Not-So-Secret

Chapter fifty-one

She was shivering now, even though she knew the temperature wasn't the cause. Fear made it hard to breathe, which wasn't helped by her fevered imagination about what Jones would do if he should wake and find her.

When she'd pulled the last piece of paper from the copy machine, she dashed into the bathroom and pulled out her makeup bag. The thick stack barely fit in the tight space, especially with her nervous fingers fumbling so.

After putting the bag under the sink, she retraced her steps, gathered the original documents and opened the bedroom door slowly, peeking in to see if this was going to be her last few minutes of life.

Jones slept on. He'd barely moved an inch and she released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

She just had to put the stuff back, that was all. A few more minutes and she'd be done.

Her eyes had adjusted well enough that she didn't need to use the flashlight any longer. She turned it off and retaped it to the bottom of the desk. Then she started putting all the papers back, careful to be neat, precise.

She could go to her room as soon as she finished. She opened the flap to slip the notebook back, her heart in her throat. This was crazy, completely nuts. The risk so huge. If he found her out, she'd be dead before sunup.

And then what? Shaun would have no one. Just a nanny, but a nanny wasn't a mommy. Mrs. Mills couldn't stand up to Jones. No one could. Shaun would grow up in the shadow of a tyrant. Her sweet baby ... what would happen to him? It didn't bear thinking about.

This had to work. They could hide. They'd go somewhere cold. Somewhere with lots of trees and water, far away from anyone who would hurt them. Shaun would be safe and she would never let anyone humiliate her again.

She closed the briefcase. It looked just as it had before she'd opened it. Now to get the hell

"What are you doing?"

Kelly spun around, her hands flying to her chest as her heart nearly burst. Standing in the dim room right in front of the bed, Jones gripped the four-poster as he stared at her through narrowed eyes.

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You had my briefcase."

"I bumped it. I'm sorry. I was just putting it back."

"What were you doing over there?"

"I was coming back from the bathroom."

"Why over there?"

She shook her head, certain he could see her lie, feel her guilt. Every part of her trembled so hard she could hardly keep her balance. "I don't know. I was half asleep."

He stared at her as she counted the seconds at the end of her life. Shaun. Her most precious gift. James. Her greatest regret. She wasn't ready. There were still so many things to be done

Jones swayed slowly, as if he were on a boat in a rolling sea and she exhaled with wonder. He was still drunk.

Drunk enough that she might live through this. If she played it right.