Page 105 of Shattered By the Currents

He dropped her arm.

Connor inched between them, just in case Herbert relapsed.

“I’m sorry.” Herbert shook his head “I…I forgot. I thought?—”

“It’s okay,” Raven said gently.

Briar stepped into the room. “Herbert. What are you doing in here? Is everything okay?”

Without a word, he stepped out of the room. Briar frowned at them before following.

Connor turned to Raven. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I just feel sorry for him.” She suddenly straightened. “You’re back. Does that mean?—”

“She’s with your dad. She’s okay.”

A breathy sigh escaped her, and she leaned her forehead against his chest. “Thank you.”

He followed her back to her parents and watched as she embraced her mother.

Connor’s attention only shifted when Zac stepped inside and stopped beside him. “I found fresh prints in the dirt.”

“Did you follow them?”

“Yes. They led to tire tracks on an access road.”

Someone had been out there. Watching Gene? Or watching him?

24

Raven looked from Zac, who stood inside the back door of the community center, to Ryan, who stood by the front.

The meeting was packed tonight. Either the entire town was here or close to it.

But then, that was usually the case. Exactly why Connor hadn’t wanted her to attend. But regardless of Ferris temporarily laying her off, she still saw the center manager position as hers, and she needed to show Ferris her dedication to coming back.

She snuck a peek at Connor beside her. They leaned against the back wall as Ferris spoke, but just like Ryan and Zac, Connor’s gaze wasn’t on their town mayor. He scanned the center like he was searching for threats.

With a sigh, she glanced back to the front to see Ferris wrapping up the meeting.

Thank God. This one had felt longer than normal. Ferris had talked about potholes in the roads, budget updates, and noise complaints. What made it even longer was that everyone needed to put in their opinions tonight.

“Okay, last thing on the agenda, and most exciting if you ask me.” Ferris’s smile was wide. “In as little as three short months, a movie will be filmed in Deep River.”

A movie?

Immediately, Ryan pushed off the wall, giving his full attention to the mayor for the first time that night. “What are you talking about?”

“I was approached a year ago about using this town as a location to film a big-budget thriller.” Ferris’s grin widened. “Some big Hollywood stars will be staying here. There’ll be lots of media attention?—”

“No.”

Raven’s gaze flew back to Ryan. But it wasn’t just Raven who stared at him now—it was the entire town.

Connor cursed beneath his breath, as if he knew something she didn’t.

Ferris laughed, but the sound was clearly forced for the crowd. “It’s already done, Ryan. The deal’s been made. It’s going to be great for businesses?—”