a little obsessed, too."

"Oh, you do flatter me," she says. "I think the reason he hasn't called is because I don't have service. We took a different path than we normally do. Needed to work off some of that rambunctious energy my son has."

"You don't have service?"

"No, it says no service, so I crossed the street, but I still don't. Is it normally spotty around here? I swear, if it's the phone company, I'm going to lose my shit. I've already had to call them three times this month, and it's like, what? The fifteenth?"

The large man smiles at her and shakes his head. "Sorry to disappoint you, babe, but service isn't shotty around here. I think it's your carrier."

"Goddammit," she says, lifting a hand to her mouth in mock shame. "Excuse my language."

"Trust me, that won't offend anyone around here. Did you remember to pay the bill?"

He has no idea who she is. And as long as Hannah and Sutton don't turn around, they'll never know they're part of the Drifters. "That's a good point. We just moved here a few months ago, and I wonder if maybe the address change didn't stick in their system. Nowhere has good help these days. And the husband refuses to do autopay. He's kind of a conspiracy theorist, and he believes doing that will give the government access to our money. As if they don't already have knowledge of what we have and where."

"Fuck the government."

"Yeah, man!" she says and nods. "Thanks for letting me disturb you. I also got a few moments of adult conversation without a nine-year-old and one-and-a-half-year-old screaming at me."

The more she lies about details of those she's with, the less likely they'll be to put pieces together. She may not be from around here, but she's not going to assume no one has a clue who the VP's daughter is with only a few small details.

"Feel free to stop by anytime. Without your husband or kids."

The way he says it tells Lex he wants more than conversation from her. Well, good for him. Forcing a smile, she winks. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much for your help. I hope I'll see you around."

Turning, she walks back across the street and bends down to retie her shoe while the man walks back inside the house. Looking over, she sees the woman in the basement again, and Lex nods her head.

She can't do anything right this second, but she hopes the affirmative motion she provides lets Dani know she'll find a way to get her out of there. They have to be smart about it, especially if these men have not only faked her death but kept her alive for over two years. Her wits alone won't stand a chance here, and she stands to jog back towards Sutton and Hannah. She needs a plan.