Page 70 of Shattered By the Currents

Inside the office, an older man who paid more attention to the football playing on the wall TV than her, gave her a key and a room number. She didn’t care that he barely looked at her. The less attention she drew, the better.

Her room was on the bottom floor of the squat building, the last one on the very end of the row, and the second she stepped inside she nearly gagged at the musty smell.

Good God, had someone died in here?

She closed the door, her nose wrinkling at the thick layer of dust on the small table by the window. Okay, maybe the place had just never been cleaned.

She set her bag on the worn, stained carpet and perched on the side of the bed.

Then her entire day sank in. Everything was such a mess, and she had no idea how to fix it. Her parents were being threatened. Her job was probably in jeopardy. She had no idea if a relationship with Connor would ever be possible while Xander was around…and he might be around for a while. Possibly forever.

She pressed a hand to her chest, hoping to dull the ache. It didn’t work.

She closed her eyes, and Sampson’s face flashed back to her. His smile. The way he’d brightened her darkest, most isolated days in North Dakota.

She’d loved him. Not as a boyfriend, but as a friend. A best friend.

And he was gone.

Another text came through. She pulled out her cell.

Connor: Raven. I’m worried about you. Please call me.

Despite everything, despite knowing he was safer without her, knowing Xander would go to any lengths to keep his secrets…her finger hovered over his name. She wanted to hear his voice. To have him say he’d come to her. Save her.

Then an email notification popped up. She frowned at the name.

Tim Pouty.

A week ago, she’d set up a Google Alert for her PI when he still wasn’t answering her calls.

She clicked into the email, and her heartbeat ground to a halt.

North Dakota Man Found Dead. Police Investigating Homicide.

A buzzing started in her ears.

She clicked into the article and there, line one, was his name again.

Tim Pouty—dead.

Xander had killed him. She knew that without needing any form of confirmation. He’d killed Tim because she’d hired the PI to investigate her ex.

Xander would kill Connor too if he suspected Connor knew too much.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Connor staredat the screen of his phone.

Nothing. No text from Raven. No call.

She wasn’t going to reply. She wasn’t going to tell him where she was.

Fuck.

He got out of the text thread and hit Polly’s name.

She answered immediately. “Connor. Hey. Everything okay?”