Page 38 of Clara's Secure Hideaway

“Oh, I hope so.”

Sally chuckled and stood, shaking debris from her lap. “I hope this payback of yours is in someone else’s house because this place is a mess. I’d stick around and help clean, but I’ve got a doctor’s appointment to get ready for. Mila will be here later to drive me.”

It took unimaginable effort to peel her hand from Heath’s face, but she did then crouched low to stare into the wide, excited eyes of her candy-covered children. “That’s okay. I happen to know two people who are awfully good at clean up.”

Davey’s chest puffed and Avery nodded. “We are,” they said.

Heath grabbed a dish towel from off the counter and tossed it at Davey. “Then we better get started.”

Davey and Avery bustled around the kitchen, probably doing more harm than good, while Heath got to work wiping off the counters. Breakfast was on the floor, her pajamas were sticky, and she’d never been happier in her life.

* * *

With the kitchenscrubbed clean and Heath fresh out of the shower, he hurried to dress so he could help make breakfast again. The first attempt hadn’t exactly gone as planned.

It’d gone so much better.

Ducking into his room from the bathroom across the hall, he scrounged through the clothes still shoved in his duffle bag. He yanked a T-shirt over his head as his phone vibrated in the front pocket of his jeans. He fished it out and answered after seeing Owen’s name on the screen. “Hey. Any news on Mitch?”

“There was a sighting of his truck at a gas station early this morning,” Owen said. “We went over the security footage and verified it’s him, and when he left, he was headed north out of town.”

“Do you believe that?”

Silence stretched on the line for a few beats before Owen sighed. “There’s no evidence to support him sticking around, but I’m not convinced he’s gone for good.”

“I agree. So what’s next? Any idea where he might be?”

“We’ve spoken with his parole officer as well as his parents. A walk through his place of residence showed he’d grabbed a few things, but nothing pointed toward where he’d hide out if still in town.”

Heath sunk onto the edge of the bed and pinched his nose. He’d hoped to deliver good news to Clara today. Give her peace of mind that Mitch was behind bars and could never hurt her again. Then they could explore whatever was happening between them without all this shit hanging over their heads.

“What about what we found on the computer? Anything we can use there to track him down?” Just mentioning the video they’d witnessed soured his stomach.

“I’m not sure how they can help figure out where he’s hiding, but the sheriff put in a call to the FBI. We don’t have the capability to handle this type of crime, and jurisdiction falls to a national agency. Someone’s coming later today to discuss things with him. He said he’ll keep me updated.”

He hoped to hell the FBI could track down the children being abused, but he agreed with Owen. He wasn’t sure how that would help find Mitch. “I’ll ask Clara if she can think of any friends or other family he’d call. I’ll let you know if she thinks of anything.”

Owen ended the call with a promise to stay in touch.

A soft knock brought him to his feet, and he opened the door to find Davey standing in the hallway with a plateful of pancakes and a timid smile.

“I made you these,” Davey said, offering the breakfast.

Touched, Heath took the plate and ruffled the top of Davey’s head. “Thanks, buddy. This looks great. Do you want some, or did you already eat?”

“I ate. Mama made some for us while you were getting ready. But I wanted to make yours myself.”

Heath picked up a pancake and struggled not to wince at the peanut butter smeared across the top. “I’ve never eaten one like this before.”

“It’s my favorite. I hope you like it.” Davey stared up at him with eyes so wide, it was as if his entire existence hinged on Heath’s reaction to his breakfast.

No pressure.

Without hesitation, he took a bite and creamy peanut butter covered his fingers and roof of his mouth. The sweet spread combined with the hint of vanilla Clara must have put in the batter and created an explosion of flavor.

Davey watched him, anxiousness clear in his little puckered mouth.

Heath swallowed, then grinned. “I’ve been eating these wrong my entire life. That was delicious, buddy. Thank you. How about I eat the rest in the kitchen?”

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