Page 134 of Shattered By the Currents

She hated her parents knowing any of this. They should be protected from it. But one glance at her dad, and she knew there was no getting out of telling him. “Briar Allen hit Herbert over the head with a rock to get me alone. She wanted me to access that same account Xander wanted me to access.”

All color drained from her mother’s face. “Briar who works here?”

Raven dipped her chin. “She was involved in the stuff Xander was doing.”

Her mother covered her mouth, while her dad looked like he wanted to kill someone.

She touched both her parents’ hands. “But I’m okay.”

Her mother pulled her into a hug, and her father enveloped them both in his arms.

She closed her eyes, letting the warm familiarity of her parents’ embrace soak into her skin, chasing away the last of the chill.

God, she loved her parents. When Briar had threatened them tonight, she’d been so scared. That Briar would win. That she’d kill Raven only to follow through on her threat to hurt her parents.

But that wouldn’t happen now.

She spent the next ten minutes just reassuring her parents that she was okay. In that time, paramedics and Zac passed them with Herbert on a stretcher.

“I can’t believe he drugged you,” her father growled, eyes on the older man.

“I don’t hold any anger toward him. I think his brain just wanted his daughter back so badly he convinced himself I was her.” She swallowed. “It didn’t help that Briar played into his delusions.”

Herbert had just been placed into an ambulance when a residence employee stepped outside to get her parents back in. It was hard to let them go. They had trouble saying goodbye to her too. But she assured them she’d be back tomorrow.

Thank God they left when they did, because the second the door closed, paramedics and deputies came around the building with Briar in cuffs. Her shoulder was bandaged, but she was walking. Ryan, Ethan, and Joel followed.

Briar met Raven’s gaze and stopped. “Wait.”

Paramedics hesitated, looking unsure what to do.

Briar took advantage of the hesitation and stepped toward Raven. “It was never about hurting anyone,” she said, an almost resigned sadness in her voice. “I didn’t even know they’d killed people until I was in too deep. It was only about the money for me. Even tonight, I never planned to kill you or your parents. I wanted you to think I would so you’d do what I needed you to do.”

“Except that you could have killed Herbert when you hit him. And to save yourself, I think youwouldhave killed me the second I gave you what you wanted.”

Briar’s brows flickered, like she was internally wondering if that was true. Maybe she didn’t evenknowwhat she was capable of.

“You’re not sorry about your involvement, Briar.” Raven shook her head. “You’re just sorry you got caught.”

“Come on.” One of the deputies urged the paramedics to keep moving.

Raven leaned into Connor’s chest again. “Can we go home yet?”

“Not until you talk to me,” Ward said, as he closed in on them.

She internally groaned, while Connor tensed. “It can wait until tomorrow.”

Ward lifted a brow at her. “You really want to drag this out?”

No. No, she didn’t. With a sigh, she started from Herbert handing her the cup of tea and finished with Briar setting down the gun.

Ward blew out a breath. “Wow. Guess you could say I saved the day on this one.”

“Yousaved the day?” Surely, she’d heard wrong.

“I told Connor about the woman trying to access your account. He wouldn’t have come down here if it wasn’t for that.”

She almost laughed, and she didn’t miss the scoff under Connor’s breath. OfcourseWard thought his tiny contribution made him the hero. Still, she said, “Thank you, Ward.”