Page 11 of The Husband's Secret
She blew out a big breath. “Thanks for the pizza and the…” She shrugged. “For being a good listener, but I have a lot to do before I call it a night, to include taking this place apart.”
“You should and you’re welcome.”
She followed him to the door. “Really, thank you, for listening.”
He flashed her a smile. “Some people just make that sort of thing easy.”
Chapter Five
Wednesday, May 6
Devers Residence
White Street
Huntsville, 3:20 a.m.
Brenda roused. Her eyes drifted open. The room was dark…the house quiet. A frown furrowed across her brow, tugging at her senses. What time was it?
She shifted slightly, just enough to see the digital clock on her bedside table. 3:21 a.m. Too early. Her eyes closed and she burrowed more deeply into her covers. Listened to the wind swaying a limb that scrubbed the side of the house.Scratch. Scratch. She really needed to get that limb trimmed.
A click, then the almost imperceptible slide of something…maybe a shoe…a footstep…whispered through the darkness…
Her eyes flew open again. Her body went stone-still. She held her breath. Listened. Had she imagined it…fallen asleep and dreamed it? Another faint swish of sound…a clink of metal or glass.
Janey?Had she gotten out of bed and gone to the bathroom?
Brenda swept the cover from her body and eased upward, cringing at the soft sigh of the sheets sliding apart. If Janey was asleep, she definitely wanted her to stay that way. Her feet settled on the cool hardwood floor, and she pushed up to a standing position. Her bones settled, her muscles coming to attention as her mind brushed away the last remnants of sleep.She threaded her fingers through her hair, dragging it out of her eyes. The silence thickened around her. Maybe she had been dreaming…
Another swish made her freeze.
A whine echoed then…the sort of sound her daughter made when she didn’t want to wake up but something or someone had disturbed her.
Brenda’s breath caught.
A cry pierced the air.
“Mommy!” Janey sobbed.
Brenda bolted from her bedroom, her heart pounding like a drum, keeping a triple tick with the sound of her child’s distress.
“Coming, sweetie!”
Her body came to a jarring halt against an unyielding object…something out of place. For a moment Brenda couldn’t assimilate what had occurred. Something big and solid, like an unexpected wall, had stopped her.
Brenda drew slightly back, blinked at the blackness…then something shifted and a pair of eyes turned toward hers.
Fear rammed into her throat, trapping a scream there.
Strong hands shoved her against the wall. She tumbled sideways, landing on the floor. Framed photographs rattled; at least one skated down the wall and hit the floor with a cracking sound.
A swoosh of movement…rapid footfalls.
A scream pierced the air.
Janey.
Brenda scrambled to her feet.
